Reading a track program: Horse racing is like wagering on a 2yr old's behavior in church -past performance is an indicator, but its still a 2yr old so no guarantee's ! If you are new to horse racing, you might want to align your bets with the track recommendations that you'll find on the program. Those track picks are based on past performance by "someone in the know".  Its your call !   When you place a wager on a horse to "win" it must come in first.  A wager to "place" means it can  finish either 1st or 2nd and you'll get a payout.  And a wager to "show" will pay something back  if your selection is one of the  top 3 finishers.  Experienced track goer's might opt for a trifecta or exacta - but those multi choice bets are harder to predict.  Race programs offer many details and hints if you know how to read them.  They can be challenging on your first visit. "Mudders"  like to run on a sloppy track, but many horses don't enjoy mud getting tossed  in their faces or the slippery footing.  Owners might switch to horseshoes with toe clips to help dig in on muddy days and that change will be announced prior to the start of the race.   Some horses are distracted by the crowd & require blinkers on their eyes to stay focused straight ahead (these are the face masks they wear with small cups on the side to block their outer view). Some mounts balk and won't load at the gate because they're sore & others are just scared of the gate and need more schooling.  Flippers are bad news - those horses don't want to run and will flip over backwards in the gate and endanger the jockey and working crew.   Some jockeys are also referred to as flippers - weighing 119lbs isn't natural and they resort to drastic measures to make weight.   Not all thoroughbreds can run a mile w/good speed - some will favor a shorter 5 furlong race. The finish line doesn't move - but the starting gate does.  If it seems like the crew is taking a long time to move the gate - it might hint that the bets placed on the next race have been few & far between and they are giving you more time to step up to the window !  All horses need days off after a race. Some recover sooner than others. Thoroughbreds have tattoo's on the inside of their upper lips to register them & prevent thefts.  A good race horse will "flush out" extra baggage just before race time. Grooms are nearby to keep the saddling & warm up area clean. Not every owner will put their horse in a Claiming Race. If that horse wins and someone has put the "claim" money down beforehand, the horse will have a new owner by days end.  That's one way to build up a winning stable but its not too popular with the owners who've bred & raised the foals. "Maidens" have not won a race so far.  Fillys & mares might not be as strong as their male counter parts: colts, geldings & horses/stallions. The shortest distance run is from the inside gate, but its harder to power thru the corners if you are pinched on the inside rail. Horses change their leads thru the corners - watch closely on the final corner to see how smoothly they switch over to their lead leg. An entry can be DQ'd if the horse starts on the inside rails and blows out wide - knocking into others or impeding their race. A DQ race is not rerun, but those affected can file an objection to try to overturn the outcome, or hope for a refund of the horses entrance fee. The jockey & saddle are weighed together prior to the race & afterwards to ensure fairness. The jockey's weight is listed on the program. Horses that finish in the top 4 will go to the testing barn after a race where a urine sample is taken to test for illegal performance enhancing drugs. "Lasix" and "bute" are permitted drugs on the track and the program will note their usage. A horse inhales when his front legs hit the ground. Their intestines rock back n forth like a pendulum & this sometimes puts pressure on tiny vessels in their lungs and breathing passages and induces some bleeding while racing at an energetic pace. The bleeding can reduce the horse's ability to breath while running.  Lasix is given to lower their blood pressure & helps prevent "bleeders". Its become fairly common, and can keep those horses healthy that are prone to bleeding during a race, so they can have a longer career at the track.  Bute is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory that is sometimes given to a sore horse or to one that has developed heat in his legs after previous races (sort of like advil).  90% of thoroughbreds love the whole experience of race day.  But some tbreds at the track are sore from previous races and others would prefer to be back home loafing in a pasture. Thoroughbreds are normally very well cared for with lots of brushing, hoof picking, daily romps around the track in the AM, high quality feed, and long warm luxurious showers.  When you see them hooked up to an exerciser and walking in circles by the stables,  that helps prevent cribbing & boredom in the stalls.   It also loosens up the muscles and joints and they get a much desired lookabout at other horses on the backside of the track and will whinny or snort at them while basking in the sunshine & fresh air.

