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Horse Handicapping: Of Weights And Winners

If you think handicapping means mauling that prick who stole your parking slot yesterday, then you are obviously a newbie to the horse racing system. With horse racing as in any other sport and game, handicapping means assigning advantage to equalize the chances of winning. Its core principle is putting a more seasoned player at a disadvantage to make it likely for a less experienced player to participate, perhaps even win - all the while maintaining fair play and credible horse racing results.

Impeded by an Impost

One handicapper in horse racing is the impost. No, it is not a club you use to beat the strongest horse up. Rather, it is the weight that a horse must carry during the race. Horses carry lead weights as a form of handicap. A racing secretary assigns these riding weights based on certain considerations, such as performance and track distance. Jockeys utilize lead pads - or saddle pads with pockets - to hold the lead weights. To guarantee that no horse is unfairly burdened, the racing secretary considers the jockey’s weight in giving a horse its assigned impost.

On Fool Throttle

Here’s a little known horse racing tip. As a rule of thumb, three pounds of extra weight translate to a length in a mile-long race. It is perhaps this handicapping equation that prompted Tom Fool’s trainer to compare the horse to Atlas. Like Atlas, Tom Fool is constantly being made to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. In the Metropolitan Handicap, he carried a staggering 130 pounds - all 108 pounds of his jockey and 22 pounds of lead and equipment. In the Suburban Handicap, he shouldered 128 pounds. In the Carter Handicap, the load was jacked up to 135 pounds. In all three races, he gave away advantages ranging from 20 to 40 pounds. This figure is nothing short of astounding; it means Tom Fool’s competitors had between six to 13 miles on him!

A Legend on Four Legs

What makes Tom Fool’s victories even more amazing is that as a three-year-old, he had been very sickly. In fact, he never got around to running in the Kentucky Derby because he was constantly ailing. He broke many fans’ hearts when he finished second in the Wood Memorial Stakes. It was discovered, later on, however, that the horse had raced even with high fever - a fever which eventually caused him to stop racing for more than two months.

As a legend, Tom Fool exemplifies what many handicapped people have always known to be true: a handicap is a stumbling block only to the extent that you let it. Ultimately, there is nothing stronger or heavier than the will of a champion - not a jockey’s pounds and not added riding weights.

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