Betting Horse Racing Longshots

Here are some tips at finding that longshot in horse racing that could lead you to a big payoff at the window.

•  First-time Starters – Very often the unknown quantity horse is going to be ignored by most bettors. There is very little information to go on except breeding, training and jockey. Workout numbers are usually not very telling, so it is kind of a crap shoot with first timers, and that gives the astute bettor some very nice value. Finding that good first time starter is difficult, but you can concentrate on breeding statistics and in-depth statistics such as trainer first time percentages that will give you some clues.

•  Beatable Favorites – How many times in a race do you see a favorite that you just know is not worthy of being 2-1 or 9-5? It happens all the time and it is in these races that you can look for a live longshot. With a weak favorite, suddenly double-digit odds look very attractive.

•  Horses for Courses – Sometimes all it takes to find that live longshot is to look for a horse that really doesn't win very much except at a particular racetrack. These horses pop up every so often all around the country and they can present great longshot value. Some horses just run better at certain tracks. There is often no rhyme or reason for a horse doing extremely well at one track and bombing everywhere else, but you need to pay attention when you notice it.

•  Longshot Trainer – Sometimes there is just a trainer that brings in the prices. This is kind of like the horses for courses, as often it won't make any sense. You have to remember in horse racing that things don't always make sense, but very often following the trends will make you money.

•  Tote board Droppers – These are horses that very often were undervalued by the opening line, but are getting bet by someone in the know. It is not always the case that these horses will win, but very often someone has put some decent money thinking they will have a shot.

One factor that I don't want to list above, but should be mentioned is luck. Sometimes you just get the feeling that a certain horse will win. It could be the name, the number, or just a gut feeling. These feelings have resulted in a lot of longshot money being won over the years, and I never want to leave luck out of the horse racing equation.