Posts Tagged ‘horses’

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.

by Keith Allison

RACE HORSE – 2009


Image by CARLOS62

In regards to the sport of horse racing, there are large varieties of factors and options that can be considered and bet on.  You can place bets on the losing horse, the top horse (also known as the favorite), the first three horses that place, the winner of more than one race, etc.  Horse race betting is something that can turn any typical day at the horse races into an exhilarating and possibly profitable one!

The most popular three types of bets consist of the “Show”, “Place”, and “Win”.  The “Show” is typically for the horse that finishes in third place in the horse race.  “The “Place” is typically for the horse that finishes second place in the horse race.  The “Win” is for the horse that wins the race and comes in first place.  The “Win” is also the simplest form of horse racing bet within these three bets.

Another bet that is often used in horse racing is called the “Across the Board”.  This specific bet allows for the first, second, and third place horses to be selected by the bettor.  Therefore, you have a 3:1 shot in winning – as long as the horse chosen comes in first, second, or third place, you win something.

Among the above four bets, there are many bets known as exotic bets, such as the Trifecta, Quinella, Superfecta, and Exacta bets.  These exotic bets allow for the sports bettor to select two, three or four horses for the top four rankings in place.

Another fun bet that is popular among many horse bettors is known as the Daily Double.  The Daily Double gives bettors the opportunity to choose the winner(s) of two consecutive horse races.  You cannot receive any winnings unless the horse chosen places good.  The Pick 3 is similar to the Daily Double, except instead of two consecutive races, you bet on three consecutive races.  There are even some horse tracks that allow bettors to place a bet for a Pick 6.  So, if you like a challenge, a track that allows Pick 6 bets is your chance to show that you are not intimidated by having to select the winner of six consecutive horse races.

Many individuals take part in horse racing because of the variety of options that are available when it comes to betting.  Do your research about horse betting, and horse racing, and you will be ready to head to the track for a day at the horse races.  Maybe luck will be on your side and you will go home with a little bit of profit!  Have fun!

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Baseball America Tabs Zrenda as Preseason All-Ivy Team Selection
The preseason accolades keep rolling in the Brown Bear baseball team. Baseball America has announced their preseason awards and senior Ryan Zrenda has been chosen as the top third baseman in the Ivy League, heading into the 2011 season. The Bears were also chosen to finish second in the Rolfe Division.
Read more on Brown University Athletics

Cal baseball: The beginning of the end
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by Philou.cn

Day 185 – Horse racing


Image by Karin Beil
July 4, 2009 – Happy July 4th, USA Independence Day! We celebrated at the race track this afternoon with friends. It ended up being a rainy afternoon, but we had an enjoyable time anyway. This photo was taken from our box seats outside on the 2nd level, what a view!

The so-called bounce factor is one of the biggest problems that many people face when they handicap a horse race.  What it means when it is said that a horse bounced is that the horse had a race in which it raced hard and had a very high speed figure and then, in its next race, ran a lousy race.  After extending itself and expending a lot of energy in a difficult race, a horse often needs a race or two to recover.  It is very hard to know, however, when a horse will bounce or when it will continue its winning ways.

No one wants to bet against a horse that just won a race with a high speed figure.  It just doesn’t make a lot of sense, at first glance.  The winner of most horse races is one of the top four horses who had a high speed figure in its last race.  Therefore, if you are using speed figures as one of the factors you consider when you handicap a horse race, you should also look for the bounce factor and try to avoid betting on a horse who is a likely candidate to bounce.

Here are a few things to look for to help you avoid losing on a bouncer…

First of all, if you are using extended past performances, the easiest thing to do is to look back through all the runner’s races and see if it ever bounced before.  If you see that the horse has fully extended itself before and came right back with a good race, then it may not bounce this time around.  On the other hand, if it fully extended itself and then bounced in the past, it may well do so again if it is coming out of a tough race where it fought hard for the win.

