km
4th July 2011, 05:35.54 PM
Here is an excerpt from the upcoming July/Aug 2011 newsletter. Bridesmaids are a fascinating bunch of horses. Text was edited below to fit the bbs, please read the full article again in the newsletter as it will have the data and analysis.
Bridesmaid
Bridesmaid = horse with a consistent record of 2nd and 3rd place finishes, but rarely win.
Bridesmaid is almost a term of affection applied to "loveable losers" that seem to try hard every outing, yet come up short on the win. After a suggestion from DanG posted on our Discussion Forum, we added an item to identify these horses to the HX4 output for database users. A single composite filter, "Bridesmaid", has now been placed in Robot2 (Systems and Angles module) starting with the July 2011 update. The item also appears on the LEARN ALL printout.
Here is how "Bridesmaid" is defined technically. Lifetime record was used.
1. 6 or more lifetime starts
2. Less than 10% of starts resulted in a Win (or a maiden with no wins)
3. More than 50% of starts resulted a 2nd or 3rd place finish
Below are some examples of Bridesmaid Lifetime Record according to this definition.
<Starts> --- <Win><2nd><3rd>
07 -- 00 02 02
11 -- 01 04 02
22 -- 01 07 06
39 -- 03 09 12
It is important to draw a distinction between Bridesmaid and Chronic Loser. Chronic Loser, a negative in HTR, is based a long history of not winning races. While some horses fit both categories. they don't usually overlap because a Bridesmaid requires a high number of 2nd and 3rd places finishes.
Bridesmaids would seem to be healthy and sound. They try hard and are solid earners. Those are strong credentials for any thoroughbred from the point of view of a handicapper, especially if looking for exacta and trifecta horses. The dilemma with these horses is whether to include them in the Win spot. You might be surprised how it plays out....
Bridesmaid
Bridesmaid = horse with a consistent record of 2nd and 3rd place finishes, but rarely win.
Bridesmaid is almost a term of affection applied to "loveable losers" that seem to try hard every outing, yet come up short on the win. After a suggestion from DanG posted on our Discussion Forum, we added an item to identify these horses to the HX4 output for database users. A single composite filter, "Bridesmaid", has now been placed in Robot2 (Systems and Angles module) starting with the July 2011 update. The item also appears on the LEARN ALL printout.
Here is how "Bridesmaid" is defined technically. Lifetime record was used.
1. 6 or more lifetime starts
2. Less than 10% of starts resulted in a Win (or a maiden with no wins)
3. More than 50% of starts resulted a 2nd or 3rd place finish
Below are some examples of Bridesmaid Lifetime Record according to this definition.
<Starts> --- <Win><2nd><3rd>
07 -- 00 02 02
11 -- 01 04 02
22 -- 01 07 06
39 -- 03 09 12
It is important to draw a distinction between Bridesmaid and Chronic Loser. Chronic Loser, a negative in HTR, is based a long history of not winning races. While some horses fit both categories. they don't usually overlap because a Bridesmaid requires a high number of 2nd and 3rd places finishes.
Bridesmaids would seem to be healthy and sound. They try hard and are solid earners. Those are strong credentials for any thoroughbred from the point of view of a handicapper, especially if looking for exacta and trifecta horses. The dilemma with these horses is whether to include them in the Win spot. You might be surprised how it plays out....