Friday, July 24 Saratoga Race 3 Feature of the Day
2daysrace
Senior Member
It might be a small number, but it can be large in your handicapping. Looking at the horse Dacoma, the highlighted number (-3) is the number of runners out of that race that have come back to win their next start. These types of races are known as key races as they are often proven to be stronger than similar races that only produced one next-out winner or none.
Dacoma finished 6th of 10 in that June 10 race that produced three next-out winners. Even though she did finish 6th, the race seems to be stronger than it looks on paper and she could move forward against runners that raced at similar racing levels who did not race in a key race.
Key races are most often found in Maiden races, but they can be found in others as well. Either way, use these key races to help you in your handicapping as these type of horses can often be overlooked on the toteboard.
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