Horse Handicapping Tips

Handicapping horse races is confusing for the beginner. Even the most experienced handicappers can only make an educated guess as to the outcome of a race. But understanding the tools available to the handicapper will help you analyze a horse's past performance and give you an edge over pure guesswork.

  1. Daily Racing Form

    • The Daily Racing Form is the horse handicapper's bible. Inside the racing form, each horse scheduled to run has specific data about his or her last performance. The data in the form is extremely detailed. You will want to devote at least an hour before each betting session to review each race in detail. In addition, study the racing form between races.
      Pay close attention to a horse's past post positions, split times and how the horse finished. Also, you must adapt your analysis to the day's weather. If it is raining and the track is muddy, check the "Tomlinson Ratings," which gauge a horse's skill in muddy conditions.

    Strategies

    • The handicapper "Judge" Fletcher McCoy outlines the basic strategies of analyzing a race. Speed handicapping factors how fast a horse is, for instance. Pace handicapping is used to predict how a race will develop. This method analyzes how a field of horses will react to one another. Use Pace handicapping with previous split times to determine which horse will get out in front early, what horses are strong in the middle and which horses might close from behind to steal the race.
      You should also consider trip handicapping. McCoy says that trip handicapping--or watching for specific race developments by specific horses--can give a bettor an advantage. If, for instance, a horse broke slowly out of the gate in its previous race, was that the major factor in the horse losing? For a horse that seems to like running from the front, such a development could mean the difference.
      A final betting strategy is class handicapping. Use your Daily Racing Form to analyze whether a horse is racing in, below or above its class. Note each horse's previous race purse, or award amount, to determine how the competition stacks up.

    Bet Types

    • The bet is a key element in horse race handicapping because you might have a hard time choosing between two horses. Combination bets can increase your odds of winning a race. Handicapper John Piesen explains that a wheel bet makes sense when you think you can predict the race winner but not the rest of the field. If you believe that the No. 3 and No. 6 horses are superior in a given race, you could "box" those two horses. If either of them come in first and second, you win.
      Consider winners from multiple races to open up additional betting possibilities, such as a "double," which entails picking the winner of two consecutive races. The key is to approach each race rationally and to see opportunities as they arise.