Horse Racing Moments » Guide

Let There be Light: Kentucky Derby’s Churchill Downs Installing Permanent Lights

doclotto — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:10:22 +0000

I received news the other day from Churchill Downs Inc., saying they are going to (finally) install permanent lights at their racetrack, which is of course the home of the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby 2010.

This follows on the hoofs of a review by the racetrack of their Churchill Downs’ Spring Meet night horse racing schedule. It was successful.

The racetrack had its first EVER night racing on June 19, June 26 and July 2, 2009. The average attendance each of the three nights was 29,705 with 33,481 in attendance the final evening, bringing the total attendance for the three nights of racing to 89,115.

“We found our racing fans loved the experience, officials said. The Company plans to invest in racing’s future despite the troubled economy and reduced handle throughout the industry.

Churchill Downs will poll fans and horsemen to assist in determining the optimum mix of day and night racing.

Breeder’s Cup Challenge Races Continue, as Nov. 6-7 Approaches

doclotto — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:29:26 +0000

The excitement is building.

Indian Blessing had her final timed work for next Saturday’s Gallant Bloom Handicap ($150,000 added), a Breeder’s Cup 2009 Challenge race for fillies and mares 3-years old and up, at Belmont Park.

The 4-year-old two-time Eclipse award-winning mare Indian Blessing covered 5 furlongs Sunday morning in 1:00.46, third fastest of 26 moves at the distance.

“Last week was her big work, but she went beautifully this morning,” said Tonja Terranova, New York assistant to Hall of Fame race horse trainer Bob Baffert. “She’s been training great and doing amazing.”

Indian Blessing last ran second in the Ballerina Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 29, her second start following a long layoff after finishing second against males in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Nad Al Sheba in the UAE.

Next Saturday, Indian Blessing will likely face a Gallant Bloom Handicap field of 5 other fillies and mares.

We’ll keep you posted on the results.

Thanks to the New York Racing Authority, for this information about Indian Blessing.

Irish Champion Stakes: the Battle of the Decade?

doclotto — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:33:59 +0000

A total of 11 remain in Irish Champion Stakes contention after this past weekend’s five-day forfeit stage. But there is only one horse that really matters and as it stands he remains on course.

Sea The Stars headed the entries for the Tattersalls-sponsored contest yesterday as his quest for a fifth consecutive Group 1 success now depends on the Gods above.

Sea the Stars’ trainer “has constantly insisted that his champion three-year-old will not be risked on ground which he feels the three-year-old couldn’t run up to his rating of 133, although over the weekend the trainer did reveal that Sea The Stars’ participation will be considered once there is ‘good’ somewhere in the description, even if it is on the slow side.”

The Irish Champion Stakes is renowned as one of Europe’s premier races year in, year out, but the prospect of having both the Epsom Derby victor and Irish Derby winner Fame And Glory go head-to-head has meant that this year’s renewal could be set as one of the battles of the last decade.

Sea The Stars is the crowd pleaser, and although much rests on his already legendary hoofs, even more rests on the weather and rainfall over Leopardstown racecourse between now and Saturday afternoon.

How to Come Up with Your Own Horse Racing System (Part 2)

admin — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:47:28 +0000

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.

British Horse Racing (Part 2)

admin — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:30:32 +0000

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.

Are Horse Racing Forums Useful?

admin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 02:55:56 +0000

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.

Horseracing Systems: Things To Watch Out For

admin — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:59:27 +0000

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.

Top Horse Racing Books for Beginners

admin — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:48:26 +0000

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.

Strategies for making money on the favored horse

admin — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:38:29 +0000

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.

How to make money by betting on horse races

admin — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:00:58 +0000

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.