Even if you can’t see that it ever bounced before, you may have access to the horse’s highest speed figure on the surface that it is running on in today’s race.  Many past performances do supply them.  If you see that the horse earned a 101 in its last race and that is also the highest speed figure in its life, beware.  It should have had adequate rest and it is also nice to see a good solid workout since that race.  One or more works indicate the trainer thinks the horse is fit.

The trainer may work the horse to see how it performs and then enter it in a race.  If he or she thought the horse was ready to compete after that workout, then it may not be ready to bounce.  

A final way to check for the bounce factor is by looking at the horse.  If you can watch it in the paddock and post parade and it displays the attitude of a horse that is ready to run, if it is on its, toes and on the muscle, then it may be okay.  On the other hand, if it looks too skinny, perhaps even what they call, “tucked up,” then you may want to find another candidate in the race or just pass the entirely.

by VancityAllie

Who says only winning is profitable? In today’s day and age, one can increase his profits by putting money on a horse that has the greatest odds of losing a race. This completely reverse form of horse handicapping is known as lay betting and is proving to be quite popular with each passing day. One can make the most of horse racing tips and put money on the oldest and the slowest horse amongst the herd. The worst horses are handicapped with the horse racing tips being based on a horse’s worst performance, figures, and other statistics.  

The horse racing tips can be based on the information provided in the horse racing forms that are available in news stands as well as on the Internet. One can make informed guesses based on the past figures and statistics that are provided in these forms. The results of the races that have already taken place have to be analysed to arrive at the betting handicaps. The idea in lay betting is to arrive at the slowest of all the horses.

One can find the horse racing tips online and use the same to arrive at the horse with the highest probability of losing. It is no use wishing for a miracle as many a time the reverse can also happen. The horse with the least likelihood of winning can go ahead and win the race. In such an instance, the person would be losing cash rather than earning any. However, one could say that such strange occurrences are rare and not that common. It is wise not to discount the capability of the horses and depend on the horse racing tips completely. However, the horse betting tips are fairly accurate and could be of significant aid to the players placing the bets in most instances.  

There are many experts that have come up in recent times and many of them are offering horse racing tips for betting on a horse to lose. This method has lower risk as compared to the one where money is placed on a winner and is finding a lot of takers. Many people are making the most of these tips and betting on losing horses to earn money. An interested person can become a member of these clubs and benefit from the horse racing tips that are being issued. Many of these expert sites come with a wide database that clubs together the horse racing results in the UK for the last ten years, making them that much more dependable. Most of the horse races in the UK are accounted for in these databases and the expert knowledge is shared with the members of these sites.

So, all you people out there who want to make the most of the horse racing tips and earn money in the process can benefit a lot from the services being offered. To know more about horse racing tipsters and how to make money from losing horses, you can visit layracingtips.

by Galt Museum & Archives on The Commons

Race Horse


Image by BiggerPictureImages.com
Horse racing at Turf Paradise, Phoenix, Arizon. All images © Dan Raustadt. All rights reserved.

One of my favorite horse racing angles seems to defy logic.  In the world of betting on horse races and finding value in your wagers, however, you’ll find that if something is logical and seems to make a lot of sense, it is usually over bet.  When something is over bet, it means that the crowd has latched onto some piece of conventional wisdom and hammered so that even if the horse wins, it is a lousy bet over the long run.

An example of one of these horse racing “isms” that everybody and his brother seems to know is “Lone Early Speed in the Race.”  I’ll bet that as soon as you read that phrase you knew exactly what I was talking about.  It is one of those situations handicappers look for where only one horse has early speed and will easily make the top and win the race.  Everybody knows about it and when it occurs, it is usually bet down below fair value odds.

Fair value odds simply means that if you bet a horse under those conditions at those odds ten times you will lose money in the long run.  Let’s say you spend per race for a total of 0, but the payoffs are so low that you only take back , you’ve lost money despite cashing tickets.  That is an example of a horse below fair value odds.

