Horse racing is one of the most exciting sports imaginable and it takes place all over the world. Although people will tell you that it is the thrill of watching horses pitting themselves against each other that is the fascination of the sport this is not really true.

The one aspect of racing that captures the interest and imagination of the majority of race goers is the betting. Occasional race goers often rely on factors such as the name of the horse or the fact that a horse is the favourite to make their selection. Occasionally luck will go their way but more often than not they will come away losers. For this reason many people believe that you have to be a racing form expert to win at the races.

This is not really true. When trying to find winners at the races here are 6 factors you should consider when making your selections

The Distance of the race:

Most horses are breed to run specific distances such as sprints, middle distance or long distances. In the UK the shortest races are run over 5 furlongs and the longest around 3 miles. Sprint races are between 5 and 7 furlongs and often horse that are really quick over 5 furlongs run out of steam if they run any further. Equally if a horse is finishing fast and catching up the other runners over 5 furlongs he maybe ideally suited to 6 or 7 furlongs. If you look at the form card and see in the previous race the horse was described as running on or finishing strongly this could indicate a horse needs a little further distance

The Number of runners

Normally the bigger the field the harder it is to find the winner. In large fields it is often not the best horse who wins. It is easy for a horse to get trapped in amongst other runners and never get out to make a challenge. In large fields it can be advisable either not to bet at all or just have a place bet.

The Going

There are very few horses that like every type of ground. Some prefer to run in soft going whilst other love the hard ground were you can hear the sound of the horses hooves rattling. However, the majority of horse prefer “Good” going were the ground is neither to soft or too firm. This is particularly true of horses at the top level of racing. Many experts say that the size of the horse’s feet has also an effect on the result of the race. Horses with large feet go in the soft and smaller footed animals the firm.

The Time since their last run

When the horse last ran is an important consideration that you have to think about before you pick out your bet. Many horses that have not been racing for awhile will need a race or two to sharpen up and become race fit. On the other hand there are a few horses that run their best races when fresh and are running after a lay off. You should be able to spot these if you look at their past form. If a horse has raced in the last 28 days that should give some indication that the horse is race fit.

The Horses Form

One of the strongest form indicators is if a horse has won on the course before. It is even better if it has not only won on the course but at the distance as well. This is shown on the form card as CD and is good sign. It is also a good indication if a horse is showing improvement. For instance if in its last 3 races it finished, unplaced, fourth and then second it could well be due for a win.

The Favourite

Obviously not all favourites win and this is particularly true in handicap races. In fact On average about one in three favourites actually win. However, in non handicap races especially with small fields that percentage can rise 50% or more.

Next time you go to the races if you consider these 6 factors there is a real chance that you could come away with some profit on your days racing.

The 3 Minute Systems.

Thus, adapting your systems according to the type of race can be a logical move. Here then are the types of horse races.

Stakes and Handicap Races

These are the highest level of horse racing, which offers the highest purse winnings amongst all types. Thus, if you win here, you win big! Adapt your horse racing systems to allow you this advantage.

Also, stakes races are participated in only by the best horses in the stables, the creme de la creme of the horse racing world. The racing adrenaline alone is enough motivation to bet on these horses.

On the other hand, horses in a handicap race carry varying weights. This is supposed to level out the racing field such that a better horse will have about the same chances of winning as an inferior horse; usually, the former is assigned heavier weights.

Thus, you might want to bet on the horses with heavier weights on the assumption that they are superior. Also, take into consideration that weight breaks are also assigned to younger horses, fillies, and other handicap conditions as the Racing Secretary sees fit.

Allowance Races

In allowance races, conditions are set by the Racing Secretary. These conditions limit the qualifications by which a horse can enter the race. Thus, you will hear of qualification requirements like non-winner of two races other than maiden, or non-winner of three races other than maiden.

In these types of races, you have to reconfigure your horse racing systems to account for these horse requirements. Expect that your favorite horse can perform differently in a different class.

Maiden Races

Maiden races are participated in by horses who have never won a race. In a sense, it is the horse’s initiation to the professional world of horse racing. These races are further subdivided into two types. The maiden allowance is generally participated in by the best bred and youngest horses on the track, with consequently higher purses than the maiden claiming race. This second type differs from maiden allowance because the horses can be bought after the race.

Your horse racing systems would have to take into account the unproven winning ability of the maiden horses. You have to possess higher risk tolerance, acceptance of speculative losses, and a formidable knowledge of horses and horse racing, among others, to find the thrill of betting on maiden horses an exhilarating and rewarding experience.

These are the stages of racing that a horse must go through – from maiden races to stakes races. If you are an avid punter in horse racing, you can adapt your horse racing systems to reflect the changes (or non-changes) in a horse’s racing career.

Try not to stick to one system in all the types of races. This would be foolishness and foolishness has no place in successful gambling.

Product Description
a collection of articles and strategies from the monthly magazine and online betting community dedicated to research into profitable sports betting strategies.

The community is a continuation of the SmartSig group established in 1994 and was re-launched in 2007. Within the group are many levels and areas of expertise.

Whether you are a novice punter, experienced professional bettor or budding journalist you will find members, articles and tools that will greatly assist in moving your betting forward to a more profitable level.

Topics covered within SmarterSig range from horse form analysis through to coverage of modern data modelling and analysis methods such as Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms.

Improve Your Betting – SmarterSig: Selected Systems and Strategies

Product Description
104 large size pages on improving your chances of winning on the horses

Proven Betting Systems 25 Ways to Boost Your Horse and Sports Betting Profits

Product Description
Profitable Betting Systems for horse racing contains Many novel and intriguing systems for both flat and jumps racing.

His systems are not complex and he keeps things simple and bases his methods around fundamental form factors that most professional punters would agree are the key to picking winners.

The author also explains how you can develop your own successful systems. So if you want to start betting profitably on systems then read this book first.

Ricky Taylor is the author of Pace Wins the Race

“Insightful read is setting the pace for punters”
recommended – The Sportsman

Profitable Betting Systems for Horseracing