How to enjoy a day at the races-and bet to win!
The last two years have seen a record number of Americans tune in for climatic Triple Crown races featuring Smarty Jones and Funny Cide; in 2004, television viewership jumped a whopping 61 percent over the record set in 2003, and the Belmont Stakes race itself drew a record crowd of more than 120,000!
This easy-to-understand guide shows first-time visitors to the track how to enjoy the sport of horse racing-and make smart bets. It explains:
- what goes on at the track
- what to look for in horses and jockeys
- how to read a racing form and do simple handicapping
- how to manage betting funds and make wagers that stand a good chance of paying off.
Complete with coverage of off-track and online betting, it's just what anyone needs to play the ponies-and win!
Richard Eng (Las Vegas, NV) is a racing writer and handicapper for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a columnist for the Daily Racing Form, and the host of a horseracing radio program in Las Vegas. He was formerly a part of the ABC Sports team that covered the Triple Crown.
Table of Contents: Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
How This Book Is Organized 3
Part I: And They’re Off! Horse Racing and the Betting Scene 3
Part II: How the Players and Factors Impact the Race 4
Part III: Gaining and Keeping a Competitive Edge 4
Part IV: Risky Business: Tackling More Advanced Bets 4
Part V: Playing Different Ponies and Different Venues 4
Part VI: The Part of Tens 5
Appendix 5
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 6
Part I: And They’re Off! Horse Racing and the Betting Scene 7
Chapter 1: Playing the Ponies for Pleasure and Profit 9
Differentiating the Types of Horse Races 10
Before You Bet: Handicapping the Races 10
Eliminating losers and developing the race shape 11
Taking all factors into account 11
Playing the System: Parimutuel Wagering 12
Betting with Success 12
Starting off simply 13
Going for the score 13
Managing your money 14
Deciding Where to Bet 15
The racetrack 15
OTBs and Las Vegas 15
Home sweet home 16
Just for Fun: A Challenge Straight from the Horse’s Mouth 16
Chapter 2: All Horse Races Are Not Created Equal 19
Race Set-ups: The Long and the Short of It 20
Short races 20
Long races 21
Different Levels of Competition at the Racetrack 22
Maiden races: Where it all begins 23
Claiming races: Where every horse is for sale 24
Non-selling races: Another step up the ladder 28
Stakes and handicap races: The top of the pyramid 31
In a Class by Themselves: The Race for the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup 32
The Triple Crown 32
The Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships 33
Chapter 3: Getting a Handle on Parimutuel Wagering 35
Betting Against Other Bettors 35
Comparing parimutuel wagering to poker 36
Attracting a new gambling audience 38
Beating the Takeout 38
How the takeout rate works 39
Different takeout rates for different types of wagers 40
Show plungers 41
Understanding Breakage 44
When Uncle Sam Comes to Visit 45
Chapter 4: The Skinny on Betting 47
Starting Off with Straight Bets 47
Straight bets: Win, place, and show 48
Place and show pool payoffs 48
Dead heats and other sticky situations 49
Styles of wagering straight bets 50
Placing Your Bet 53
Options galore: Ways to make your bet 53
Rules to bet by 56
Proper procedure: How to call out a wager 57
Watching the Tote Board 58
More money bet to win than to place and show 58
Show plungers: A safe chance to make a score 59
Chapter 5: Visiting the Racetrack 61
Preparing for the Cost of Attending the Races 61
Parking 62
Admission 62
Food and beverage 63
Seating: You Get What You Pay For 63
Turf club 64
Luxury boxes 64
Clubhouse 64
Grandstand 65
Track apron 65
Infield 66
Accessing Information: The Program and Other Resources 67
Watching the Races From Start to Finish 68
Looking at the track 68
Viewing closed circuit television 69
Understanding the Layout of a Racetrack 69
Placement of the poles 70
Clubhouse and far turn 72
Paddock and walking ring 72
Winner’s circle 73
The backside 74
Rewarding Yourself and Your Family 75
Player reward programs 75
Breakfast programs 75
Playgrounds for the kids 76
Part II: How the Players and Factors Impact the Race 77
Chapter 6: Studying Horses in the Paddock and during Post Parade 79
Dissecting the Anatomy of a Horse 79
Examining Horses in the Paddock and Walking Ring 80
Positive traits to pick from 81
What isn’t worth your wager 82
Watching the Horses during the Post Parade and Warm-Up 83
Qualities to bet on 84
Attributes to avoid in a horse 84
Chapter 7: Riders Up: The Importance of a Jockey 87
