Some
people look at Beyer numbers, angles, systems, betting patterns,
track conditions or horse horoscopes to pick winners. Whatever works.
Joe Takach, a California handicapper and author, looks at a horse’s
body language as an indicator of whether an animal is ready to contend
or is just going to go through the motions of running around the
track while your money rides its past performances.
In his newest
work, Physicality Handicapping Made Easy (29 pages, 9x11 plastic
bound, $19.95), Takach explains how a handicapper’s observational
skills can make the difference between identifying a potential contender
and eliminate one you might as well categorize as a phony deadbeat
who won’t run and whose trainer might be a bit nearsighted or shortsighted
or just plain greedy.
In 13 mini-sections,
Takach alerts the bettor to what to look for during the post parade
or in the paddock, in a positive or negative sense. The smart handicapper
will already have comprised, for simplicity, a sort of checklist
of important concepts. If you are one of those newcomers to the
racing game who was totally unaware of these factors, the book will
serve as a generator of checklist material.
For example,
how a horse walks is often an indicator to it feels. Takach tells
you what “walking short” means and why it’s a no-no. He also tells
you when an accurate assessment should be made. “...the only time
to assess correct walking is when the horse is permitted to walk
in his natural gait...if it appears that the groom is altering the
stride in any manner, a proper assessment can’t be made,” he warns.
He emphasizes
too that the importance of walking well ... “is the first thing
I look for with every horse I view, contender or not.”
Takach next
moves to a horse’s ears and their significance in betting decisions.
He tell you that “The most desirable ear position is pricked upwards
and straightforward,” and that “pinned ears suggest extreme anger
(this is when the ears are swept back and flush against the head).
He moves to
the significance of “flickering ears” and “flopped over” ears; tails;
muscling; color as a barometer of health; energy levels (there are
five basic types including “the walking dead” and the “walking half-dead”—clearly
not good signs); negative equipment (front wraps and run-out bits).
Two final sections
explain the importance of observing the pre-race warm-up and even
the post-race warm-down; and an overall summary of reading horse
body language as an important tool in every day handicapping.
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