Three Winning Moves Before You Start Handicapping

If there was a copy of the secret sauce for your favorite burger, wouldn’t you go home and give it a try ? – There’s no reason we shouldn’t be constantly looking to improve our handicapping tool box. The idea hit me when I watched two long time race trackers holding a track betting guide alongside a program. Just because you see someone at the races all the time doesn’t make them a good handicapper. How many people do you see at the gym standing near the water cooler talking ?

Being a good handicapper isn’t picking every winner every race. That would be nice, but it just isn’t the truth. – We need to have a process where we identify possible winners and those who don’t fit the criteria. This allows players to slim down the field and focus on a couple runners. – Then after we have identified the possible winner we have to spend as much time trying to figure out how we are going to use it in wagers. – While it sounds like a bit of work, rest assured it is. But the reward can be well worth the homework.

 

1. – Simplicity = First have all of the scratches, rider changes, turf rail settings and track conditions. This will allow you to know that speed may do better on a turf set at 18 ft or better, or even though the track condition reads muddy. You see the sun shining bright in the sky and the weather report calls for warm temps and no rain. That drying track may be a good indicator of horses having the ability to “grab” down and push off the saturated track underneath even though it looks fast on top. When a track is dry it can be loose or cuppy where the ground breaks away from the feet of the horses not allowing for good traction. Get acquainted with how the track plays after a rain, and watch how many times the water trucks go around sprinkling plenty of water on dry hot days. It allows for the dry fast track to have some moisture for horses to push off and grab instead of spinning their wheels.

 

2. – Use a ladder – No, not the one in the garage, but a ladder betting system. – If you bet $5 to win, make a $10 place bet. If the odds are over 12-1 and there are 8-9 runners. Maybe a show wager is in order. Play close attention to the pools. You can’t do this much for small tracks unless they have full fields. – If you are going to make a bet to win, double your place bet to cover your wager if not win a few bucks if your horse doesn’t win. – Sounds goofy I’m sure, but it will keep you in the game more times than not.

 

3. – Slim down = Not your diet, it’s the number of tracks you play. – No more than a maximum of three. I would rather be familiar with a few tracks and know about the biases, rider and trainer colony, and who does well with certain conditions. – By narrowing your focus, this allows you to have a better handle on how you’re going to use your bankroll. Notice I didn’t say “spend your bankroll.” It is to be used as a tool to make more money. How you go about your day will effect your bottom line every single visit.

 

Using Winning Ponies will have every change, condition, and scratch as they happen in real time. – If the weather changes, no problem. You can download a brand new set of EZ Win Forms for FREE if there is a change in the weather. – The ladder wager is a long used tool to back-up your play. If you could break even by covering your costs, you’ll stay in the game longer. – By cutting back on the number of tracks you follow this keeps your focus narrowed on the races that really matter. Winning Ponies comes in handy here as well as they cover all tracks with a time tested system that may allow you to make wagers with full confidence by following their wagering guidance.

Playing the races is easy. Winning at the track is a whole new game. By keeping in mind these three basic plans you’ll start seeing your game move to the next level. -You always have Winning Ponies to have your back as they are tried and true over the test of time. – As a good friend used to tell me. – “You can’t win unless you get in.”-  So what are ya’ waiting for ? Get in the game !