‘Tis the season to get jolly and offer a few tips to people who handicap horse races and try to make some money for the holidays.  If you are one of those people trying to make money betting on horses you know just how hard it is.  If you are using a system, and still losing, you’re not alone.  Many people use a system and still lose, but trust me, they lose less than people who use no system at all.

Here are a few horse racing tips that may help you to tighten up that system and start to receive rather than give at the betting windows.

1. First and foremost of all, keep track of your bets, money, and progress at the races.  IF you really are serious about making a profit, then this is a job or business.  Would you run a business without keeping track of the cash?  Of course not, but yet many people who are normally quite responsible turn into giddy sailors on a spending spree when they get to the track.  Why do they do that?  Because some people who are feeling repressed think that the race track is a good place to just let go and have a good time.

If you are at the races strictly for fun and have budgeted some “mad” money to bet with, there is nothing wrong with gambling with that money.  On the other hand, if you are really trying to make money, then the opposite is true.  You should be keeping records so you know what works and where the money goes.

2. KISS – or keep it simple stupid.  Don’t think that the road to riches is exotic bets.  While the payoffs may be very enticing, if you can’t even win with a simple win bet, how will you ever win with an exotic bet with multiple legs or runners?  They are called gimmick bets by people who take the game of horse racing seriously.  Stick with simple bets and master them first.

3. You better shop around.  The difference between success and failure at the races may be as little as a few percentage points one way or the other.  Let’s imagine that two people are standing in front of you and you have to buy your wagering ticket from one or the other.  You have $100 to bet.  Person A tells you that she will charge you $10 for the bet so you will actually only have $90 left to bet with.

Person B tells you that she will charge you $15 to bet so you will only have $85 to bet with.  Which person would you place your bet with?  Obviously, it would be person A.  You will win more money with a $90 bet than with an $85 bet.  You do make that decision every day when you decide which tracks to play.  Some tracks, depending on the state where they are located, charge different percentages.  Shopping around can make a big difference.  Find out what the takeout is at the different tracks and take your business to the best one.

Just following these three simple guidelines will help you to lose less and win more.  If you’re using a good system, but still not quite making it, these tips may put you over the top and you may just realize your dream of making money at the races.

As the internet evolves, more tools are available to help you to learn how to handicap horse races.  Horse racing handicapping is one of the valuable skills that you can learn by watching videos.  While these files are readily available online, you can waste a lot of time watching useless videos that don’t really teach you anything.

Some of the videos are nothing more than a person sitting in front of a webcam telling you he has a great system and if you send him some money, you’ll soon be picking winners like picking apples off a tree.  While there are good horse racing systems available that will help you to be a better handicapper, let’s do a reality check.

As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  When it comes to making easy money, that is doubly true.  The easiest person to cheat in this world is a greedy person, because they will risk a little if they think they can get a lot without working for it. Unscrupulous people who sit in front of a webcam and tell you nothing useful, but want to get your money, are probably not to be trusted.

Here is the truth about learning how to handicap a horse race…

1.  It takes a lot of practice and there are no guarantees that you will be successful.

2. Nothing stays the same and what worked yesterday may not work today.

3. The best way to learn how to handicap is with a good system that teaches you…

a. the fundamentals of handicapping
b. money management
c. self discipline
d the factors of horse racing

4. There is no substitute for experience and no easy winners at the race track.

I have prepared some good videos that show the steps to handicap a horse race, how to determine class, and there are others available from reputable horse players.  The reason I offer these free horse racing handicapping videos is to introduce you to my methods and encourage you to use my horse racing systems that go into depth on these subjects.

Many people who handicap horse races and bet on them don’t like to play maiden races.  They feel that the runners are unknown quantities and therefore too difficult to evaluate.  While there is some truth to the fact that young horses have yet to prove themselves on the track, it is also true that what you see is what you get with maidens.

First time starters, runners who have never competed before, are the biggest problem.  Some people try to get a handle on how good they might be by looking at the sire and dam.  Certain sires are known for producing colts and fillies that win first time out, called precocious by fans of sire stats.  Sire statistics can also produce some information about how far a horse might be able to carry its speed as well as which surface it may prefer to run on.

Predicting precociousness is helped somewhat by morning works, or workouts, that show a young runner’s ability.  A good four furlong work showed a horse that is fit and ready to race. Combined with a pedigree that suggests the ability to win at first asking, good workouts often account for low mutuels.  This is especially true if the rest of the field shows no real stand out horses who appear poised to win.

This all depends upon the trainer, of course, and whether he or she wants the horse to win on its first try.  Some conditioners like to bring their young charges along slowly, allowing them to get some experience in the non-winners ranks before graduating and taking on tougher foes.  That is where a look at trainer statistics can come in handy.  If a trainer has shown a willingness to win with a youngster on its first try, and seems to have a horse bred for such a feat, then it may well be that the horse will be asked for a win by the rider.  Of course, if that is the case, you’ll expect to see the trainer’s favorite rider in the irons.

Obviously, all this is confirmed by looking at the record and statistics.  The only problem is that we still haven’t seen the horse in a real race.  On the other hand, looking at the rest of the field again may reveal one or more runners who have been racing for a while, perhaps with two or more races behind them, who seem to be slowly improving.  The problem with maiden horses is that they are still maturing and growing.  The rate of improvement may change dramatically from month to month, sometimes helped by a change in equipment or medication by a wise trainer.

I can’t say I’ve never bet a first timer, but I have to say that over time, I’ve grown very leery of it.  I have been disappointed too many times.  We’ve all read the stories of well bred horses who were sold for exorbitant amounts and seemed to show so much promise, only to never win a race or only be able to compete at the bottom of the claiming ranks.  Many of these youngsters were bet heavily on their debuts.

On the other hand, they were often beaten by a horse who had several races and therefore, more experience and was able to capitalize on that fact.  Therefore, before betting a first time starter, give the horse dropping from maiden special weight races into maiden claiming races a second look and don’t forget the horses who have been competing for a while and getting tougher and wiser.  They are often the best bet.