Playing the races is a lot like playing poker.

When you bet on races, you don't play against "the house." As in poker, you play against other players. Your bet goes into the pool, and every player with a winning ticket gets a share.

The track takes a percentage of each bet before the race begins. This “takeout” provides purses and covers the track's expenses. Winners split the rest.

If most players pick the same horse, it becomes the betting favorite. If few players pick a horse,

then you've got a long shot – and a big payoff if it wins.

There's nothing like the rush of Thoroughbred racing. And there's nothing like the fun of holding a winning ticket.

This guide will get you started, but if you have questions, please ask—we’re at your service. Good luck!

GUIDE TO RACING

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GET IN THE GAME: HOW TO READ THE PROGRAM Racing is a game of skill, not chance. You might get lucky and pick a winner by color or name, but you stand a better chance of winning if you know how to size up the horses. This page shows how past performances (PPs) appear in the program. Each line describes a race the horse ran previously. These PPs are for Furthest Land the day he ran in the 2009 Kentucky Cup Classic. Furthest Land won the Classic at Turfway and next won the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

7 Orange

6-1 Owner: Silks: Trainer:

Kenneth L. & Sarah K. Ramsey White, red ‘R,’ white band on red sleeves, red cap Michael J. Maker (14-9-2-2) 92.86%

107.65 2009: 2008: Life: TP:

7590

4150

0 2 2 0

0 0 2 0

$151,183$42,926

$207,909$0

Turf: Off Track: Distance: All Weather:

7441

3221

2100

0000

$94,382$88,109$65,282$41,780

Furthest Land (L) 118 Garrett Gomez (0-0-0-0) 0.00%

Dk B/Br.g.4 Smart Strike – Flagrant by Rahy – Bred in Kentucky by Catherine Wills (Apr 09, 2005)

25Jul09 9 Cby ft 1 1/8 35 :4883 1:1219 1:5077 3↑ CCJewel-150k 99 102 2 51/2 32 42-3/4 44-1/2 46- 1/4 Leparoux J R 124 bBL *.90 Antrim County122nkFncy Runnr1294½Glmour Guy 1221½ shifted out 4wd, empty 6

10Jun09 5 Ind sys 170 28 :48 1:1180 1:4080 3↑ Stk-GldnBear-75k 81 122 2 21 21-1/2 21-1/2 11/2 12-1/2 Mojica O 119 bL *.60 Furthest Land1192-1/2Sahmmy Davis Jr1173/4Budge Man1246 in tight 3/16th, drvng 4

02May0910CD gd 1 1/8 34 :4840 1:1234 1:4962 3↑ Stk-TurfClscG1-500K118 110 6 64 66-1/2 75-1/4 87 87-1/4 Prado E S 117 bLA 22.60 Einstein119hdCowboy Cal 1192-3/4Court Vision 1241-1/2 4-7 wide 2nd turn 9

05Apr09 7 Kee ft 1 1/16 34 :4832 1:1304 1:4310 4↑ Aoc100000nw4/x-N 87 104 3 31-1/2 31-1/2 31 11/2 12-1/4 Leparoux J R 122 bLA 4.90 Furthest Land 11821/4 Wicked Style1181Hyracoterium1182 bid 3 wide, cleared 6

Workout(s): 19 Sep 09 Cdt 5F ft 1:03.20b 5/9 •12 Sep 09 Cdt 5F ft :59b 1/6 5 Sep 09 Cdt 5F 1:00.20b 3/4 22 Aug 09 CD 5F ft 1:02.40b 8/18

Reading a past performance line from left to right 05Apr09 7 Kee ft 1 1/16 34 :4832 1:1304 1:4310 4↑ Aoc100000nw4/x-N 87 104 3 31-1/2 31-1/2 31 11/2 12-1/4 Leparoux J R 118 bLA 4.90FurthestLand 11821/4Wicked Style1181Hyracotherium1182bid 3 wide, cleared 6

After a short layoff, Furthest Land ran April 5, 2009, in the 7th race at Keeneland. The track was fast and the race covered 1-1/16 miles (8.5 furlongs) on an all-weather surface A . (A furlong is 1/8 of a mile.) A T in a circle indicates a turf, or grass, race. An X in a circle means a race was taken off the turf and run on the main track. No symbol indicates dirt. On this track, horses run 34 feet before timing begins.

The pace was slightly slower than the baseline 12 seconds per furlong; the leader at half a mile stopped the timer at slightly more than 48 seconds. Furthest Land won this race, so that’s his time at the finish: 1:43.10.

