There are several clever handicapping ways to succeed in horseracing and when it gets down to the nitty gritty, it’s all about what works for you. All betting theories don’t use the same tools to get where they are going. Racing fans generally don’t bet alike or don’t handicap alike but all have some semblance of success and that is what makes this game so great.
There are 100s of different ways to look and evaluate any particular race and handicapping ways to succeed can run the gambit.
Let’s look at a couple of those ways and how using these angles can work to bolster one’s bankroll.
The need for speed is as important today as it has been since Paul Revere’s Ride. That night he went on his journey to warn the Colonial militia of the approach of the British soldiers and handicappers must use the night to study.
Clearly, one of the best bets in all of racing is when a handicapper can find a lone speed horse in a race. It may be just a natural thing, but horses just get brave when they get a lonely, uncontested lead. Even horses that are inferior on paper sometimes just find another gear when they look around and find themselves in front in a race with no challenges.
Even if there are a number of speed horses in the race, all may not be sent. This is when it is up to the bettor to know the idiosyncrasies of the particular racing circuit one is dealing with on a daily basis. Some jockeys are adept at getting horses to roll out of the gate. Some are masters of pace and have a knack with horses that need to come from off the pace.
It’s up to the individual to evaluate the tendencies of the jockey and the trainers involved and then make an educational guess as to how a race will unfold.
The handicapping ways to succeed in his sport start with visualization and getting a concept of how a race may materialize.
Controlling or tactical speed can also help runners avoid bad trips and give them the ability to overcome bad posts. Looking for the speed in the race is the FIRST thing betting enthusiasts should examine and the first commandment in handicapping ways to succeed.
Current form is another way that gamblers can utilize handicapping ways to succeed. Betting purely on recent results can be a good thing or can be a bad thing. These beautiful animals are not machines.
They are not brought out of the stable, filled with high octane, with tires checked and windows cleaned. They have real blood flowing through those veins.
Like the human element, horses have bad days too. A recent win may have occurred because the sun, moon and stars where aligned and a runner got the absolute perfect trip. Or it could have been the other way around.
Or a runner may have won because he didn’t catch the greatest of fields. Players have to understand that the cheaper runners in this sport are cheaper and run for low purses is because they cannot hold their form for a long time.
One of the most dangerous bets in the game is backing a debut winner right back against horses that have already won. No matter how impressive a horse may be graduating at first asking, this is a meteoric leap to beat horses that have already had experience and have run against winners.
On the other hand, if a runner seemed to be in a good spot and just threw in a bad race, that kind of running line demands attention. You can’t take the short cuts in this sport and survive when searching the true handicapping ways to success.
If a runner with some semblance of quality just never kicked in the last race, did a little deeper and try to figure out why.
Was the speed bias against the runner? Did the runner have a horrible post? Did the runner encounter a roadblock or have a horrible traffic trip?
There are some recent results that are good examples of proven handicapping ways to succeed. In the Robert B. Lewis on February 4 at Santa Anita, the short field lacked a true speed horse. Recent maiden winner Royal Mo drew the favorable rail post in the Lewis and he was really the only true speed. His rider Victor Espinoza read the Daily Racing Form and concluded he had to utilize Royal Mo’s zip. It proved to be the right tactic as the John Shirreffs trainee went to the front when the gates were sprung, opened up at the top of the lane, and drew off to win by over three lengths.
Conversely, if there is a plethora of speed in a race, this could set it up for a deep closer. On the same card as the Robert B. Lewis this scenario played out in the San Antonio Stakes. There were two committed speed horses in the San Antonio. Peter Miller’s trainee El Huerfano boasted :44 and change velocity and Avanti Bello flashed speed in several stakes at Santa Anita in 2016.
These two runners hooked up and dueled and it left the door open for Hoppertunity. The defending San Antonio champ relaxed for jockey Flavien Prat and conceded his foes ten lengths. Prat asked the winning question in the final furlong and Hoppertunity reeled in all of the front runners.
Seek and you shall find.
