Betting Horse Racing Longshots

Thoroughbred Horse Racing History

When betting on horses, most people will begin by looking at the racing form. These forms are available at the track, at newsstands, and are now available online. The best way to begin when handicapping the horses is to look at the trainer and jockey. It’s common that many people will look at the past performances, but for the most part, it is too difficult for the average handicapper to gain too much out of past races. The average handicapper can, however, easily pick up on trainer and jockey percentages. This will narrow down many horses from you handicapping process and give you a good place to start.

The next place to look at after trainer and jockey is at recent form, but you don’t need to look to far. Frequently you can just throw out anything that has happened if it is not recent. The past three races are your best indicator of how a horse is likely to perform in the current race. You can look at the finishing position and the speed figures, which are listed in the racing form and are based on how the horse did in his last race on a particular track and against the field he or she faced. You can take the speed figures of the last three races of a horse and judge those numbers against the rest of the field. This should give you a decent idea of how the race shapes up.

In addition to the trainer, jockey, and recent form, you can go a little bit more in depth and look at horses that are suited to a particular course or a particular surface. Some horses run better on grass than they do on dirt and some horses are suited to a particular distance. This last part is really true, as some horses are bred for stamina while others are bred for speed.

One final tip for now is to look beyond the obvious favorites and search for value. Although this is easier said than done, keep in mind that betting horses successfully is about finding value. You can’t consistently bet favorites and win. You also aren’t likely to find longshots that always win. You have to be somewhere in the middle. You can also incorporate exotics into your horse betting, and that may result in your best bet or all. But that is a subject all of its own and deserves its own discussion.