Weight is one of the most misunderstood and overlooked factors in horse racing. Part of the problem is that it is hard for many people to quantify how much of an affect the weight a horse carries has upon its performance.

I do pay attention to weight when I am handicapping a horse race for several reasons. But before we go into the reasons, let's take a look at how the weight is determined and why. Weights are assigned to horses by the racing secretary in an attempt to give each horse an even chance to win the race. It is also called an impost or handicap. When the jockey and saddle don't weigh enough to meet the impost applied by the racing secretary, lead weights are added.

Many people think a few pounds of weight added to the weight of a Jockey don't have an impact upon the horse, but I think they do have an impact, though it may seldom be enough to make a difference in the outcome of the race. But weight is still an important factor, because it indicates how good the horse is compared to the rest of the field.

The more weight that is added to a horse, the better the horse appears compared to the rest of the field. For instance, if a horse is carrying 122 pounds, but the rest of the horses are carrying 116 pounds, then the racing secretary has decided that horse with 122 pounds is better than the rest and needs a little more of a load, or handicap, to give the other horses a chance.

So here's the big question, "Is it a good thing or a bad thing to see a horse carrying more weight than the other horses?"

I personally feel it makes more of a difference in a long race than in a short race simply because it is harder to carry a heavy weight a long distance than a short distance.

When I see that the racing secretary adds weight to a horse I look at it closely to see why it is carrying more weight. I usually look at it as a positive sign.

When I see a horse is carrying less weight because it has an apprentice rider who has been given a weight allowance, I usually look at it as a positive sign that means the horse will be able to perform a little better than the other horses, providing the apprentice has shown some promise and scored some wins.

So to sum it up, weight matters and it is a good idea to look at the weights and factor them into your handicapping. As a stand alone factor you can't make money just betting on the horse with the lightest or heaviest load, but it should be considered along with the other factors you use when handicapping.