Archive for the ‘Horse Racing’ Category

by My Horse University

Race Horse


Image by Jeff Kubina

Claiming races are the bread and butter races for many trainers and owners in horse racing.  Handicapping claiming races can be very profitable if you are looking for good priced winners and profitable bets.  Just as many trainers and owners make a living off claiming races, so do many professional handicappers.  There are several reasons for this.

One reason that the pros can make money betting on claiming races is because there are some predictable outcomes based on past experience.  For instance, knowing that a trainer is good at claiming then winning with a horse in its first race for that barn can produce some good bets.  That doesn’t mean that you should just automatically bet a horse when it runs its first race for that conditioner, though.  Making money betting on horses, and claiming races in particular, isn’t that easy.

The people who follow claiming races keep good notes on horses.  They look at the horses in the saddling ring before each claiming race and note the horse’s appearance.  They also note whether the horse is running with a tongue tie.  That is one bit of information tracks don’t supply, but that simple piece of equipment can make a big difference in a horse’s performance.

How important can note taking be?  Let’s say you decide to follow claiming races at your local track and you have notes on a horse that ran two weeks ago, was claimed from that race and is starting for a new trainer, that is what a real pro would do and there is nothing to stop you from doing the same thing.

So you go and look the horse over in the saddling ring and you compare its appearance to your notes.  You may find that the horse looks better, perhaps its coat is shinier and it appears on the muscle, prancing on its “toes,” so to speak.  If you know that trainer is capable of winning first out, and his or her go to jockey is in the irons, you may have found a good bet.  Any equipment changes may also help, including the tongue tie that the crowd will not be aware of.

On the other hand, the horse may not appear any different or perhaps, it looks even worse.  Now you know that this is one horse to pass by, even if this particular trainer is  known for winning first or second time out.  He or she obviously failed to get the animal to respond to whatever methods he or she usually uses to turn a horse around.

The nice part of this situation for you is that the crowd will only look at the notes of the public handicapper or their program and see that the trainer has a high success rate with first time claims.  They will drive the price down on the horse and you can then find a nice overlay in the pools.  That is how a serious horse player can make money off claiming races if he or she is willing to do the work.  While horseracing handicapping isn’t easy, if you do the work and keep good notes, you may eke out a profit from your bets, but you will have to work for it.

CECIL ENDURES DUBAI DISAPPOINTMENT AGAIN
There have been plenty of other moments in his career when Henry Cecil has experienced the unpredictable nature of horse racing but he hardly looked prepared for the disappointment of Twice Over’s run in Saturday’s Dubai World Cup.
Read more on Sporting Life

WALSH MAKES “TOUGH” NATIONAL CALL
Ruby Walsh insists the decision to ride The Midnight Club in the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday week is not one he has taken lightly.
Read more on Sporting Life

by John McNab

Horse Portrait 9


Image by threeseamonsters
A Race Horse Portrait from Batavia Downs in New York State

Many people who handicap horse races are good at determining who the best horse is and putting together some kind of hierarchy so they understand which horses are the most likely contenders.  The problems start when they try to figure out what odds those horses should go off at and what are fair odds for each horse.  That is the one skill that separates professionals from amateurs and winners from losers.

Therefore, in order to be a successful, winning handicapper, you must learn how to determine fair value.  You will never make a profit betting on horses until you know when to bet on a horse and when to lay off it based on the odds.

On the other hand, if you can develop this one skill, you will be able to make money playing the horses.  There are a lot of people who are trying to do just that and as economic times get harder, there will be even more people trying to supplement their incomes from the races, meaning more money in the pools and more money to be made picking winners.

But before we get into the specifics of finding value, let’s be sure you understand what I am talking about, since I just brought up the subject of picking winners.  Many people can pick the most likely winner of the race, and therefore, many favorites win races.  This is very important.  Picking winners is not enough, you must pick good bets.  There are times when the horse you think is most likely to win the race will not be the best bet in the race.

The reason for that is that the horse that is most likely has been bet down below fair value.  That means another horse is probably going off at generous odds so that if it does win, you will make a profit on it.  Let’s say that the favorite in the race is really the best looking horse and deserves to be the favorite.  Let’s say that you think it has a 35% chance of winning.  But it is going off at 1-1, even money!  It is a lousy bet because it will only win about one in three races with a payoff so small, it won’t even cover your bets.

However, in the same race, another horse appears to have about a 20% chance of winning and it is going off at 6-1.  This horse is by far the better bet and actually a good bet.  Though this type of horse will win less often, if you keep backing these types you will make a profit.

So how do professionals arrive at these conclusions?  They use factors and percents to understand each horses chances.  A professional breaks a race down into handicapping factors and then watches many races until he or she knows how important each factor is and what percentage of horse win when they have a certain score according to that factor.

In other words, each horse has a mathematical score in each race.  That score is simply compared to the odds to arrive at fair value.  The upshot of all this is that you should be looking for good bets based on fair value to be a professional.  Leave the “picking winners game” to the recreational handicappers who pay for their entertainment by backing cheap winners at lousy prices.

