Horse Racing Handicapping Do's and Don'ts
Handicapping the races is an important skill to be learned by any horse racing aficionado. It is by no means an exact science, and you'll still have to depend a bit on Lady Luck for the final decision, but if you can handicap well, chances are you will be winning more wagers than you will be losing.
Here are some horse handicapping do's and don'ts to guide you at the races:
Do's:
- Do look at the class the horse is running. If a particular horse has been running in a graded 3 stakes race and is now running in a claiming race, then that means it's a Goliath in this particular competition. Similarly, if a horse has been running in a claiming race and then proceeds to an allowance race with a higher purse, it would naturally be a weaker contender in that arena, unless the workout given or a change in the jockey gives you every reason to believe otherwise.
- Do look at the distance and the surface that the race is being run. Some horses do well on turf, others on dirt, while still others perform better on synthetic dirt. Look at the length of the race and what the horse's previous record is in that area.
- Do consider a horse's win-loss record. One who consistently wins stand a better chance of winning again.
- Do consider past injuries and workouts given.
- Do group the horses into those that stand a very good chance of winning, those that have a fairly good chance, and a possible wildcard so you can narrow down your bets.
Don’ts:
- Don't always bet on the favorite. A horse may have won its previous races but didn't have a good workout coming into this race. This could affect its performance on the track.
- Don't believe that knowing how to handicap guarantees your chance of winning. It's still a game of luck.
These simple do's and don'ts should give you a general idea of how to handicap a horse. If you keep on practicing horse race handicapping, you'll stand a good chance of really profiting from your bets in the long-term.
Happy punting!
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