Horseracing Handicapping Tips

Picking the winning horse in a race is part science and part instinct. Both need to be developed. The safest way to make intelligent bets is to know some of the tricks and hints to give yourself the best start. The sport of horseracing is something you can learn as you go. Even when you are just starting out, it can be a lot of fun even before you put down that first dollar you wage.

  1. Don't Start with Money

    • Learn first, pay to play later. You don't have to bet at the track, and since you're more likely to lose than not as a beginner, you are better off spending some time picking winners without placing bets. As you learn and get better at selecting the horses that place you can start making bets on the races.

    Learn How to Bet

    • It sounds simple, but betting is even more complicated than picking the right horse. Make sure you study all aspects of handicapping, including the right way to place a bet.

    Pick Your Races

    • There are many different kinds of races held at each track every day. Each style of race has different types of horses offering different ways to pick the top choices. Learn each type one at a time, and see which you are better at picking. Stick to those for actual money betting as you continue to learn the others.

    Bankroll

    • Set aside a dedicated bank for your betting money. Having a specific amount of money set aside to bet will protect your daily expense money from becoming a part of your risk. Since it doesn't matter how good you are at selecting winners, some will lose. You don't want to risk the mortgage on a horse race.

    Pay the Price

    • It won't help if you can pick the best horse if you don't win enough to cover the gas money it took you to get to the track. When you do place a bet, don't second-guess yourself. Place a bet large enough to see real results when you win.

    Study the Field

    • Before you start picking apart each individual horse for its race qualities, look at the field as a whole. Determine where the pace-setter will be, if it will have a slow start or if the pace will maintain a steady rate. Pace can make or break a race, and will play a large factor in how you consider each individual horse.

    Make the Cut

    • Each race will only have a few real competitors. You can consider the rest as fillers to make a complete field. Of course, now and then you have the great upset, and when you get really good at handicapping you can take your chances on those possibilities. Until then, stick with what looks like the best bet. Find the horses with the best track records for the type of race you're picking. Consider their recent injuries, when they ran last and even how they look walking to the post for the race.

    Know the Horse

    • Don't bet on a turf horse to win a dirt race. Often enough a horse owner will put a horse on a different type of track to give them some variety, to ease the strain on their muscles or an injured area, or any other reason. That's fine for them, but not a good deal for you. Even if you love this horse in its normal medium, don't bet on it to win on the different track. Rarely does any horse do well on both track types. If you don't know if a horse will do well on a track, look back at the past. Heredity has a lot of impact over the type of track a horse will favor.