Short handicapping lesson

[brianwspencer]

Bet the gray.

[POINTGIVEN1985]

i consider myself a good turf handicapper i will always go on the internet the night before i plan on going to otb or the track or whatever and find turf races that i want to bet, i do not like betting claimers, i agree with the poster earlier who said at first dont bet maidens and cheap claimers, if i were you i would start with allowance and stakes races, allowance/optional claiming is ok you will find some hard knockers in those races, depending on where you are i wouldn't start off by betting ny breds or cal breds or any state breds, i would just look for open company stakes or allowance races.

[jman5581]

Originally Posted by POINTGIVEN1985

i do not like betting claimers, i agree with the poster earlier who said at first dont bet maidens and cheap claimers, if i were you i would start with allowance and stakes races, allowance/optional claiming is ok you will find some hard knockers in those races, depending on where you are i wouldn't start off by betting ny breds or cal breds or any state breds, i would just look for open company stakes or allowance races.

PG1985, to be clear, I'm not trying to pick on you....I've seen a few people post this on here. What's the big deal about betting claiming races?? I have always found them just as "game" as the stakes. If anything, the stakes/allowances/handicaps tend to be deeper, more contentious fields. Granted, the studs of the sport race in stakes which gives them a degree of predictability, but the information you use to look at a stakes race is, for the most part, the same as what a player looks at to play claimers. In fact, one might argue that after getting some familiarity with a track and the trainers/jocks/owners, claimers are as suitable to play as any.

[jman5581]

and, I might add, a basic familiarity with the economics of the sport...but, really once you've got a handle on that, claiming races can be great wagers. And, if anyone is going to play, he better damn well learn to play claimers because that's by far the majority of races available to bet on...unless someone does like you do PG and play only turf races, which I've found to be the most volatile of any surface to play on.

[POINTGIVEN1985]

Originally Posted by jman5581

and, I might add, a basic familiarity with the economics of the sport...but, really once you've got a handle on that, claiming races can be great wagers. And, if anyone is going to play, he better damn well learn to play claimers because that's by far the majority of races available to bet on...unless someone does like you do PG and play only turf races, which I've found to be the most volatile of any surface to play on.

i dont only play turf but i do look online every night for the turf races for the next day , im in ny so there is no turf at this time of year i look at fairground, gulfstream, tampa bay, and santa anita, i think im a better turf handicapper, and as for the claimers its just a opinion if you just bet stakes and the nice allowances that you can find any day at the nyra track of florida or cali then i think you will do better, i could be wrong some ppl might like the claimers better, but i know for me when im looking to spot play 1 horse on a given day and make a big win place bet, i know it wont be in a claiming race, never.

[miraja2]

Here is my pithy piece of advice: Bet the race, not the horse.
Here is what I mean:
Look at all the pp and try to visualize how the race is going to play out. Who is going to be on the lead? Will there be a battle on the front end? Who might get caught wide? New people sometimes make the mistake of always betting on the best horse in the race! Sounds stupid right? Well a lot of times the best horse in the race is not a smart play for any number of reasons such as:
1) The pace scenario won't fit the horse.
2) The horse is likely to get caught wide.
3) The race is not at the horse's best distance.
4) The horse should be a solid 2/1 favorite but is instead at 3/5.
etc.
Take your time with each race and try to figure it out.
Then, after you lose, , look at the race again. This is key. You will learn a lot by looking at the horses (that you tossed) that just won. Occasionally the horse will really just have come out of nowhere, but more often than not you will see that you overlooked something. This will help your handicapping immensely.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by miraja2

Here is my pithy piece of advice: Bet the race, not the horse.

This is great advice...

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Bet the gray.

Unless it's your birthday and the horse's name is Storm in May.

If you're playing Gulfstream, play Mark Guidry.

If you're playing Santa Anita...stick your hand on a hot stove.