To help you study a track program prior to your Emerald Downs maiden journey, here's some hints :  ( right click to view & print) This "menu" below lists the acronyms so you can read the horses starting position, their final position when they crossed the line, their previous finishing times & the distance they raced, etc.  Try to get a handle on their abbreviations before race day.

If you feel confident after studying the hints above &  think you know what you're doing, look below and see if you can find these items on the partial entry below. Chaduchy was a 5 - 7 furlong racer (never a mile), 4years old, chestnut filly ( female with no foals) , Montana Bred & registered. She broke hard at the gate and was a front runner to the first pole & tried to stay there.  On this day, she would start in the #4 hole on the 6th race of the day. It was 5 furlongs long and the winning purse was $1250. To try to claim the filly for your own, you'd have to register prior to the race, and it would cost $2,000 to try to take my filly away when she won.  The jockey, Richard was wearing yellow silks and weighed in at 119lbs.  The track picked her as a 2:1 odds favorite (that's the far right hand large number 2 in her row) and  their #1 pick overall ( see upper right).   That  5furlong graphic near the top shows where the race will start.   Next to it is the "Track Expert" Selections &  for this race, he selected gate  #4, #2, and #3 to finish in that order for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Consider the Track Expert recommendations when placing your wagers !  We raced her previously on tracks in Great Falls GF and Metra Park MeP and her finishes and times are shown.  Look after the "Clm2500" text and you'll see what gate she started in on those previous races, and where she was positioned on all 4 poles of the track as compared to the other entries.  For example, on  July 28 '91 in Great Falls, 5th race of the day, 5 furlongs,  it was a fast dry track and  she started in the outter most gate #8, and was  2nd and lagging by 1/2 length at the 1st pole (corner) and she was leading in 1st place by a nose on the 2nd pole and kept the lead for the 3rd and 4th poles. See how that works?  She finished first by a nose, ahead of Lily's Queen and Seatron with a winning time of 1:03.    You can also tell what jockey rode her for each of those previous races and how she faired against the top finishers in each race. At 5 furlongs, her finishing time were anywhere from 1:01 to 1:04 if she had competition and didn't have someone come wide and blow her out of contention. If you're getting the hang of this - you can see that we frequently drew the outside gates - never the #1 starting hole. Starting gates are assigned by the luck of the draw.  Where the program below says Chaduchy  "set pace",  the "8" that follows is indicating how many gates were occupied for that race.  The horse starting in the #1 gate on this day will be Luv Your Bones and the 6yr old chestnut mare's odds were 8:1 as indicated by the really large 8 on the far right hand side. Those are not great odds of winning based on the track expert  - but you'll have to watch the actual wagering board at the track as onsite "betters" may have a different viewpoint.   If a long shot of 8:1 wins, it will be a higher payout than a 2:1 favorite.

It is exciting when you wager & win.  I hope you feel better equipped now at reading a program before you wager.  But you don't need to bet at a track to have a great day there !   Making guesses & seeing how you fare is fun w/o placing a wager.  Or watching others groan !  The horses are in fantastic condition, tall and lean.  Head down to the saddling area and see which horses are cranked up and ready to bolt - it doesn't always guarantee a winner but it might offer hints. If you do wager, there's no shame in just placing a $2 wager on a race.  Just pick a horse and decide if you think it'll win, or increase your odds of a payout by wagering on a "place" - which means it has to come in 1st or 2nd.   Or wager on a "show" and if the horse finishes in the top 3 you'll get some money back.    If I wanted to bet on my own horse Chaduchy above - I could step up to the window and say $2 on #4 in the 6th to win.   Hang on to that receipt - you'll need to show it at the window to get your payout if your horse comes in. Horses know when they've won - watch them in the post parade and you'll see defeat in the attitudes of those that lost ( they just want to head back to the barn and cool down) and there will be pride in the victor's gait as they take a victory pass of the grandstands and return to get their photo snapped with owners, trainers, friends, sponsors and hopefully win a blanket !   There's plenty of onsight entertainment inbetween the races - like the bugler's call to post and the Aussie announcer, Robert Geller.  Don't fret if you're having difficulty reading & interpreting the program - every horse standing in the gate has a chance of winning.   I provided these program insights for those who accused me of holding out on previous years  - I hope you'll have more confidence and will make great picks this yr.   Have fun at the races !