Horse Racing Moments

One of the most important – if not the most important – things in horse racing is to find a system that works for you and to stick with it.  There are countless systems already developed by other punters out there.  Yet if you are still on the lookout for a system that works, why not try coming up with your own?  Here are a few tips that would help you on this matter.

First, be prepared to do research – a lot of research.  You would have to look into the horses running a certain race and find out as much as you can about them.  This information can be had for free – just look on the Internet.

Next, you should also look into other details such as the size of the field.  The more horses you have running the race, the lesser the chances of a single horse winning.  You should factor this into your system.

Another consideration would be the type of ground the race is going to be run on.  Each horse has its own strength when it comes to this.  You should know which horse runs best on soft or firm ground and adjust your system accordingly.

When picking the horse to place your bet on, make sure that it is in top form.  A horse that ran its last race a season or two ago would make for poor betting.  According to some experts, the shorter the period between races, the better.

(to be continued)

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.

Betting on the favorite horse seems to be the logical way to go when it comes to horse racing. After all, the odds are already in the horse’s favor, right? So then, your chances of winning are quite high already. It really makes sense. However, though this argument makes total sense, there are other factors which you must consider. First and foremost would be the fact that countless other people would be thinking the same way as you do. The result of this would be less winnings. How so? Let us say that the favorite horse that you bet on does win. So you get a part of the money. However, the chances are that hundreds, or even thousands, of people also bet the same way as you did! Now you would have to split the earnings with each of them. There goes the huge amount of money you were hoping to get.

So how do you bet on favorite horses without having to spread all that cash around with other people? There are several factors that you must take into consideration. First of all, just because a horse is a favorite does not mean that you should automatically bet on it. Take note of all the favorites in various races and then narrow your choices even more. How do you do this? Come up with a set of qualifying factors. Eliminate certain risks that might just make the horse lose. As a result, you will have a few secure favorites on your hands. That makes for higher chances of winning. But don’t bet just yet!

Take other factors into consideration. One thing to look at would be the horse trainer and the jockey. Their past records would be a good indication of whether your favorite has good chances of winning or not. After taking a look at these two factors, also take into consideration the recent forms. That is, the past three or so races of the horses. Another factor to look into would be the track or course that would be run. See if the favorites are best suited for this track.

Now it is time to actually place your bets. Maximizing your wins would also mean increasing your bets somehow. It is simply not realistic to expect large amounts of winnings with a mere dollar. Bet not merely to win but to place. It might mean a little bit more investment on your part but if your selection process is sound, then your returns would be bigger than usual.

When you mention the words “horse race”, the first thing that comes to one’s mind would be betting slips. It is normal because horse racing is already almost synonymous to betting and gambling. This is due to the fact that horse racing is one of the most common and legal types of sports gambling in the world.

In most horse racing tracks, the gambling system employed is called pari-mutuel, a French term which means mutual stake. In this system, all the money bet by all the gamblers are placed in a pool and at the end of the race, the total money in the pot less the commission or percentage that automatically goes to the track, is split amongst all the winning bettors.

There are three ways by which you can make money on horse races: you can bet to win, bet to place and bet to show. By making a bet to win place, you place all your money on a particular horse and bet that in that particular run, that horse will place first. If your horse only reaches second, you will not win anything. If you make a bet to place on a particular thoroughbred, if the horse finishes in either first or second place. A bet that is for “show” means that if the horse finishes in the first three places, you will collect something.

If you want to make a lot of money on your bet, you should bet to win. Since there are fewer chances for a horse to come out on top, the returns on your bet would be greater. A bet to show can be considered as safe bets thus, the winnings are generally smaller.

Another kind of bet is termed “each way”. Generally, this means that your total bet is split “each way” and by so doing, you have bet half the amount to win, and the other half to place. How winnings are given out would depend on the country you are in. The rules for paying off winners in Each Way bets in the United States differ from how winners are paid in Europe, Britain and the rest of the world. In the UK, for each way bets, bookmakers cut the odds for each bet. Full odds are given if the horse places first, but only a portion of it is given for horses that place second, third and otherwise.

There are other betting jargons and betting arrangements in horse racing such as the superfecta, box, triple and sweep, to name a few. To know more about these, ask a bookmaker or a worker at the horse track to explain these concepts to you.

Betting on horse races may probably be one of the oldest forms of gambling in the modern world. Initially, only members of the upper crust watched and bet on the outcome of the races but, during the depression, more people started attending horse races. What initially started as an alternative form of entertainment – something to do to while away the time, became one of the most popular gambling activities in the world.

Regular attendees of horse races already know which horses are worth gambling on, and which steeds are not. If you are new to this game, you won’t have that advantage and, chances are, you may just bet on the horse that looks nice or has an easy to remember name.

Betting on horses, however, is easier than it seems. Just like pro athletes, horses too have statistics and these can be viewed through the horse-racing information flyer which you can easily obtain at selected areas of the race track. The flyer lists down all the races scheduled for that day and all the horses slated to race. Underneath or beside the name of the horse, are statistics. Highlighted are details of the horse’s last few races (what his standing is at the end of the race), where the races where held, when he last ran and other information which would aid newbies in deciding which horse to bet on.

When reading the statistics, see how many winning streaks the horse has had. How he performed in a particular kind of race (in terms of distance), and the horse last ran, are other factors which you should look at and consider. From there, you can interpolate or interpret the figures. Do you think that the horse will reach his peak during the race? Will he be tired after running several races or will he be raring to go?

Prior to the races, you can also go around the race track. Normally, the horses that will be running in the next race warm up or trot in a pre-designated area that can be viewed by the public. Through this, you can gauge the physical attributes of the horses and can make a decision based on this.

You can also check on the odds. If you want to win big, bet on the horse that is least likely to win. Horses that are favored to win have smaller odds and the return you get from a bet will not be substantial.