For the Most Excitement in Sport, Look to Horse Racing
May 8th, 2010 Posted in hobbies | no comment »Horse racing is pure excitement. The intensity of man and beast hurtling down the track at break-neck speed never fails to get people on their feet. It also gets people betting, but they usually do not take the time to properly research the horses they stake money on. Making intelligent bets is a matter of researching, and researching well. To that end, here are a few tips to help you make the most of the mountains of available information.
Make the form your main source of information and gain an understanding of how it works. While the many abbreviations found on it can confuse a novice better, it’s really not that complicated. A “T” marking tells you that this horse once won a race at this track, but a race of a different length. “D” lets you know that the horse has won at this same distance, but on a different track. “C” means the horse has won at this distance and on this track. “B” refers to a “beaten favorite”, “H” signals that the horse is on his own territory, and “W or M” indicates that this horse does well on wet tracks. This is a plus if the sky is cloudy.
Begin your research by looking back at the horse’s last races. Look for a hot streak. Handicappers can’t agree on the most important factor, but lots of people will tell you to start your search by finding a horse that lead the pack in its last race. Take it from there.
Horse tables in the papers will show numbered ratings next to the horse’s names, with 100 being the highest chance of winning and all other horses in the race at numbers below 100. While these are a good guide for novices, do not be fooled into thinking that 100s are always winners. Again, look at these numbers for an idea, but do further research as well.
Statistically speaking, favorites win somewhere between 28% and 35% of the time-keep that in mind before getting too excited about a “sure thing.”
Also keep in mind that trainers put equipment like eye blinkers and nose rolls on their horses. The form will tell you about these factors, so work them into your betting. In particular, if a trainer takes off or puts on blinkers, this could influence a change in the way you bet the race.
Note whether a horse is moving up or down in class for the race. In the form, there will either be an arrow up or down next to the horse’s name, or the letter “U” or “D”, to indicate a horse changing class. Horse’s moving down in class may be good bets depending on their recent performance.
The conditions of a track are much-watched factor in determining how certain horses might perform. Track conditions are indicated on a scale from one to ten, or with words, either “fast,” “slow,” “dead” or “heavy.” One (fast) indicates a hard dry track and ten (heavy) indicates a wet track. A recent winner may not be a good bet if he did not win on a track of the same conditions. Do not be afraid to avoid certain tracks altogether. Many experts find that if a track beats you time and time again, it is best to leave it alone and choose tracks on which you have had better luck.
As race day approaches, odds on a horse will change. Keep an eye on the odds for sure, but do not make bets based solely on them.
A firmer is a horse whose odds have moved in its favor, and a blower is one for which the odds have worsened. While these are good things to pay attention to, do not be so foolish as to think that all firmers are winners and all blowers are losers.
Above all, remember that horse prices are the product of many opinions. Your opinion should be based on your interpretation of all of the information available to you, but it very likely will differ from the quoted price. That is ok. This is how to find value-look for the horse on which you and the market do not agree, and go with it.
David Gately has built a reputation for accuracy in horse racing tips. This has come from his highly valued and brilliantly priced weekly horse racing form, for the Australian horse races.
