Horse Racing Moments

These days, old timers claim that the art of paddock inspection is fast on its way out. Yet they all say the same thing – paddock inspection is one useful tool when it comes to handicapping. If you want to get that edge that you have been looking for, then paddock inspection might just do the trick for you. Here are some tips on how to conduct one.

1. Make sure that you are at the entrance as the horses arrive. This might mean being their hours earlier than you normally would but remember you end goal. It would be worth it.

2. As the horses enter one by one, pay close attention to each of them. Inspect them as closely as you can from your vantage point. Check for signs of weakness, lameness, tiredness, the smell of liniment, and such. You may want to take a close look at the groom as well. You never know when they might give away certain information based on their expressions and behavior.

3. Don’t leave even when the horses have entered the paddock. You have to stay and watch them walk around. Again, watch for signs that may tell you negative about the horses. Some things to watch out for are excessive sweating, excessive nervousness, over excitability, foaming around the mouth, and whinnying too much. Of course, it goes without saying that if you do see a horse or two with these signs, you should go wager on another horse.

(to be continued)

Ever since the Internet became popular among the general public, forums have cropped up all over the place.  They have served as venues for people from all over the world to exchange ideas and opinions.  In this respect, the horse racing world has not been left behind.  In fact, there are countless horse racing forums to be found online today.

What is the primary purpose of a horse racing forum?  It is basically for people to post questions or comments and to get feedback from other people with the same interests or inclinations.  As such, a horse racing forum can be a veritable treasure trove of information, for both the beginner and veteran.

In a horse racing forum you can learn all about different types of horse races, from Thoroughbred to Arabian to Harness.  More than that, you can garner information regarding tipsters, jockeys, trainers, betting, systems and others.  It is quite obvious that horse racing forums offer a lot of possibilities and advantages.

Of course, there might be some information that are not as accurate as you would like it to be.  To avoid spam and other useless information, horse racing forums normally have regulations as to the content and manner of posting.  That is why membership is encouraged.  This is one way to keep track of who is posting what and to implement censure if need be.

The bottom line is that yes, horse racing forums are quite useful as long as members are responsible and that you know how to filter the information that you get from them.

Newcomers to horseracing may not know it but the secret to long term success in the sport is to find a working system and stick with it.  Though that sounds easy enough, there is a little bit of complication -  there is no one system that can work for everyone.  You have to shop around for the system that works best for you and that can take some time.  So what do you look out for when trying to determine a horseracing system that would work for you?

Tipster Services.  Now before I go on, please remember that whatever is written here is merely my opinion and that I am not generalizing.  The reason for that disclaimer is that I believe that you should shy away from tipster services.  The reason?  You will be better off learning the ins and outs of betting and reading a form guide.  Then you can work your own system.  Relying on tipsters to make your bets has not been proven to be the most effective way of winning long term.

Written testimonials for software systems.  Right, we see a lot of these online.  I have personally read countless of these testimonials saying how much they have earned since they started using so and so system.  Of course some of them may be true but you will never know unless you actually speak to the person or your purchase the system.  In second scenario, you risk ending up being scammed.  When salespeople get in touch with you regarding software systems, ask them if you could get in touch with current users in order to verify their product.

If you are new to horse racing and you would like to learn more, there is nothing like actually hooking up with a veteran and going to the races to learn hands on.  Yet the next best thing is to get hold of a good book and learn anytime anywhere you want to.  Here are some of the best horse racing books for beginners.

Win, Place, Show
Published by National Book Network, this paperback is a handy introduction to the world of Thoroughbred racing.  Learn all the basic terminology and processes with this book.

Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies
Books for “Dummies” have achieved popularity in the past years and they have always delivered.  This book for new horse racing enthusiasts is no different.  Written by Richard Eng, a renowned Review-Journal columnist will definitely help beginners understand the ins and outs of horse racing.

Handicapping 101
Are you having trouble understanding handicapping?  Are you getting disappointed with the constant string of losses you are experiencing early on?  Get hold of this book and be informed enough about the sport.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Betting on Horses
Not a very attractive title, that is true, but this book gives a lot of background information on horse racing.  If you are the type to go into the history and how the sport works, then you would find this book very informative.

Ainslie’s Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing
After reading up on the background of the sport, try this comprehensive guide for the actual betting.  You will learn all about pace, speed class, jockeys, trainer angles, and more.

Newcomers to the world of horse racing are usually exposed to big names such as the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders’ Cup.  The thing is, these are the races that every horse dreams of – or at least their owners.  Before they can reach this stage, they have to undergo different levels of racing to get the experience and exposure that they need.

The maiden race is one of the first types of races that a horse has to run.  Any horse who has not won any prize yet is called a maiden.  Maiden races are also classified into different levels.

In a claiming race, horses come with a price tag.  Anybody can claim a horse for the price tag, given that the person wanting to claim the horse puts in his request before the race.  Regardless of what happens to the horse during the race, the person can claim the horse and the owner keeps the purse money (if any).

Next in line is the allowance race which simply means that there are certain conditions to be met in order to join the race.  For example, an allowance race could only be for non-winners of certain races except for the maiden, claiming, and stakes races.  Allowance races usually have large purses associated with them.

Last (for now) we have the stakes race.  This category is where the Breeders’ Cup fall under.  Of course, not all stakes races are as big as the Breeders’ Cup.  What makes a race a stakes race is that the purses are the highest.  Local races may have restrictions such as the horse has to be bred locally.  This kind of stakes race is called restricted stakes.