Sometimes you have to either sit a race out or go against the wisdom of the crowd.  Cases where you sit races out are typically where you don’t have a strong opinion about a horse and therefore don’t want to risk money on any of the runners.  Here is a bit of conventional horse racing handicapping wisdom that is still good no matter how many people know it, call it a principle of wagering.  If you don’t have a strong opinion about a race, don’t bet the race.

One bit of conventional wisdom that you can cash in on if you have the courage to go against the crowd and what seems to be common sense is the horse who faded in a race that is shorter than today’s event.  An example would be a horse who took the lead at the half mile marker in a ,000 claiming event at six furlongs who is now in a ,000 claiming race at a mile.  Obviously, if he couldn’t go three quarters of a mile without fading he certainly won’t be able to get a mile, right?  Well maybe, but not necessarily.

The problem is pace and how he handled it in the last race and what the pace of the race may be today.  If this is a horse that needs to settle and run off the pace and gradually make his move he may have expended too much energy in the earlier stages of that sprint and consequently burned himself out.  In a longer race where the pace may actually be slower and he may have time to get his stride and run his own race, that fader may actually hold on.  

Many people will be shaking their heads after the race when that type of horse wins, but if you’ve looked at the pace and determined the horse was used hard in the early part of that race and therefore compromised his chances of winning, you’ll be heading for the windows to cash your ticket.  Don’t just assume that a horse that faded in its last race can’t go a longer distance and be competitive.  Always look at the pace scenario of the race that any horse faded in and then make your decision about its chances today, no matter what the distance.

ChappyShowcase Presents a no nonsence piece showcasing the dangers of Thoroughbred Horse Racing. Jockeys take the mount with Nerves of Steel on every horse race. Connect with me: Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: www.facebook.com

This was the unveiling ceremony for the memorial statue of Barbaro, one of the greatest horses the racing world will ever see. Taken at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY on Sunday, April 26th.

Join host Scott Nicholson to learn about the board game, “Long Shot” where players own and bet on horses during a horse race.

Part 5 of my original series on how to handicap horse racing. Sorry it is so difficult to see… I did the best I could. Over the next several episodes I will be going over various strategies and methods to handicapping races to help YOU get on your way to picking winners! Great for beginners and intermediates alike! Best of all, it is completely free! All episodes will be posted here on youtube. Please feel free to email any and all questions and comments to me at vegasdavesdime@gmail.com and check out my sports podcast on my webpage at… www.davesdime.com Oh and don’t forget to rate and subscribe! Thank you! (Pictures of race and DRF logo belong to the Daily Race Form)

One of the things that makes horse racing handicapping so difficult is trying to figure out what an animal will do when it tries something for the first time. Runners going from sprints to routes is a good example. Once a horse has raced at a route distance of say a mile or more, it becomes obvious whether it likes longer contests or prefers sprints.

But for those youngsters that are going long the first time it becomes problematic to determine what they will do with the added distance. Curiously enough, a lot of times, the clues come from the connections, i.e., the trainer and jockey. If you see a horse going long for the first time and the regular rides gets off and another rider is on, it isn’t a good sign unless there is a significant improvement in reins men.

That is the first place I look for a clue as to how it will run. Next, look for clues from the conditioner. Is the horse taking a drop in class? Have medications or blinkers been added? Now if you find that something has been added or taken away, blinkers for instance, the next thing to do is to see if there have been any changes in workouts.

Many times a trainer will try an equipment or medication change out with a good workout before entering in a real race. If you see a change was made and a good work followed, then maybe the conditioner has figured something out and now figures the runner is ready for longer distances.

The final clues may come from breeding. Usually, stamina and distance traits are inherited from the dams side of the family. Look at the dam’s sire and see if it was a distance runner. Keeping breeding stats or buying programs with these stats included will help. Finally, if you can form a real concrete opinion about what is going to happen in today’s race, you might want to pass it by. It is hard enough to handicap when you do know what to expect without making it little more than a crap shoot.