The competitive racing of horses is one of humankind's most ancient sports, having its origins among the prehistoric nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia who first domesticated the horse about 4500 BC. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Modern racing, however, exists primarily because it is a major venue for legalized gambling.
Horse racing Strategy is both complex and rewarding but you'd never know that if you watched the vast majority of punters at a race track, because their approach is free of any strategy and there is no reward once the races are over. Instead they make a donation to the betting pools, but that is good news for anyone who is interested in horse racing strategy because it is money that you can win. The odds in horse racing are stacked against you from the outset. The taxation on betting pools, known as the "vig" to those of your familiar with sports betting, is very high in horse racing. Whereas you pay your sportsbook 10% on NFL bets you are looking at a take-out percentage in the 15-20 range in racing. So you'd better have a decent strategy if you want to show an overall profit, and we don't mean betting on the white horses because they are the prettiest. Anyway there is no such thing as a white thoroughbred, the correct color is grey, but we digress and we are being petty.
When you bet on horse racing you can do it online via a racebook, on a betting exchange, or with one of the many online bookmakers that offer betting on races around the globe. Most of them will offer the same odds on any given horse, so shopping around for value is not a big deal, as it is with sports betting. Instead you really need to do your homework and handicap horse races before you bet on them. The amount of work involved is not overwhelming, because a lot of the strategy involved will soon feel like common sense to you.
Imagine you went to a race course in a foreign country and knew nothing about the horses, their form, or the races on the day. Could you make money? The answer is yes. How would you go about it? The remedy is simple and anyone can do it. First you need to familiarize yourself with the leading jockeys and trainers at the course. They have done a lof of the handicapping for you by selecting races that suit their horses. The top jockey and trainer lead the standings for a good reason so make a note of their horses. The next step in your horse racing strategy is to track the odds for a given race.
First look at the morning line odds. These represent the chances of each horse "on paper" based on form. The work has been done for you by the track handicapper, and again do not waste time trying to reinvent the wheel. All you have to do is compare the morning line odds with the current odds. If a horse is quoted at 4/1 in the form guide by the handicapper but his on course price is 2/1 you should be interested in that information. If that horse has top-class connections (trainer and jockey) your strategy should be to include this horse in all your bets. Similarly if the horse that was supposed to be 4/1 but is trading at 12/1 you need to reconsider its chances of winning. There are numerous horse racing strategies when it comes to betting, and we will go into these in more detail down the line, but for now a basic workable strategy should suffice: and that strategy is to watch betting patterns on the day of the race, know your connections, and look for smart value. |
