At first, there was no impediment to the rhythm. The horse races were slow and empty. Then there was the Sartinian rhythm. It produced a high percentage of winners in very good mutuals. People tested the handicap pace and saw that it was good. In the early days, the handicap made life easier.

Stories of the success of rhythm methodologists are everywhere. More people came to pass. The books were written to facilitate your understanding. As more people arrived, prices fell. And smaller. And even smaller. Eventually, it got to the point where the good mutuals were gone, replaced almost entirely by favorites and second choices.

If you were a rhythm practitioner, in the late 80s or early 90s, the game seemed really easy, especially compared to today. By the mid-1990s, the rhythm handicap had become a very common approach to handicapping. The advantage that pace handicappers had enjoyed for several years was gone.

People tried many adjustments to regain that advantage. While the basic concepts of rhythm remained, the application of those concepts changed. Some tried rhythm “numbers” instead of feet-per-second rates. Others tried to add more factors than just EP, SP, and W. Others built bigger models. Nothing seemed to improve the difficult situation of the rhythm handicapper.

Well, it’s time to change all that! I have developed a whole new approach to handicap rhythm! It’s really different and the good news is that the differences will put the advantage back in handicap pace for you.

I call it “NewPace”.

What’s different about it? Just about everything. Let’s start with the basic premise that most pace handicappers appreciate: “What matters most in determining the winner is the position of the horses on the second call.”

My research has shown that not only is the second call position not MOST important, it is actually the LEAST important call! In fact, it’s so unimportant that you can completely ignore it! I know this sounds like a radical idea, but to get an advantage in horse racing, it is important to look at things from a different angle. There is not enough space here to talk about all the differences, but I wanted to acknowledge the fact that things have changed and if you are a horse racing handicap then you need to keep exploring new systems to refine your handicap strategy.