| Do you think you're a pretty sharp horse racing | | | | reversal of form, probably due to lameness, that is |
| handicapper? Let me ask you a question, did the last | | | | now sporting front wraps and moving to a softer |
| horse that you bet on have a shadow roll on? Did it | | | | surface, it may be one to bet on. |
| have a tongue tie? Was it wearing front wraps? | | | | On the other hand, if you see front wraps and they |
| Do you know how important each one of those | | | | weren't there before, that is a bad sign. How often |
| pieces of equipment is to a horse's performance? If | | | | do you make a note of when a horse is wearing front |
| you can't answer that question, you're missing the boat, | | | | wraps for the first time? Do you know what a |
| big time. | | | | shadow roll is and why horses wear them? If you |
| Horse racing handicapping is a demanding intellectual | | | | see a horse raced erratically in the stretch or has a |
| sport that can be profitable, but only for a very few. | | | | line that says, "Jumped shadow," then that is why it is |
| The way a few people manage to be successful | | | | wearing that shadow roll. The shadow roll may help it |
| while so many others fail is by paying attention to the | | | | to maintain a sustained drive in the stretch rather than |
| little things, keeping notes, and being more observant. | | | | doing the cha cha to avoid a shadow. |
| The addition of a tongue tie can make a horse that | | | | The point is that if you asked 100 people who had just |
| was falling apart in the stretch in its previous races, | | | | watched a race if the winner was wearing blinkers, a |
| sprint down the stretch to victory. | | | | shadow roll, front wraps, a tongue tie, a Cornell collar, |
| Front wraps are often an indication of an unsound | | | | or a hood that covered its ears, probably 99 of them |
| horse, a horse with sore forelegs. How that horse will | | | | wouldn't be able to tell you. Each one of those |
| perform will depend upon certain factors such as the | | | | pieces of equipment is important and noticing if they |
| softness of the surface it is racing on. A good horse | | | | have been added and knowing what effect that will |
| that is trying to overcome soreness in its forelegs may | | | | have upon a horse is often the difference between |
| perform well on a soft turf course or a cushioned | | | | winning and losing for professional handicappers. |
| track. So if you see a horse that had a sudden | | | | |