| Class is probably one of the most difficult horse racing | | | | true to form. When there is a half million dollars on the |
| factors to understand and measure and yet, when | | | | line, you can bet that each horse and jockey in the |
| you handicap a horse race, it is sometimes the most | | | | race will be trying to win. You can also bet that the |
| important factor. This is certainly true when | | | | classiest horse will usually prevail. |
| handicapping graded stakes races. The Donn, run at | | | | Nothing speaks of class in older horses more than the |
| Gulfstream Park, is a good example of how important | | | | actual money they have earned in their careers, |
| class, or quality is when determining the winner. | | | | provided that they are still earning. While some older |
| The Donn, a grade 1 race with a half million dollar purse, | | | | horses do slowly decline and lose their ability to |
| was run on February 6th, 2010. Quality Road was the | | | | compete, a four year old like Quality Road may not |
| prohibitive favorite at less than even odds. While other | | | | have even reached his prime and full ability, yet. Finding |
| horses in the race had raced in graded stakes races | | | | such a horse, you have to figure out how to make a |
| as well, Quality Road, with just 8 races in his career, | | | | profit. |
| had faced the toughest competition. For people who | | | | Paying just $2.80 to win, it is hard to make any money |
| try to estimate the class of a horse using speed | | | | on the horse in the win pool, but keying him over the |
| figures, Quality Road came up short. In fact, 5 other | | | | other millionaires in the race resulted in an exacta that |
| horses in the race had a faster speed figure in their | | | | paid $8.90 for every dollar bet and a trifecta that paid |
| last race, but speed is an arbitrary measure of class. | | | | $46 for every dollar combination. While it is always |
| If you want to know the best way to handicap a | | | | easy to say the race was easy to handicap after it is |
| grade 1 race for older horses, you need only look at | | | | over, in this case, you can see that it really was. The |
| the lifetime earnings for each horse. Three horses in | | | | kicker was that Quality Road had won at the distance |
| the race had earned more than a million dollars in their | | | | and at the track he was competing on. That is always |
| careers. They were Quality Road, Dry Martini, and | | | | a very good sign. |
| Delightful Kiss. | | | | There were only three other horses in the race who |
| As it turned out, they were the trifecta. Though he | | | | had accomplished the same feat and two of them |
| spotted the field at least 6 pounds, Quality Road won | | | | completed the trifecta. This, along with the money |
| going away by an impressive and ever widening 12 3 | | | | earned, is a very strong angle when handicapping |
| 4 lengths. If you are horse racing handicapping for | | | | stakes races. |
| profit, then you need to find races that are honest and | | | | |