Arienza well respected in stakes debut Saturday
While the racing world still has at least three years until the much anticipated racing debuts of Zenyatta’s and Rachel Alexandra’s first foals, fans can watch the daughter of the third mare to be named Horse of the Year after racing at Oaklawn Park make her stakes debut this Saturday in the $ 75,000 Prima Donna Stakes.
Read more on KTHV Little Rock

Baffert at Dubai, but only watching
Bob Baffert is back in Dubai, this time keeping a lower profile. The Hall of Fame trainer has no horses in the $ 10 million Dubai World Cup, which he has won twice. In fact, he has only one horse racing today — Euroears in the $ 2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen.
Read more on Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Letters to the Sports Editor
Readers of The Times respond to recent articles in the newspaper and on the Web.
Read more on New York Times

by VancityAllie

Galway Races


Image by Samuca°
Galway Horse Racing

There are probably hundreds of ways to handicap a horse race, including systems that range from computer programs to simple and easy to use comparisons.  One way to pick winners is by getting the big picture and then seeing which horses have a big advantage.  Some people argue that the favorite must have the advantage, but that is not always easy to quantify.

For instance, in one race, a horse may have a slight edge over the field while in another it may lay over the field and easily win the race.  That can be reflected in the odds, but the odds don’t always tell the whole story. A horse may be much better than all the other horses or it may be much better than most, but close in ability to a few others.

When you start to handicap it helps to get a general idea or feel for the race to know what you are looking at.  I suggest that one method or system for starting the handicapping or picking process is to scan the race and circle the horse with the top speed figure in its last race and put an S beside it.

Next find the horse who raced for the highest purse in its last race and circle that one.  You can put a big c beside that one because it ran at the highest class level in its last race.  It doesn’t matter how it finished in that race.

Another important factor is how much a horse has actually earned.  That is important because it tells the real story of how well it has been running at a class level it can handle.  But the number of starts may be important, therefore, you can either just circle the horse with the highest earnings for the year, or you can divide each horse’s earnings by the number of starts to get a per race figure.  No matter which method you use, when you decide on the money horse, put a dollar sign beside it and circle it.

Finally, let’s look at the connections.  Circle the horse with the jockey with the highest win percentage and put a J beside it.  While you’re circling horses and marking your program you may notice that some horse are the best in more than one category.  If that is the case, simply put the letter or dollar sign beside it.  A horse may have the best jockey, so it has a J beside its name.  It may also have the highest speed figure, so it has an S beside it.  That is perfectly alright.

Once you have done this for the race, and it should only take a minute or two, you will be able to see if one horse really does have a big advantage by being the leader in more than one category.  You will have the big picture and know just how hard the favorite will be to beat.  If one horse is the favorite based on a speed figure, but is racing against a horse that earned a C for class, a J for best rider and a $ for the best earnings, you should take a hard look at the horse with three marks and decide if it really does have a chance to beat the speedster.  It certainly appears to have a lot going for it.

Ask yourself, “How did it earn all that money, why is the best rider on it, and how will the class drop help it?”  Those are all good reasons to bet on it, if the odds are right.

Related Horse Racing Articles

by Paolo Camera

Night Horse Race @ Hipodromo Madrid


Image by Nestosjp

Whenever you speak about a horse betting technique, you’re essentially referring to a system that helps you establish the possible winners of a race based on facts and certain criteria.

There are no betting technique that can guarantee you will be successful at all times but with continuous analysis and observation coupled with thesupportof 1 or 2 systems you can depend on, you can really find a secure pattern to use when betting to make you win more than you lose.

Here are a number of betting systems and handicap techniques that you can make use of when they go into horse race betting:

Jockey Improvement – Some people find that when a great horse gets a much better jockey for his following races, there is a greater possibility of the horse winning this time. Constantly try to take note of beneficial jockey adjustments when choosing the horses to bet on. This could suggest that a horse with a very good record can perform better under a better jockey and may wind up winning you some bets.

Z Pattern – You may find that some horses that are worth betting on are those that often make a great start, lag in the middle then betters his position around the end of the race. Attempt to look at horse’s backgrounds that have this sorts of activity and you will find a feasible champion. You will need to be certain that this happened to these horses because of their capability and not due to the tiredness of their rivals in the course of the race.

Surface Switch – A few folks who study how a horse does on certain surfaces find that whenever some of them switch from dirt to turf or from turf to dirt, they run better. Be aware of such alterations, especially if a horse moves from dirt to turf. In the event that a horse is running on both kinds of tracks regularly, this may mean that the horse is sounder than those that run on dirt alone.

Speed Selection – This is a horse betting technique that makes use of the procedure of elimination. It is possible to find your winners by eliminating specific picks you have with a set standards which includes not playing or betting on a race that has at leasta few first time starters and maiden races. It is possible to get rid of horses that didn’t race their last 2 races on the track you are betting on today. You are able to also do away with horses that ran on a different surface as the one being run on today. Horses that never made the top three or near the lead of the race can also be removed from the checklist. If more than one horse is left in the list, you should choose the one with the best run last race.

