DRF Data Services introduces API to allow horseplayers real-time data access

Daily Racing Form has launched DRF Data Services, which aggregates all high-level data offered by DRF, including new access to a real-time application program interface for upcoming races. Horseplayers can now create database queries or write programs based on chart data, as well as Beyer Speed Figures from DRF and TimeformUS speed and pace figures.

Want to know which jockeys have the highest winning percentage with closers? Wondering if the main track at Monmouth tends to favor speed more when it’s sloppy than when it’s fast? Want to track which speed horses are coming out of races that were unfavorable to front-runners? Interested in learning which class levels, distances, and surfaces at Gulfstream have produced the highest percentage of longshot winners?

Now you can access historical chart data from as far back as 1993 in text files, in order to create databases sorted by track, surface, distance, post position, trainer, jockey, Beyer Speed Figures, or nearly any other query you can dream up from chart data. Use the historical data to create queries that confirm or reject the common perceptions of many horseplayers. Do first-time starters that get Lasix win more often than those that don’t? Is the class drop from maiden special weight to maiden claiming a profitable betting angle?

Similarly, you can receive historical data from TimeformUS in XML format or even pre-race data via the API for upcoming races. TimeformUS chart data is similar to DRF chart data, except with TimeformUS speed and pace figures. The API is an unprecedented tool for horseplayers in a "live" race-day environment, as it allows programmers to create applications that update based on scratches and other late changes.

Learn more and download sample files here.