Blue Moon Longshots
It sure is nice to hit a very high paying horse isn’t it?! Nothing quite like it and, of course, that keeps players searching for more – hoping for more – sometimes even praying for more!
But how often do those boxcar win payoffs actually come in? Not very often – everyone knows that. A player can go broke very quickly if playing nothing but longshots.
Naturally – lady luck can be a factor. A player could hit something very good once or twice early in the life of his bankroll – and fund his ‘chasing’ wagers for several weeks and months before the odds probabilities catch back up to him.
Then there is the factor of handicapping for longshots. They happen – yes – but there are usually several long odds horses in every race. How in the world does a player deduce a set of viable variables that will point out the one high odds horse among several that might have a slight possibility of winning the race?
It’s a tough nut to crack. To find out how tough, and to learn a super simple step that will point out the winner of a race 87.5 percent of the time . . .
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The Class-Drop Factor
Sometimes we tend to overlook the obvious.
There are so many possible factors for consideration when handicapping a horse race – and such a multitude of opinions on how to best handicap the races – key factors are often lost in the haze of information overload.
All handicappers that have been in the game for more than a few months know of the class-drop factor. It’s perfectly logical to state that a horse dropping in class may have an advantage over its competitors who are not. Like the advantage a ‘big league’ baseball team would have over a double-A league team. Easy to grasp the concept, but so obvious that it is often overlooked, or under-valued in relation to other more ‘esoteric’ factors to be considered in a race.
The game revolves around money – in every regard. Connections suddenly willing to acknowledge their horse is worth less money than it was last time it raced are giving a signal that, in general, says one of two things;
– “We’re now seriously after the purse winnings in today’s race,” or
– “There’s problems with this horse and we want to get rid of it (even so – often while also trying to grab one last purse).
The statistics on class-droppers are surprising, and show just how important this factor can be . . .
Read MorePlace and Show Betting
I remember reading somewhere in one of the late, great Huey Mahl’s writings – where he was quoting one of his mentors (Lou Holloway was it??) – that (to paraphrase) “the best bet in racing is a bet to place on a super solid horse that fits the race and looks set to run his best today.”
In the current race-betting world of exotics up-the-kazoo – of every kind imaginable – the lowly place and show bets have been all but forgotten. ‘Bragging rights’ type bettors (which, really, make up the largest percentage) have relegated these wagers to little old grandmothers, or newbies trying to cash a ticket – any ticket!
These wagers aren’t glamorous, and they aren’t flashy; however, I think a re-evaluation of place and show betting is long overdue.
Read MoreGeneral Comments Forum
For specific responses from clients – read or post to the comments section of each individual post.
If you have other questions, or comments, or want to add your 2-cents about any topic related to horse racing – this is the place to do that.
Many of you have much to share – there are quite a few “old salts” here as well as numerous “newbies” – and everything in between. Questions – and answers (advice gained from experience) can be valuable to all.
Please feel free to chime in . . . we only ask that you keep it impersonal. This is not the place to “pick-a-bone” (or a verbal fight!) with someone else because they hold a different view.
Other than that – feel free.
I will also occasionally add testimonials and email comments (anonymously) here, so that you can read what others are saying to us.
Thanks – Gary
Read MoreThe Feds and Horse Racing
So now our illustrious congress has stuck its nose into horse racing’s drug problem, and is suggesting that organized horse racing (after 347 years in this country) needs “federal oversight.”
Oh boy – here we go!
Sure, let’s take control of horse racing away from the simply incompetent, and turn it over to the criminally incompetent!
If this goes through, it’s the death knell for horse racing as we know it. Let the feds get a hold of anything and it’s on an immediate path to ruination. These are same guys and gals that sell themselves to the highest bidder (er – lobbyist). The same ones that vote to take more and more away from the middle class citizen of this country – while never failing to vote themselves regular raises. The same ones that increase our taxes via a steady stream of pork barrel projects, endless bailouts, and never-ceasing world-wide meddling – while voting themselves special ‘perks’ and cushy ‘packages’ on our tax dime.
I mean – look at their great success in the “war on drugs.” Untold billions have been spent since 1971 – any progress? (Only in the wrong direction!)
The drug problem exists in horse racing – granted. It needs to be solved – granted. But, my gosh, turning horse racing over to the federal government?! I can’t think of a lousier approach.
Read MoreRead At Your Own Risk
Risk of what you might ask?
Only possibly wasting 10 minutes of your precious time – nothing more. The following will be simple musings as more-or-less relates to our game of horse racing . . .
But hey – the plot already thickens: “Risk” and “Time” – aren’t those two of the most critical points of handicapping and betting on the nags? Certainly they are, and how they tie together can mean the difference between success and failure in this arena. “Arena” rings another vaguely familiar bell. Horse racing’s early heyday began in the great arenas of ancient Rome along with the gladiator spectacles, and the Circus Maximus with its outrageous public games and contests.
Life was evidently ‘cheaper’ in those days, and perhaps the idea of putting oneself at great risk was far more acceptable. Imagine . . . utterly wild horse and chariot racing – with few rules and absolutely no regard for safety of man nor beast. But you can bet the wagering on those events was hot and heavy!
So what is at risk when you wager on a horse race – when you try to predict which horse will take the least amount of time to get from point A to point B?
Read MoreIndependence Day Thoughts
A word of warning – I may get into a bit of a rant here, and all of you won’t agree with my views. That’s fine of course, comment and let me know your own thoughts – after all, that is one of the freedoms that does currently still remain to us.
What does “independence” mean? To the founding fathers and the brave people who risked everything for freedom – it meant getting rid of the overbearing control being exercised from Britain in those times; unfair taxes, unfair search and seizure, unfair harassment of the ‘citizens,’ unfair pronouncements of what could and couldn’t be done by those people – etc. etc.
I know I’m not alone in feeling we are rapidly getting into a situation in these United States of America today where our freedoms – even those guaranteed by our constitution – are being taken from us. But – by who?
Read MoreRebates – Discussion / Offer
Are rebates important to your game?
For those of you who are even half-way serious about extracting a steady income from horse race betting, that question just might be a crucial one.
In other parts of our lives, we will go out of our way to get a bit of a discount on the price of something that we are purchasing. It can almost always be the deciding factor. If I’m buying a new bicycle for my son, and one store offers me a discount on the exact same model – all other things being equal, I will naturally choose the discounted offer. It only makes sense, and we are all accustomed to thinking and acting in this way.
What about in race betting? It seems many players don’t give much thought to finding where they can get the best discount on their wagering. Generally, players stay where they have been – it’s easier. Perhaps some aren’t aware that they could get rebates – or higher rebates – somewhere else.
But – again the question “How important are rebates anyway?”
Two examples follow:
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