The Keys To Effective Horse Handicapping

Hello and thank you for taking a couple of tics and reading, and hopefully learning a thing or two about the world of horse racing. Many factors go into determining the outcome of a horse race. First and foremost it's gambling. ANYTHING CAN AND WILL HAPPEN!!!! There is no sure thing. The objective is to narrow it down to the most probable choice(s). Here's a few things to consider while picking a winning horse.

FORM - The horses form is how he's been currently running and training. Look to see if the horse is trending one way or another. Look to see if the horse had an excuse in its last race as in a bad start, bumped, wide trip, etc.

CLASS - The horses class refers to the level of competition the horse has faced. A $5,000 claimer from Zia Park is outclassed against a Grade 1 Stakes runner from Churchill Downs. Compare the horses class against each other's.

BREEDING - The breeding refers to the horses bloodline. The quality of the bloodline, along with the distance that the horse was bred to run plays a strong role. If the horses bloodline tells you he's a sprinter, you probably wouldn't want him at anything over 1 1/16th mile. Some horses are bred for the turf, the mud, etc.

TRAINER/JOCKEY COMBO - Simply stated, if you have a hot jockey and a hot trainer going, you play it. You can also have a strong owner/jockey combo. Pay attention to who a jockey rode for in previous races, and see if he is getting off of another horse to ride for a particular trainer or owner.

TRENDS - Like anything in life, race tracks have trends. Some days early speed is holding, while other days it's the stalkers or closers that are winning. Some days are the days of the longshots where favorites aren't winning. Follow the trends at the tracks.

These are just a few of the most useful keys to handicapping. Much more goes into it. I'm looking forward to sharing these with you in the coming posts. Thanks for reading and always remember to stir life's cocktail.