Programs and forms
Like a program at a baseball game, racetrack programs provide information about all the players. In this case, the players are the horses, jockeys, trainers and owners. Reading up on these kinds of details helps bettors make an educated guess on which horse and jockey combo is most likely to win. And with a racetrack program only costing $3, it’s a worthy investment.
In addition to race day programs, serious bettors subscribe to Daily Racing Form (DRF), which is a publication (also available online) that provides past performance statistics of all the horses running on the day’s program. It also includes helpful articles and handicapping by DRF staff. If you’re a numbers guy or gal, we highly recommend buying DRF for $4.
How to read a horse racing program
Everyone feels the same way the first time that they look at a race day program: overwhelmed. And that’s perfectly fine. That’s why we created this handy guide to help you make sense of any horse racing program. Give it a good look so you can go into race day feeling confident and competent.
