Horse Racing Handicapping on Location Reveals More Winners

Since the advent of legalized off track wagering, advanced deposit wagering, and race books, race track attendance has decreased dramatically.  Many people thought that offering the opportunity to wager on races and watch them from a distance would bring in more revenue and increase the fan base.  An unfortunate consequence was that many people who might have gone to a race track now go to an otb or sit in front of a computer and bet.

We’ll never know for sure if the modernization of horse racing was a good move or had negative consequences.  For those people who say it saved the sport and it would have been dead by now, I say, how do we know?  There are two kinds of people in this world, horse players and the rest.  Horse players will do just about anything to make a bet and see a race while the rest wouldn’t walk across the street to see a race.

You may talk about casual race goers and weekend warriors, but most of those people are still pretty passionate about going to the races and getting a bet down and they like their winners, too.  One of the problems with betting from afar is that you miss a big part of the experience and let’s face it, a day at the races is an experience and a chance to see a great show as well as to enjoy a live sport that involves both human and animal athletes.

It may be the greatest show on earth and yet, it is forgotten or ignored by many people, even some who like to bet on races.  That’s their loss because if they like to bet on winners, then a trip to the races and a chance to look over the runners.  A trip to the saddling ring or paddock is a chance to get close to the athletes and to look them over closely.

You’d be surprised how a little time spent studying horses can teach you a lot about handicapping and how to pick a winner.  Another good thing about sight handicapping, as it’s called, is that you can spot horses with a problem who may not run true to form.  There are several good videos on the subject and I suggest you watch one or two and then try your luck at spotting a good one.

Here a re a few clues, first of all, excessive sweating is a very bad sign.  If a horse is lathered before the race, pass that one by.  Also, watch the way horses walk and warm up.  There’s an old saying, “Walks like a sailor will be a trailer.”  That means a horse that shifts its weight from side to side while walking is trying to keep weight off a sore leg or hoof.  Once in a while they can warm up and the stiffness or soreness will go away, but many times, they run poorly.

At almost every horse track you’ll find low level claiming races with horses who run against each other every week or so.  One horse will win one week and then another will win the next.  This confuses a lot of the bettors, but here’s a tip.  If you watch those same horses every week, after a while, you’ll spot the one or two who are feeling good on a particular day.  You’ll notice the one on his or her toes, so to speak, the one holding his or her head high and you’ll have yourself a winner.  You won’t be able to tell those things by what you see on the program, but you’ll see it before the race if you’re at the track.

Take some time and go to your local race track and watch the horses. You’ll soon be picking winners on sight and get to know a few horses well enough to know when he or she is ready to run a big race and feeling on top of his or her game.