Horse Racing Fantasy Community

Hello, horse racing fans! One question I get quite often from fans of horse racing is “how do you prepare for a horse race?” So I thought I’d touch on what my process is going into a big horse race. First of all, I cannot overstate just how important preparation is. Preparation is key. I know that concept has been touched on by some of the other horse racing jockeys who write for this site as well, but it really can’t be said enough. In real life or in the virtual horse racing game, preparation goes a long way toward success. In my opinion, one of the most important things that we who are involved in the horse of sport racing can relay to the general public is that the work of a horse racing jockey begins long before that gate opens. Most people don’t realize the “desk job” that goes into what we do as horse racing jockeys.

My daily routine (when preparing for a horse race) actually begins the night before. I use the Daily Racing Form to look over the racehorses and get familiar with what I need to do. Then, in the morning, if I don’t remember them perfectly, I come back and do a race replay of all the racehorses that I ride. I’ll even replay some of the favorites to see how they ran and how I might be able to beat them. After that, I figure out tactically, using the numbers on the Daily Racing Form, where my racehorse needs to be while I’m running the race. All of that preparation is done before I ever mount up. So by the time I walk out to the paddock, I’ve reread all of that stuff in the jockey’s room an hour before my first ride. Then I go over each horse race individually just moments before I walk out. That way, the information is fresh in my brain. When I walk out, I don’t usually know the name of the racehorse I have to beat, but I do know what number he is and what color that racehorse’s jockey is wearing. I also know the name of the jockey. So when I’m walking out, my brain is clicking this stuff off, just reminding me over and over again – almost like when you train your brain to click off a telephone number and commit it to memory.

When it comes to the computer horse racing game, preparation is no less important. One of the greatest things about this online horse racing experience is that there are concrete ways to improve your performance. Practicing will always help you improve, as will preparation. So do your research, be ready for your race, then enjoy!