Winning Jockeys Share Certain Traits 87
Fewer mistakes on the track 88
Timing 89
Low weight 90
Anticipation 91
Considering a Jockey’s Experience Level 91
Apprentice riders: Are rookie jockeys worth it? 91
Money riders: Why trainers seek them out 92
Betting by the Book: Statistics 93
Comparing Viewpoints 94
Chapter 8: Calling the Shots: Trainers and Owners 95
Taking the Trainer into Account 95
A winning team 96
A trainer’s trends and tells 97
Owners: There’s No Racing without Them 102
The expenses of horse ownership 103
The joys of owning 104
Chapter 9: Knowing the Track Surface and Conditions 105
Scratching the Surface: Rating the Main Dirt Track 106
Fast 107
Good 107
Muddy 108
Sloppy 109
Frozen 110
Giving a Little TLC: Main Track Maintenance 110
Crowning 110
Blading 112
Making the Grade: Turf Course Ratings 112
Tuning In to Track Biases 114
Main track biases 115
Turf biases 116
Chapter 10: Zoning In on Equipment Changes 117
Blinkers — On or Off 118
Why and when blinkers are used 118
Different cups 120
Why and when blinkers come off 121
Bits of Helpful Information 121
That’s a Wrap: Bandages 122
Rear bandages 123
Front bandages 123
“Fixing” a Horse’s Chances 124
Lasix: Just Saying Yes to Drugs 125
Getting Good Footing on the Importance of Horseshoes 125
Part III: Gaining and Keeping a Competitive Edge 127
Chapter 11: Starting with the Right Tools: The Daily Racing Form and More 129
Reading the DRF’s Result Charts and Past Performances 130
Nuts and bolts: How all this information fits together 130
How I like to read the past performances 134
Separating the contenders from the pretenders 137
Seeking positive and negative trends 138
Knowing when horses will bounce 141
Moving up and down: Form curves 142
Beyond the DRF: Other Important Tools 143
The racetrack program 143
Handicapper’s selections in the local newspaper 145
Daily Racing Form Simulcast Weekly 146
Calling All Big Shots: Resources for Advanced Horseplayers 146
Brisnet 146
Equiform 146
Ragozin Sheets 147
Thoro Graph 147
Chapter 12: Trying Your Hand at Handicapping 149
What Is Handicapping Anyway? 150
Doing Your Prep Work 150
Buying the Daily Racing Form 151
Getting the morning line 153
Developing the Race Shape 154
Separating the running styles 155
Considering the track surface 157
Changing your strategy for scratches 160
Finding Value in the Odds 161
Looking for overlays 161
Knowing when to beat ’em and when to join ’em 163
The Importance of Post Positions 164
Post positions in sprints and routes 165
Post positions in turf racing 165
Weight Matters (or Does It?) 166
Trite, But True, Clichés 167
You can beat a race, but you can’t beat the races 167
The speed of the speed 167
Pace makes the race 168
Horses for courses 168
Chapter 13: Planning Your Wagers 169
A Winning Strategy: What’s the Big Deal? 169
Getting To and From the Betting Window with Your Game Plan Intact 170
Writing down your bets 171
Checking your tickets for mistakes 171
Developing a Winning Pattern of Wagering 172
Figuring out what kind of horseplayer you are 172
Keeping track of your bets 173
Allowing yourself to almost be right and still win money 174
Chapter 14: Making the Most of Your Bankroll 175
Knowing Your Own Personality and Temperament 175
Keeping Your Emotions in Check 176
Making Your First Bet of the Day a Winning One 177
Differentiating Your Bets: Action, Prime, and Going for the Score 178
Getting in on the action 178
Picking a prime bet 179
Going for the score 179
Wagering a Little to Win a Lot 180
Betting Favorites to Avoid Losing Streaks 182
Using Percentage Wagering over Same-Size Wagering 182
Chasing Your Losses: Don’t Do It 183
Staying Within Your Means: Scared Money Never Wins 184
Part IV: Risky Business: Tackling More Advanced Bets 185
Chapter 15: Betting Exotic Wagers 187
Getting Value from an Exotic Wager 187
Making Multiple-Horse Bets 188
Exacta 189
Quinella 190
Trifecta 190
Superfecta 191
Placing Wagers on Multiple Races 192
Daily double 193
Pick 3 194
Pick 4 195
Pick 5 196
Pick 6 197
Place pick all 198
Future bet 199
Betting Styles 200
Keying a horse 200
Saving money with part-wheels 201
Using the all button 202
Boxing 203
Chapter 16: Getting Into Sophisticated Handicapping 205
Taking a Scientific Approach: Advanced Handicapping Resources 206
Beyer Speed Figures 206
Formulator 4.0 207
Ragozin Sheets 208
Thoro-Graph 209
The Xtras on Equiform 210
Brisnet 210
Pace numbers 211
Sample pages 212
Considering Class Changes 216
Getting outclassed 216
Moving way down in class 217
Graduating from maiden races to facing winners 218
Dropping from maiden special weight to maiden claiming 219
Moving between open company and restricted state-bred races 220
