utterly confused
PokerDud-E
Junior Member
I want to start betting on horses, but have no clue where to start. Any suggestions on who I should tail here. I've done a little bit of reading on the subject, but I will probably be confused just trying to tail someone.
Comments
I list free picks here about once a week, which include analysis, so that will give you an idea of the kinds of things to look for when handicapping a race. Overall, i've listed a few hundred plays here (along with a Horses To Watch thread), so there's plenty of analysis to look through.
Now's kind of a fun time to get involved, what with the road to the Kentucky Derby in full swing. A few of the major prep races were run on Saturday, so you'll have another few weeks before the next go-round to become familiar with the horses involved. And of course there's the big Zenyatta/Rachel Alexandra showdown in early April.
Welcome to the forum!
There are a few major important things to learn right off the bat
-Speed Figures
-Pace Analysis
-Class System
-Trainer Angles (How they are with class droppers, first time starters, second time, first off claim, etc)
Once you can learn those you can develop further angles into breeding, distances, improvements of young horses, equipment changes, track biases, key races, and more.
I began going to the track with my dad so he kind of progressively taught me how to play the game until I had a strong enough grasp to make my own approaches to several races.
A strong suggestion I have is to follow one circuit and stick to it in the beginnings. For my first year of serious play I would strictly play the SoCal circuit (which is still my most played circuit). You will begin to learn about the tracks, the trainers, jockeys, and so on. Create a free virtual stable on equibase or another server and add horses you watch. Watch each race, watch the replay, and note any horses you see who had troubled trips, solid late foot, bad breaks which cost them the race, or who finished well despite extremely disadvantaged pace scenarios (for instance a horse who battled on the front with 2 other horses through quick fractions but still held well to finish well ahead of other 2 front runners he battled to submission. Or, vice versa, look for races where a front runner shook free on easy fractions and see who closed up real well despite the soft fractions).
Stay active on the board, ask questions, and if you have the time, post your selections and reasoning behind the selection. If this is on a Saturday or time when I plan on playing the same card, Im sure myself and others would gladly explain our selections, why we think your horse might be vulnerable, or why we agree with you. Trust me, it'll feel great when you start picking your own winners and have a solid background as to why you selected him. It's like spending countless hours studying for an exam and knowing the hard work paid off.
In the beginning: bet light, stick to win or win/place, and don't get discouraged. We all have bad days and they occur more often before you learn the game.
Yes, that's the reason for the delay. Sorry i missed this last night, i was out.
As far as your query, you can access charts for free at the Equibase website. They don't include speed figures, you'll have to get those from the Racing Form PP's. Or maybe the Brisnet PP's, which include Brisnet figures i think (rather than Beyer figures, which the Racing Form uses). I'm not a believer in speed figures though, that's just me. Regarding pace analysis, that's something i definitely DO believe in, but you pretty much have to do it yourself. Some places offer pace figures, i suppose, but you really just need to apply beaten lengths at the pace calls to the corresponding fractional times, then factor in how fast or slow the track might have been running on that particular day (via the charts, for example).
As far as an all-encompassing website for handicapping statistics and procedures, you won't find one.