Kentucky Derby Countdown:
32 Days Until May 3rd and the 134th Kentucky Derby
Extra Weight and Thoroughbred Horse Racing
Extra weight for a horse race handicapper can be a friend or an enemy.
That extra weight is the weight that is added to horses in a field to make the field consistent so that all horses have similar chances of winning the race. Although not the best way of making a field even in strength, this standard practice is widely used and horse race handicappers cannot ignore it.
When a very small weight is added, it is generally not considered to influence the horse's performance. However, if you are selecting a horse that is at the top of the weight list to win, then you will have to look at things from a different perspective. If that specific horse is significantly heavier than the next heaviest horse, a conservative horse race handicapper would probably consider another horse.
On the other hand, if the horse that you have selected to win is lighter than most of the other horses that are of similar strength, then you might take this as an advantage.
The best case scenario for picking a winning horse by its weight, is selecting a horse that is at the same weight or lighter than its rivals and is of similar strength plus if it is carrying lesser weight in this race when compared to its last start.
As long as your selection ran well in the last race and is running with a similar field in the current race, you can probably be assured of a good performance.
Visit Horse Race Handicapping College for more information.
