Although there are many ways to win handicap races and thousands of systems for sale, there are a few things that are absolutely important if you really want to make money betting on horse racing. Whether you use a particular system, or just improvise, you can’t ignore these few factors.
Some people seek a situation and may be called situational handicapped. Other horse players look for what they consider to be overlaps and underlays and exploit deviations in pools. Other bettors are informed because they have information backwards, in other words, because they can learn about a particular horse by being on good terms with the trainer, owner, jockey, or groom.
What are the three points or steps to hinder success?
1. First of all, you need to know if the trainer intends to win the race. With a few exceptions, like the Kentucky Derby, almost any race will have at least one runner or more who are not destined to win. Trainers use breeds to condition horses and educate them. If a horse has developed a bad habit, for example running in the lead and wasting too much energy, the trainer may tell the jockey to stop the horse at all costs and not worry about winning that day. It’s not dishonest, it’s how trainers teach their horses.
Sometimes a trainer knows his horse doesn’t have what it takes to win, no matter how it looks on paper, and tells the jockey to take it easy and work the runner out. The point is that if he doesn’t have some way of knowing if his horse has “good intentions”, then he’s going to bet on horses that aren’t going to win and don’t even have a chance of winning. Pools are a place to look for the trainer’s intent.
2. The next critical factor is how good the horse is compared to the competition. In other words, does the horse have the ability to win? There are several ways to come to this conclusion, some use a skill time, while others look to win at the same level in a past performance, or even times.
3. The third factor is value. Simply put, picking winners does not guarantee financial success. Your winners must return more money than the cost of your bets or you will be a loser. It seems like such a simple statement and obvious truth, but it is the reason why so many people do not make a profit from betting on horse racing. With practice, you will learn to set fair odds on a horse, and by only betting on them at fair odds, you will make a profit. If you don’t insist on fair odds, all the systems and handicaps in the world won’t help.
While you may think you know the above factors and they’re obvious, check your own performance on the track to see if there isn’t an area where you’re not succeeding and that’s why you’re losing money.
