Distance Change or Distance Switch

By: Ray Taulbot

Almost every month we receive letters from readers askingsubstantially the same question, "Can you provide an angle, or combination of angles,not involving any kind of handicapping that will keep us ahead of the game? We don"t mindwaiting for good investments, three or four a week is enough for us, if they win with afair consistency at profitable prices."

Yes, we can do this. One cannot expect to get profitable highpayoffs if he insists on avoiding a qualified selection only because it does not measureup to his standards. Good prices usually result from smart moves on the part of trainers.

All of you know that we are pace handicappers. But we also havea fair knowledge of racing angles, and we are not above making full use of them,especially where a good price is involved. In this field, one can"t afford to becomedogmatic about anything. We"d never argue that no one can win consistently unless heconfines himself to pace handicapping, although we have found it to be more profitablethan any other means of making selections day in and day out.

When one makes spot selections through the use of angles he willobtain the best results by employing combination angles, especially those angles thatreveal stable intentions.

One of the most effective trainer angle is the "Switch inDistance" angle, which is part of the conditioning process. One must, however, becareful not to confuse this angle with the "Change in Distance" angle. Thelatter angle has very little winning power compared to the strength of the switch indistance device.

So let"s look at two examples to clarify the exact meaning of aswitch in distance. First, let"s look at a "Change in Distance." A horse ran sixfurlongs last start and today it is entered in a route race. In other words, it ischanging distances.

The "Switch in Distance" angle is entirely different.Suppose a horse ran six furlongs in its next-to-last race, ran in a route race laststart, and today the horse is entered in a sprint race. In other words, it changeddistances last start and today is switching back to a sprint race. The same move could bein reverse to the above.

If the horse ran a sprint distance in its next-to-last race andchanged to a route last start, the change in distance was made as a means of legging-upthe horse"s stamina so that it is not likely to be short next start in a sprint race. Whenthe situation is reversed, that is, when the horse ran in a route race in its next-to-laststart, and changed to a sprint last time out, the change in distance was made to sharpenup the router"s speed, which will contribute to its effort next start in a route race.

So you see, there is nothing mysterious about the switch indistance angle, it is simply a part of the training procedure.

Now what angle is likely to prove most effective in conjunctionwith the switch in distance angle? The answer is one that offers additional evidence thatthe horse is well meant today. Thus, a drop in claiming price or class today is the factorthat, when combined with the switch in distance angle, produces the highest percentage ofwinners, often at good prices.

Why does this combination of angles usually result in profitableprices? Because in many instances the trainer will step his horse up in claiming price orclass when he changes distance. As a result, the horse will seldom show anything like agood race last start. Therefore, with little or no evidence of current sharpness or goodform, the drop in claiming price today is seldom enough to attract heavy public support.The result is usually a good price.

A drop in class is obvious in claiming races as are moves whichinvolve switching from claiming to allowance and back again. However, there is no way forthe average racing fan to know the exact conditions of an allowance race from the pastperformances.

Since we have no sure way of telling whether or not class dropsor hikes have occurred in allowance races, we will just assume that the trainer knows hisbusiness and let the distance switch alone control the play and price. Therefore, anotherwise qualified horse that shows races in allowance events in its last two starts andwhich is running in an allowance event today is acceptable.

Purse values can be compared to the purse value of today"s race,but this comparison s not conclusive.

The date angle is another device that is highly effective whenit pertains to horses that qualify on the combination trainer angle. This is because atrainer who has a horse ready is most anxious to get him into a suitable race as soon aspossible after its last conditioning race. Trainers know that to keep a horse idle toolong after it has been prepared could result in a performance below what the trainerhopes.

We have found over the years that horses qualifying on the abovecombination angle win more frequently when they come back within 14 days after their lastrace. By confining the date factor to 14 days, the player can increase the winningpercentage of this combination angle. However, he is very likely to encounter a qualifiedhorse that has been idle as long as 21 days which connects at a good price.

Our advice is to stick to 14 days. Beyond that time limit, werequire the horse be given at least one workout since its last race and that the odds onsuch a horse be no less than 15-1.

As an example, we have selected the seventh race at Philadelphiaon April 11. Here are the pertinent past performance information on the colt SaratogaWave.

6-1/2 furlongs Claiming

Saratoga Wave c 3 $14,000

29 Mar 94 9 Pha 1-70 Alw 14500 5181/4

21 Feb 94 2 Pha 6f Clm 11000 23/4

When the trainer switched Saratoga Wave to a route race, andmoved him up to an allowance, on March 29, he ran out-of-the-money by 18-1/4 lengths. Whenreturned to a sprint and dropped in class to another claimer today, he returned $24.80 towin.

Don"t use this combination angle in the belief that everyselection is a sure winner. However, the winning percentage is good and the prices morethan make up for the losers one is sure to get from time to time