Quote:
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Originally Posted by ateamstupid
Six secrets..
1. Know the trainers
2. Know the owners
3. Know the jockeys
4. Know the grooms
5. Know the exercise riders
6. Pick your spots
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IMO, those might be the six secrets to bankruptcy....as I would love to be able to book the action of those in the first five categories.
The average trainers are about as skilled in the art of handicapping, as the average horseplayers are at training the horses.
There's always exceptions, and I'm sure there are
a few trainers who have fully developed handicapping skills--- (Cannon Shell made a very good handicapping read in the Invasor thread) ---however, even of the precious few, they are too focused on their own horses, and their own work, to have the time and energy to do all the needed handicapping work it takes to have the best opinion possible on the competiton they are up against.
I worked for a vetern Kentucky trainer when I was younger....great guy, took good care of his horses, but he was completely lost with all things handicapping. When he told me that to start with, I just thought he was being modest...turns out he wasn't!
The owners, jockies, grooms, and excersize riders are all going to be uninformed about the competition as well---and these folks also, almost always, have severe handicapping deficiencies.
The only time it really helps to have access to any of these people, is when you have a horse who is an unknown quantity in some way, such as a first-time starter, or an import making his United States debut. Also, they can sometimes provide good information on a runner returning from a layoff.
There is no big secret to beating this game IMO. You just need to keep developing your handicapping skills everyday----and do all the tedious work to gain an andvantage over the other bettors. It sometimes means staying up to 3AM, watching old races, and making notes.