From now until May 3 , the date of the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, I’ll be giving you weekly betting tips. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of work to do from now until Derby Day so let’s get started with your first tip. You can thank me later when you cash out big after picking the winning horse.

Wikipedia defines the Beyer Speed Figure as, “a system for rating the performance of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America designed in the early 1970s by Andrew Beyer, the syndicated horse racing columnist for The Washington Post.”

The Daily Racing Form started using Beyer Speed Figures back in 1992 and to this day each performance by every horse is given a Beyer number. That number reflects the time of the race and the inherent speed of the track over which it was run. On the Beyer scale, the top stakes horses in the United States and Canada earn numbers in the 100’s, while great champions can rate as high as the 120’s.

How can this information help you to pick a winner at the Kentucky Derby? It’s simple. Read the DRF to check each horse’s Beyer Speed Figure. The higher the number, the better. Eliminate the non-contenders by their lower Beyer Speed Figure. It’s a handicapping tool that a lot of sharp bettors use in picking a winning horse.