05/12 FG 6f ft Clm 16000 118 3 5 5³ 4² 2¹ 1hd 1:11.2 85 L b. That string, an annotated sample from Horse Racing Sense, is a whole race folded into one line of type. Read it left to right, field by field, and by the end of this page it opens up, along with the workout lines printed under it. One thing to know before you start: every publisher prints its own key, and when a code puzzles you, that key settles it, not a guess.

Where to get past performances

What you need

  • Past performances for one race

    Horse Racing Sense ranks the sources for beginners this way: Equibase.com is free and basic. DRF is a paid product and includes Beyer figures. Brisnet adds pace figures and trainer stats. ADW betting platforms such as TwinSpires, FanDuel Racing and NYRA Bets include past performances free with an account.

  • The publisher's key

    DRF's is its [past performance help page](https://www1.drf.com/help/help_drf_pp.html). Keep it open beside the page you're reading, since the same letter can mean different things on a different publisher's chart.

One line, left to right

Reading 05/12 FG 6f ft Clm 16000 118 3 5 5³4²2¹1hd 1:11.2 85 L b

  1. Date, race number and track

    DRF runs them together, as in 1Jan96 10CRC: the date, then race 10, then the track code. Other publishers split them, as in 05/12 FG.

  2. Distance

    Given in furlongs, so 6f is six furlongs. DRF marks an approximate distance with an asterisk.

  3. Surface and condition

    The surface is dirt, turf, synthetic or wet dirt; the condition runs on a scale from fast to heavy, so ft is fast and gd is good. How a surface was playing on a given day is its own study.

  4. Times

    In races longer than about five and a half furlongs, splits are printed at the quarter and the half before the final time, here 1:11.2. A half in :43 or faster is read as a hot pace; raw final time matters less than the speed figure below.

  5. Race conditions

    Clm 16000 is a claiming race at a $16,000 price; DRF can print a claiming range instead, such as 16/14000.

  6. Weight

    The 118 is pounds carried, jockey and equipment together, worth comparing against today's assignment.

  7. Speed figure

    Here it is 85. In DRF that number is a Beyer, which adjusts for the track's own speed that day so figures from different tracks can be compared. Aces & Races treats 100 as elite and 60 as low-level claiming; a 5-point gap between two horses is usually worth noting, a 10-point gap more so.

  8. Running line

    In 5, 5³, 4², 2¹, 1hd, the large number is the horse's position at each call; the small number is lengths behind the leader, or ahead if it was leading. A 5-5-4-2-1 shape is a closer finishing strongly; a 1-1-1-1-2 shape is a front-runner that faded late.

  9. Jockey and odds

    Past performances list the rider and the final odds, though the sample line above omits both and their position varies by publisher.

  10. Medication and equipment letters

    In DRF's key, L is Lasix, B is Butazolidin, f is front bandages and r is bar shoes. Any letter not on that list, including the sample's lowercase b, has to be checked against the publisher's own key rather than guessed at.

  11. Workout lines underneath

    Each line gives a date, distance and time. A bullet marks the best work of the day at that track and distance; an italic fraction such as 1/10 gives the rank among that day's works. B means breezing, H means handily. Reading morning workouts leading into the Derby builds on this same notation.

Common letters on the line

Frequently seen abbreviations

10 rows
CodeMeaning
ftFast (track condition)
gdGood (track condition)
ClmClaiming race, followed by the claiming price
LLasix (race-day medication), per DRF's key
BButazolidin (medication), per DRF's key; also used on a workout line to mark the day's best work at that distance
fFront bandages, per DRF's key
rBar shoes, per DRF's key
HHandily, on a workout line
B (workout)Breezing, on a workout line
1/10Ranked 1st of 10 works at that distance and track that day

Every publisher's key is its own; DRF's full list is on its past performance help page. A letter not on this short list should be checked there, not guessed.

Free to reuse with credit and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).

Where the page misleads

It may be. A common mistake is citing one big figure without checking whether the whole track ran fast that day. Check that, and compare figures only across similar surfaces, distances and levels of competition.

They are measuring on different scales. Beyer, Brisnet and other systems each calculate their own figures. Compare horses within a single system rather than across two of them.

A past performance line cannot show trip trouble or a horse's current physical condition on the day. Watch the replay if one is available.

Go back to the line at the top of this page. It now reads as a six-furlong claimer for $16,000 on a fast track, run by a horse carrying 118 pounds on Lasix. It sat fifth early, gained through the turn and got up by a head, earning an 85. The next step is weighing that horse against the rest of the field, using the speed, class, form and trainer-jockey combinations covered in handicapping for beginners.