Entering a claimer in a non-selling race 221
Respecting a key race 222
Staying at the bottom 224
Trip Handicapping 225
Paying attention to the horses to watch list 225
Watching the replays 226
Common Sense Guidelines 227
Eliminate losers 227
Bet a horse that bounces back 227
Decipher hidden middle moves 228
Forgive a horse that doesn’t finish the last start 229
Look for Lasix 230
Spot a sprinter stretching out 230
Watch for winners that run a low Beyer 231
Try a horse that turns back in distance 232
Keep an eye out for surface changes 233
Remember horses for courses 233
Chapter 17: Taking On Handicapping Tournaments 235
Knowing the Rules and Requirements 235
Tournament format 236
Scoring 237
Entry fees 238
Strategizing for Success 239
Play to a number 239
Handicap the races early 240
Maintain your focus 240
Arrive at acceptable odds 240
Save some bullets for the end 241
Play multiple entries 241
Be careful of cap horses 242
Pray for luck 242
Headin’ to Vegas: Big-Money Tournaments 243
The Daily Racing Form/National Thoroughbred Racing Association National Handicapping Championship 243
The Horseplayer World Series 244
Other Las Vegas tournaments 245
Chapter 18: The Race for the Triple Crown: Picking a Kentucky Derby Winner and More 247
Derby 101: What You Need to Know 248
The Not-So-Terrible Twos: Why 2-Year-Old Horses Should Race 248
Beware the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Jinx 249
Watching the Kentucky Derby Prep Races 250
Following (or Not) the Buzz on Public Horses 252
Getting into Place: The Importance of Post Position 253
Going for It All: What Happens after the Kentucky Derby 254
Picking a Preakness winner 254
Betting on the Belmont Stakes 255
Part V: Playing Different Ponies and Different Venues 257
Chapter 19: Harness Racing: It’ll Drive You Wild 259
Harness Racing Equipment 260
Comparing Pacers and Trotters 262
Pacers 263
Trotters 264
Defining the Lingo of Harness Racing 264
Handicapping Harness Race-Style 266
Sizing up the racetrack 266
Considering the driver’s importance 267
Paying attention to past performances 268
Getting a grip on trip handicapping 268
Championship Races 270
Chapter 20: American Quarter Horse Racing: Don’t Blink or You’ll Miss It 273
Horse Racing That’s Short and Sweet 273
Handicapping Factors in Quarter Horse Racing 276
Distance 276
Class 277
Post position 277
The break 278
The gallop out 278
Chapter 21: Visiting Your Local OTB: Off-Track Betting 279
In the Beginning: New York City OTB 279
Getting the idea off the ground 280
Starting off on the wrong foot 280
Studying OTB’s effects on New York racetracks 281
A New Era for OTBs 282
Finding an OTB Nearby 283
What to Look For in an OTB 284
Televisions 284
Lots of betting windows or machines 285
Freebies (or at least low prices) 285
Food and beverage 285
Spacious seating — and plenty of it 286
Chapter 22: Betting from Home 287
Doing Your Research 287
Wagering by Telephone 289
Considering your options 289
Getting the best deal 293
Watching the Race in Your PJs 294
Network television 294
Cable 294
Television Games Network 295
HorseRacing TV 296
Chapter 23: Viva Las Vegas 297
Finding the Race Books
That Suit Your Needs 297
Earning Comps: Using What’s Rightfully Yours 299
Playing in Contests and Twin Quinellas 300
Wagering the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup in Las Vegas 301
Placing future book bets 302
Dipping into the parimutuel pool: Kentucky Derby and Oaks Future Wagers 302
Catching the race in the next best place: Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup parties 302
Betting Against the Casino 304
House quinellas 304
Parlays 305
Comparing Las Vegas with Other Locales 306
Part VI: The Part of Tens 307
Chapter 24: Ten Best Bets and Betting Angles 309
Lone Speed 309
Win Bets 310
Daily Double 311
Pick 3 311
Pick 4 312
House Quinella 312
Third Start off a Layoff 313
Running First Time for a Claiming Price 314
Speed Horse Turning Back in Distance 314
First-Time Gelding 315
Chapter 25: Ten Best Racetracks to Visit 317
Arlington Park 317
Belmont Park 319
Churchill Downs 319
Del Mar 320
Gulfstream Park 320
Keeneland 321
Lone Star Park 322
Monmouth Park 322
Santa Anita Park 323
Saratoga 323
Chapter 26: Ten Common Betting Mistakes 325
Not Betting a Horse to Win 325
Betting Too Many Racetracks 326
Betting On Bad Favorites 327
Getting Shut Out 328
Not Looking at the Race Changes 328
Practicing Bad Money Management 329
Chasing Your Losses by Betting More Money 329
Overlooking a Winning Horse 330
Forgetting to Check Your Tickets 330
Getting Touted Off a Horse 331
Appendix: A Glossary of Horse Racing Lingo 333
Index 345
