Long Strange Trip It Has Been

by Ed Meyer

posted on July 20, 2009 in Educational Articles, Handicapping | No Comments >>

I watch the races, mainly Kentucky, New York, and the track where I work. Any more tracks, and they wouldn’t get much out of me at the end of the day, and I would start seeing false information.

First, keep track with notes about track biases. This combined with the right info can be deadly. Know when the rail is dead. Know when a sealed track turns into a speed conveyor belt to the winner’s circle. These can be factors that do half the work for you. For those that do not remember the past, you may just miss out on a big fat score….

Also note cases where a horse was taken up by a rider. You see more apprentice riders taking up and yanking a runner into submission. This can be a fact to jot down. You can kill a runners spirit by having a heavy hand in the irons. Just watch the handling, and take notes.

Poor starts also merit a line or two. Also, don’t forget to write down how a runner finished out past the wire. Many will ride out a little longer than the finish, and this is a nice sign. One race equals three works, according to an old trainer pal. He loves to see them go past the wire under full steam. Watch and see if they best the winner right past the wire. They just ran out of ground, and you can bet they won’t next time…

Take notes, as your professor once told you. Who better than you to jot down a memory, especially if a wager was tied up with it. Just don’t get too excited and have a comment for each horse every race.  Less is more when it comes to trip handicapping.