You may then box bet this horse with some others that are remaining on the list provided that there are under 4 horses left on your speed choice list. In case there are more than four horses remaining on this list of yours after eliminating some with this process, do not bet on this race and drop it.

Trainer Bob Baffert out of Dubai’s big horse race
Bob Baffert is back in Dubai, although this time he’s keeping a lower profile.
Read more on WKRN Nashville

by Thiophene_Guy

Night Horse Race @ Hipodromo Madrid


Image by Nestosjp

There are many people who place regular bets in the world of horse racing. There is no doubt that this has been one of the most popular forms of gambling for years. Bettors go to the tracks on a regular basis to wager and try winning some money. But if you are not one of them and you find betting on horses risky, opt for different types of horse racing games that are available in stores as well as the Internet. Unlike real gambling, horse racing games don’t involve any risk and the players can try the best skill game available.

StableKing is one of the best and most popular horse racing games released in 2000. You can not only enjoy racing games at the track but also become the owner of a virtual horse and stable. This interesting game is a wonderful combination of conducting business and thrill of a race. You don’t have to invest any money to own a stable or pick the right horse breed. You can take help from the available “virtual horse racing guide” and get bonus credits to buy a new horse by becoming a member of “www.horseracegame.com”.

Virtual horse racing games are becoming extremely popular among players. Through the Internet, players can not only own a stable or rear a horse but also compete against players from all over the world. Even though all this happens in a virtual world, the outstanding 3D graphics make it look real. The best way to search for the latest horse racing games is to use the Internet. Once you type ‘horse racing games’ in any search engine, you will get hundreds of results. You can also find websites where you can play horse racing games free of cost. Most of these games can either be downloaded on your system or played for free. Games on popular gaming websites are easy to learn and user friendly.

Some portals of horse racing games also include the facility of chatting. You can get in touch with your friends and decide when to plan the next race. Almost every online racing games has a how to play and help section in order to help beginners learn the game in a better manner. Today, people have made virtual owning, training and breeding of horses as their hobby. From adults to kids, the Internet offers various horse racing games for all age groups.

Find More Horse Racing Articles

Cheltenham stars will light up Punchestown
THE Punchestown executive must be smacking their collective lips in expectation of a massive spin-off from Cheltenham for their forthcoming festival.
Read more on Irish Examiner

CBCSports.ca to stream Dubai World Cup
CBCSports.ca will provide five hours of live stream coverage of horse racing’s richest day on Saturday morning.
Read more on CBC via Yahoo! Canada News

Kicking off track’s 75th, Keeneland presidents tell tales of royals and celebs
Keeneland changes constantly, yet never seems to. Behind stone walls and an image of timeless tradit
Read more on Lexington Herald-Leader

by nbraier

Horse Racing in the wall


Image by oriolsalvador

As someone who has taught a lot of people the art of handicapping horse races, I am often asked for tips.  While I don’t give tips on individual races, I am willing to offer some general advice that can produce more winners and fewer losing tickets.  These tips are the top three that I have learned in a  lifetime of playing the races and owning horses.  Some people may disagree with the order of them or perhaps think of more important ones, but of course, that is just a matter of opinion.  These three tips are the most important to me and have helped me the most to eke out a little money at the races.

1, First of all, tip number one is about life.  The races are a tough way to make a living.  Betting on horse races can be fun and some times even profitable, but it can also be grueling and gut wrenching, and, if you do it for a living, boring after a while.  That is what I have learned about making money betting on horse races.  Sorry if it isn’t as glamorous as you thought it would be, but in my opinion, that’s the way it is.  I still love handicapping horse races and playing them, and it’s a good thing because if you don’t love it, you won’t succeed.

2. The second tip is about the races themselves.  You don’t ever beat the races.  You succeed one race at a time and one bet at a time.  Therefore, you have to choose the races you play carefully and pay attention to the many factors that make this intellectual sport of horse racing handicapping so challenging.  Learn to live race by race, but keep the big picture in sight as well.  Each race is important but don’t lose your cool if you lose a bet or a race doesn’t go the way you think it will.

One good way to think about horse racing success is by looking at the sport of baseball, in particular, batting averages.  A successful major league baseball player doesn’t get a hit every time he goes to bat.  In fact, a good player with a .333 average may only get a hit one out of three times!  That means he fails two out of three times, but is considered great. You will lose more than you win, but the secret is to win more money than you lose, and that is tip number three.

3. Tip number three is to keep an eye on the money and pay attention to what horses pay to win.  Learn to shop for fair value odds on a horse and don’t fall in love with a horse no matter how good it looks in a race.  If it is great and has a 50% chance of winning, you still have to get better than even odds to make money on it.  Money management and understanding the financial side of betting and winning is the most important factor, because if you lose all your money, you won’t be able to keep enjoying horse racing handicapping.

“unfortunately, some things don’t stay in Vegas…”

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