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.

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.

Betting in horse racing can be the most fun activity that you engage in, that is, if you know how to go about it and win as much as you can. Backing losing horses all of the time is not that much fun, let me tell you. With these top 3 tips, however, you can increase your chances and make you more successful in horse racing.

Realize that betting on horses and being successful takes WORK. Yes, it can be fun but you have to work at it. You cannot simply sit back and relax, hoping that your picks will bring you success. This is actually true of other similar activities such as betting on other sports. The soonest you realize that you have to work at being successful, the faster you will get on your feet to ensure that success comes your way.

Study as many systems as you can, learn from the best people out there, and then come up with your own betting system. You see, while there are systems that are tried and tested, it does not mean that they work in the same way for all people. That is why I do not suggest merely copying what other successful people do. Your best bet is to learn from them and then adjust their strategy to match yours.

Learn how to manage your money. Money management is something that every handicapper, every gambler knows about. Without this in mind, you are bound to lose all your winnings at a moment’s notice.

I am a technophile. If I can use a piece of technology to do something – whether it’s for work or for leisure – I will do so. But when it comes to making your picks for horse races, does technology apply as well? Should you rely on computer programs when it comes to betting on horse races?

There are many computer programs, or software, available these days that are designed to help you select horses to bet on. The idea is simple, actually. The program is fed data that you would normally see in form books and past race results. At the click of your mouse, the program will give you selections based on the data that is inputted.

If you think about it, it is actually the same as going over those form books and past racing results yourself. You are only mechanizing the process, making it faster and giving you less work.

So why am I sending off vibes which do not seem to be all positive (with regard to the software)? The answer is this: while computer programs can accurately give you selections based on the data inputted, the results are limited by the nature of the information you feed them. Software can only read hard facts. They do not take into consideration other factors that may come into play when you actually select your horses “manually.”

What I am saying is that computer programs can help you to a certain extent but I would not suggest relying solely on them. Use a program and then trust your instincts as well.

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.

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)

1.    Pay a lot of attention to the details.  No matter how tiny it may be, do not discount any particular detail.  The negative signs that you should look out for – aside from those mentioned in the last post – are: a dull coat, runny eyes or nose, open sores, front wraps, tendon problems, and popping the tail up and down.

On the other hand, you should also be on the lookout for positive signs.  After all, what you want is to find the horse that will increase your chances of winning.  So what signs should you look for in a good horse?  It does not always follow but in most cases, a dressed up horse is a good sign.  A very neat mane and even a plaited mane is a simple statement that says that horse is well taken care of.  A prancing horse is a good sign as well.  other signs are a shiny coat, dapples, and bright shiny eyes.

2.     After you “around the paddock” inspection, do not think that your job is done.  Wait for the jockey to actually mount the horse and head on to the track.  You should also see if any negative or positive signs show up at this point.

3.    At this point you should be ready to make your pick.  Go ahead, trust your guts and wager!  Best of luck to you.

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.

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.