I Dislike Your Favorite Team

For a variety of reasons, I was unable to engage in my normal (copious) amount of betting during the triple crown races this year. It’s too bad as I called Barbaro the winner of the Derby and my predictions on the CP website yielded a $577 payout on the $20 exacta bet I recommended. Another horse that I tabbed as a contender in the Derby, just ran the race I predicted and won himself the Belmont. The late-charging Jazil (who ran 4th in the Derby) ate up favorite Bob and John just past the mile marker and cruised to victory over two other Swanlund-tabbed horses – Bluegrass Cat and Sunriver. The $1 trifecta (a bet I like to box as a partial tri-key for the low low price of $12) paid $218.

Over the course of the summer, I’ll try to throw my admittedly minimal knowledge of handicapping methods up for review. Chances are that real observers will guffaw at my methodology but my aim is somewhat different – I’m giving advice for the horse-racing (and betting) neophyte. Someone who might want to enjoy a nice day at their local track but isn’t interested in doing the massive amounts of research associated with the top handicappers.

I’ll limit my analysis to what you can do reading the past performances published in the Daily Racing Form in about 10-15 minutes per race. Hopefully, with a small amount of understanding, guys like Miwicar can develop the tools to set up the basic shape of a race before it is run, find interesting angles to bet, and enjoy a leisurely day at the track.