There’s one situation in harness racing that I’m looking for, call it point play, as it’s too simple to be a complete harness racing system. Pole position is obviously of the utmost importance in harness racing, especially on half-mile and five-eighth-mile tracks. The inside posts are usually the best because it is the shortest route to the rail and the finish line. A horse in an inside stall that can get cover from another insider has a great chance of winning in most cases.

I say most cases because there are times when no matter how good the horse is, it will almost certainly lock up and get caught on the rail behind a slower horse. That situation usually occurs when there is a horse on the outside with a lot of initial speed and an aggressive driver.

Let’s say that 3 is a horse that seems to be the best in the race and has a bit of an early foot. You assume he will get to the rail ahead of 1 and 2 and settle in. But unfortunately the 5 horse has a lot of early feet and an aggressive driver. Under normal circumstances I would look for East to take the wing ahead of 3, but then for 3 to retake the lead on the back straight for the first time. At that point, under normal circumstances, 5 would slow down any horse on the track and cause traffic problems that would benefit 3.

But add one more horse on the outside with good pace early and trouble begins. Let’s say the 6 has good starting velocity. IF he breaks over with 5 and they team up on the turn and backstretch, the driver of 3 has to let them go ahead and then pass them both, as long as 6 reaches the rail, or worse. however, he gets trapped behind 5 while 6 is hung out to dry, causing another dilemma.

If the 6 is in the way of two, the 3 will have to go three wide in the turn or through the front stretch to challenge the 5. He will also have to come off the rail and the 6 can have him boxed in by then. or by this time, another horse may have boxed at 3.

So what is the right decision in this situation where there are two potential “anchors” abroad? When I see this situation, even though the 3 may have the best overall speed figures, I often look for a late closer from behind. There are bound to be a lot of traffic problems and many times it is the horse running towards the center of the track that picks up the pieces and wins by the nose. If the 4 or even 1 or 2 will surely start very slowly but have a good late brushing then they can win at a good price.

In races with two or more anchors, although there is a lot of speed early on, I look for a late finish to get the win.