Horse Racing Moments

This is the continuation of the last post about tips for coming up with your own horse racing system.  I ended with the idea that you should check out when the horses last raced.  I remember writing that the more recent the last race is, the better it is.  However, let me qualify that.  If the horse raced only a few days ago, this principle would not hold.  The horse would probably still be tired from the last race.  The idea is to stay away from horses that have been out of the race track for extended periods of time.

Another consideration would be the distance of the race.  Not all horses are the same – some run better for certain distances.  A race that is too short may not be enough for a horse to show its true form.  On the other hand, some horses cannot run the distance.  As such, you have to take into account the horse’s capability and the distance to be run.

Take into consideration what the “experts” say.  I know you are trying to come up with your own system and you may not want to rely on tipsters.  Yet the whole process of finding your own system would include paying attention to those who have experience.  I am not saying that you should merely listen to what they say.  My point is that if a lot of experts (say 60% - 80%) predict a certain horse winning, find out why.  Then take your cue from there.

The last post we had was a introductory course in British horse racing.  We ended with the types of enclosures that one can visit and what one would expect from each.  Whichever type of enclosure you go to, it is best that you buy a race card once you get to the race course.  You would only need to spend about 2 – 3 quid for one and it will give you most of the information that you would need throughout the day.  Now let’s talk about the two types of racing.

The first one is flat racing, which, as its name suggests, is carried out on a track where there are no obstacles - the track is flat.  You can watch flat racing anytime in the year although the main season runs from April to October.  The other type of racing is the National Hunt.  As opposed to flat racing, this type of race has jumps.  You can also watch this race all throughout the year but the main season runs from October to April.  Some race courses have both kinds of races while others feature a single type.

Now how about betting?  There are two main ways – with the bookmakers and with the Tote.  The former offers fixed-odds betting.  That is, you always know how much you will win in case your pick makes it.  The latter offers pool betting, wherein all the bets on a horse are put into a pool.  The winnings are then shared among the bettors.

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.

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.

Arbitrage is generally used in economics. An arbitrage occurs when there is price difference between two or more markets and, to make money on the imbalance, matching deals are struck with the parties involved. Profits are made on the differences between the different market prices.

Arbitrage in sports occurs when the opinions given by bookmakers on the possible outcome of the competition vary, or in some instances, when the odds listed are erroneous. If a bettor wants to make money on this discrepancy, he would place bets on the different perceived outcome. Since bookmakers do not condone this activity (may translate to losses for them), bettors normally place bets with different betting companies. Arbitrage betting is also known as “risk free betting” although, since this is still about gambling – a game of chance, there is still a certain degree of risk involved. Common risks involve a change in price halfway through the betting process, refusal of some bookmakers to honor the bet; and (if the bookmaker loses), the probability that the book maker would not remain solvent (may take longer before money changes hands)

To be involved in arbitrage betting, you must do some research on the odds of the game and / or race. When you’re satisfied with the results, you then place bets on different betting companies and at the end of the competition, you collect your winnings (or walk away empty-handed). Arbitrage is done in most sporting activities, and horse racing is one of them.

Any bettor can involve himself in arbitrage betting. This may be done personally or through the internet. Since most book keepers will not agree on arbitrage bets, it may be harder to complete arbitrage transactions on a face to face basis. Most bettors of arbitrage find it easier to make these kinds of bets on-line. They simply need to register in different on-line betting companies and they are good to go.

It is possible to arbitrage a horse race, and there are several websites that help people understand the concept. These websites also have tools such as on-line calculators where you can plug in the odds and the bets. These tools aim to give users an idea on how much they stand to earn (or win) when a horse race is arbitraged.

Many people opt to place arbitrage bets because technically, you win something no matter who wins the competition. However, since this technique almost assures one of a win, the thrill and suspense of rooting for your horse is simply not the same.

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.