This race was for horses 4 years old and older (4↑). It was an allowance-optional claiming race for horses that had not won four races other than certain types (x). Horses could be available for claiming for $100,000. “N” means Furthest Land was not available to be claimed. 87 and 104 are pace and

speed figures. Furthest Land broke from post 3 and at the first and second points of call was third, 1-1/2 lengths behind the leader. (A length is about 1/5 of a second.) At the third point of call he had gained half a length, and by the stretch call (always one furlong from the finish) he was ahead by half a length. He won by 2 1/4 lengths.

Julien Leparoux was the jockey. The horse was assigned to carry 118 pounds, wore blinkers (b), and was given Lasix (L) and an adjunct medication (A) to control pulmonary bleeding. His odds were 4.90 to 1.

Furthest Land finished 2-1/4 lengths ahead of Wicked Style, who was one length ahead of Hyracotherium. Wicked Style is also in the current race. Furthest Land raced three paths off the rail to make his bid and cleared the field. There were 6 horses in the race.

Training workouts. Furthest Land breezed 5 furlongs in :59 flat on September 12 at the Churchill Downs training center. The black dot and “1/6” means he was the fastest of the horses that worked that distance that day, in this case 6.

A short line means the horse hasn’t run in at least 30 days (“layoff”). A long line means a layoff of 45 days or more.

Top 3 finishers, the weight they carried, and the margins between them. Italics mean that horse won his next race. Bold type means the horse is also in the current race.

Final odds to $1; * indicates a favorite.

Horse’s post position, morning line odds, owner, description of owner’s silks, trainer, and trainer’s record at this track during this meet. The morning line is odds quoted by the track handicapper before wagering determines final odds.

Horse’s name, color, sex, age, sire, dam, dam’s sire, where bred, breeder, and medication.

Jockey, jockey’s record at this track this meet, and weight the horse will carry in this race.

Horse’s career record (starts, firsts, seconds, thirds) and earnings in the last two years, in his career, at the distance of this race, on tracks not rated fast, and on turf and all-weather surfaces.

Left to right: date of race; race # and track; track condition and surface; length of race and the distance until timing begins; fractions noting speed at points of call and finish; age of horses in race; race name, grade, and purse; pace and speed numbers; post position; position of the horse at points of call and margin from the lead; jockey; weight the horse carried; medication and equipment; final odds; top three finishers and distance between them; comments, number of horses in the field.

Comments about the horse’s performance.

PLACE YOUR BETS If you’re new to racing, place your bets at least 15 minutes before post time to avoid delaying other bettors. Always check your ticket before you leave the window; clerks cannot change a bet once you leave. And always hold your ticket until the results are declared official. Questions? Stop by the program stand on the first floor.

WHAT TO TELL THE CLERK 1. The name of the track 2. The race number 3. The amount of your bet 4. The type of bet 5. The horse’s program number

Like this: “Turfway Park, race 8, $2 to win on #4” or “Turfway Park, race 6, $2 Exacta, #4 and #9.”

WAYS TO BET

Win: Bet a horse to finish first.

Place: Bet a horse to finish first or second.

Show: Bet a horse to finish first, second, or third.

Across the board: Bet a horse to win, place, and show. If

the horse wins, you get win, place, and show money. If it finishes second, you get place and show. If

it comes in third, you get show.

Exacta: Bet the first two finishers in exact order.

Trifecta: Bet the first three finishers in exact order.

Superfecta: Bet the first four finishers in exact order.

Super Hi 5: Bet the first five finishers in exact order.

Box: Bet an Exacta, Tri, or Super by selecting horses to finish in any order; e.g., if you bet an Exacta box, you win if your two picks finish one-two in either order.

Daily Double: Bet the winners of two consecutive races designated by the track.

Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6: Bet the winners of three, four, or six consecutive races designated by the track.

The cost of a Pick bet: “#H” is the number of horses you’re picking in each race (“leg”) of the bet). For a Pick 3, the formula is:

#H 1st leg x #H 2nd leg x #H 3rd leg x $ bet = cost of bet

Example: 4 horses x 3 horses x 2 horses x $1 = $24

You win if one of your four wins Leg 1 and one of your three wins Leg 2 and one of your two wins Leg 3.

WORDS TO KNOW Scratch: A horse may be removed from competition by the trainer or state vet or because more than the maximum number of horses entered. If a horse is scratched early, an “also eligible” may start instead.

Coupled entry: If one owner owns two horses in a race, they run as one entry; a bet on one is a bet on both. The program numbers are 1 & 1a, 2 & 2a, etc. regardless of post position.

