With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the EasyForm beginner past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Recency

Recency always note the dates of a horse's most recent races. A horse racing at regular and consistent intervals is probably fit and prepared for today's race. A horse that goes extended periods of time without a race may be coming off an injury or sickness and may not be in tip top condition.

With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Beyer Speed Figures

Daily Racing Form's exclusive Beyer Speed Figures are perhaps the most powerful tool in helping you select a winner. They measure how fast a horse runs, taking into account how fast the surface was on a given day. The best part is that it's an easy tool to use, the higher the Beyer Speed Figure number, the faster the horse.

With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Probable Race Odds

Probable race odds are calculated by the amount of money bet on each horse in each race. The "favorite" is the horse that has had the most money wagered on it to win, while the "long-shots" have had the least money wagered on them. Odds, like 4-1 for example, mean that for every dollar wagered, you'll get a $4 profit (if your horse wins). A "$2 to win" bet on a 4-1 horse will get you a $10 return (an $8 profit plus your original $2 investment).

Green Box

When you see a green box around a horse's odds, it denotes that the racetrack is predicting the horse will be the favorite for the race — the horse who the public thinks is most likely to win, but whose payout will be the lowest if it does!

With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Career Box

We've simplified the information to include the total number of starts, wins, second and third place finishes under the following easy to understand categories:

1. Lifetime - includes every race that the horse has run during it's entire career.

2. At this Distance - includes only races on that surface; either all turf races at that distance, or all main track races (dirt and synthetic combined). Similar distances are grouped together for simplicity, so it's not only that "exact" distance. (e.g. all races 4 furlongs and under are grouped together).

3. At this Track - includes every race that the horse has run on the surface at the specific track that it is competing at today. In this example, it would include all races run at Gulfstream Park on the dirt.

4. This year - includes every race run during this calendar year.

With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Where Did He Finish Last Race?

The "finish" area of the past performance shows a horse's three most recent race results. Depending on his most recent finish, a horse's trainer will decide if he should run against easier, tougher, or similar competition. You want to bet on a horse that consistently finishes in-the-money, in 1st, 2nd or 3rd position — or at least in the front of the field. This is a good indicator that the horse is competitive and will likely live up to its previous races.

With all the information and statistics provided in Daily Racing Form past performances, the process of picking a winner - called handicapping - can be intimidating at first. Let's examine the past performances and uncover six simple steps to help you have a more enjoyable and profitable day at the races.

Running Styles in DRF EasyForm

EasyForm provides running style information for all horses with established form, to give you a sense of where they are typically positioned in a race. Here are the various running types displayed in EasyForm:

Frontrunner - A horse who uses his speed early to run on the lead.

Near the front runner - A horse who typically likes to be positioned near the frontrunner, so that if the frontrunner tires, he has an easier path to victory.

Middle of the pack - A horse who typically runs somewhere near the middle of the field for the first part of the race, and tries to make a run to the lead in the second half of the race.

Comes from behind - A horse who typically reserves his energy through the early and middle stages of a race, and tries to use a late burst of speed to run past the tiring horses in front.

Versatile - A horse who has shown the ability to succeed while using different running styles in different races.

Uncompetitive - A horse who hasn't established a successful running style in his previous races.

You can use the Running Style analysis, along with the General Pace Note on the race, to get a better sense of how a race might unfold. For example, if the race is full of frontrunners who like to battle it out early for the lead, there's a good chance they might tire each other out, setting the race up for a horse who comes from behind, who is more relaxed early in the race.