The Daily Racing Form will explain each horse’s Past Performance. At the top you’re given the horse’s name and its particulars – color, sex, age, month of birth under which comes the pedigree, breeder and trainer. To their right in the chart come the weight assignment for that day’s race, and any medication. On the far right is the horse’s record: career, last two campaigns, turf, wet tracks, at this track and at the distance of today’s race. Under the horse’s name is the owner and jockey.

The Beyer Speed Figure is one of the Daily Racing Form’s most popular items. It is a speed figure based on what horses at certain class levels should run certain distances. Based on such “par” times, the runners of a particular race are then graded with a Beyer Speed Figure. For example, the Kentucky Derby is usually won with a Beyer of about 108. After the Beyer come the post position and the horse’s position during the running of the race. Depending on the distance, these positions are taken at different points on the track, except for the final two margins: the second-to-last margin is always at the eighth pole, and the final is always at the wire. You get the horse’s position and either lengths behind the leader at each point, or if the horse is the leader, the lengths he is in front.
Following that comes the jockey of that day, medication, weight and equipment. Then come the odds, with an asterisk which appears if the horse was favored. A Daily Racing Form speed rating follows. Then come the first three finishers and margins, followed by a line of comments and the number of starters in that race.