Odds: The bettors’ opinion of a horse’s chance to win. Odds determine the payoff. Use this formula: amount of bet x odds + your original bet = winnings

Common odds and the payoff on a $2 win bet 1-2........$3.00 8-5....... $5.20 3-1 ....... $8.00 4-5........$3.60 2-1....... $6.00 7-2 ....... $9.00 1-1........$4.00 5-2....... $7.00 9-2 ..... $11.00

Odds-on: Odds of less than 1-1. A winner at 1-5 pays $1 for every $5 bet, or 20 cents on the dollar. So a $2 bet returns 40 cents plus your original $2, or $2.40.

Even money: Odds of 1-1.

Long shot: A horse bettors believe has relatively little chance of winning. The odds are long, but the payoff is great—a $2 win bet on a 20-1 long shot returns $42!

Pari-mutuel: Means “among ourselves”; you play against all other bettors. The track gets a set percentage but has no stake in the outcome of a race.

CONDITIONS & TYPES OF RACES Conditions define the horses allowed to enter a given race (e.g., by age, gender, and/or wins), keeping races competitive. Conditions also specify distance, purse, and other info. Races fall into four general categories:

Maiden: A race for horses that have never won a race.

Claiming: Each horse in the race is for sale for a preset price. Claims are made before the race begins.

Allowance: A step above claiming races. Horses are not for sale.

Stakes: The highest class of races. Stakes can be graded (I, II, or III), listed, or ungraded. The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I race. Outside the U.S., such races are called Group I, II, or III.

Want more? Go to ntra.com > Racing > NTRA U.

Know when to stop before you start.® Gambling problem? Call 1-800-426-2537. Always confidential.

A HISTORY OF FAVORITES History shows that the favorite—the horse with the lowest odds—is the favorite for a reason. Historically

• The favorite bet to win pays off about 33% of the time. • The favorite bet to place (comes in first or second) pays

off 53% of the time. • The favorite bet to show (comes in first, second, or

third) pays off 67% of the time.

ANGLES Every player has an angle but no player has every answer. Here are a few clues to consider:

The jockey Jockeys’ stats appear next to their names. “(17-4-4-2) 58.82%” means the jock has had 17 mounts in the meet, won 4 times, placed 4

times, and finished third twice. That’s a 24% win rate and a 59% in-the-money rate. A win rate of 15% or better is a good indication of talent. The trainer Check the trainer’s win and in-the-money percentages. Check his or her results with horses of different ages, at different distances, and with different jockeys. Look for a hot trainer/jockey combo. The horse Check the horse’s win percentage. See if he’s moving up in class (say, from claiming to allowance) or dropping down. Does he do well at the distance and on similar track conditions? Is she coming off a layoff? If she didn’t win last time, how far back was she? Is he carrying more or less weight than the rest? Compare speed and class figures. Look for equipment or medication changes. The horse’s style Frontrunners like to get out front early and be on or very near the lead all the way. Stalkers sit just behind the leaders and make a move coming for home. Closers wait far back and make a big run all at once down the stretch. If a race has more than one speed horse, for instance, they might wear each other out and set things up for a closer. If there’s not much speed, a closer might be compromised by a slow pace. But remember . . . every horse has good days, bad days, and a mind of his own!

MORE LINGO Polytrack conditions • Polytrack is always fast (ft). The symbol means a

race run on an all-weather surface such as Polytrack.

Dirt track conditions • Fast (ft): Track is dry and most efficient. Horses

usually run their fastest times on fast tracks.

• Sloppy (sy): The track base is still solid but water has started to seep into it. Water stands on the surface.

• Muddy (my): Water has permeated the track base. Times are usually slower; horses tire more quickly.

Turf track conditions • Firm (fm): Track is dry; corresponds to fast dirt track. • Yielding (yl): Track is softened by rain. Hooves will dig

into the track and times will be slower.

Medications • Bute (B): Phenylbutazone, an anti-inflammatory. In

Kentucky, bute may not be administered less than 24 hours before post time.

• Lasix (L): Furosemide, used to control pulmonary bleeding and dilate airways.

• Adjunct (A): One or two of four additional approved medications to control pulmonary bleeding.

Equipment • Blinkers (b): Cups that limit vision, usually to focus the

horse’s attention or prevent shying or swerving.

• Bandages (f): Strips of cloth around the lower leg for support and protection.

• Whip: Used by the jockey to tell the horse to make a move, focus, or stay straight. Whip design and use are governed by rules of racing.

Races and the track • Furlong: one-eighth of a mile.

• Sprints: Races covering less than a mile

• Routes: Races of a mile or more

• Poles: The track is marked every 1/16th of a mile with poles of varying colors that help jockeys keep track of their progress.

• Fractions: The leader’s speed measured at various points of the race. In a sprint, 21 or 22 seconds is fast for a quarter-mile. In a route, 22 to 23 seconds is fast. The baseline is 12 seconds per furlong.

A