Horse Racing: How to Handicap Maiden Sprints for Two Year Olds Posted By : Carl Wagner

Handicapping races for two year old maidens can seem like an impossible task. The following criteria and angles, when used in conjunction with your own methods, will help you identify the contenders and eliminate the pretenders.

Favor horses with at least four steady and brisk workouts. Steady meaning at uninterrupted intervals (every 7 days, 10 days, etc.). Brisk meaning 12 second furlongs or less (3F-36, 4F-48, etc.). Special consideration should be given to workouts that are 5 furlongs or longer. Irregular workouts and stoppages indicate an unsound horse or one not willing to run. Eliminating this type of will improve your chances.

Favor the sons or daughters of leading sires. In this case it is especially important if that sire was a sprint specialist. The sire side of the horse’s pedigree is believed to be where he or she inherits their speed. Try to make yourself aware of the different angles surrounding sires. Does their progeny win on turf? dirt?. Do they win at sprints? routes? What is the sire’s record with first time starters? There are many lesser known sires out there who produce high priced winners.

Favor horses that are bred to possess high early speed. This one factor kills in maiden sprints. Giving special consideration to horses with a high dosage index (10.50 or greater) pays dividends, especially when they show up for smaller stables.

Favor horses with trainers who are skillful at winning this type of race. You should pay special attention to a trainer with a win percentage of 20 or greater. Knowing if the trainer wins with his two year old runners is critical for finding solid bets.

Favor the horse with the fastest final time in its previous race. If two or more have the same final time, use the one who showed more early speed. I cannot stress enough the importance of early speed.

Favor second time starters who, in their first race, ran a Beyer Speed Figure within 15 points of the “top figure horse” in this race. In their second lifetime start, horses are eligible to improve 5 to 7 lengths. This can equal a rise of up to 18 speed figure points. You should give even more consideration if this horse receives Lasix for the first time today. This situation slips by the betting public more than it should.

Favor a horse that, last time out, raced at a shorter distance than the race today but was closing late or raced well in the stretch. That good late run sometimes indicates the horse will run well at a little longer distance. The extra 1/2 furlong or more can provide you a good reward for an easy observation.

This article barely scratches the surface of handicapping two year old maiden sprints. However, I think it will help get you started in the right direction. There is a wealth of information available to add to your handicapping arsenal (most of it free). I encourage you to grab every bit of it. If you are lost on the references to dosage index and sire statistics, The Racing Report links page can send you in the right direction.

Researching and Purchasing Horse Racing Handicapping Systems Posted By : Carl Wagner

At one time or another, the sales pitch of a handicapping system has sucked all of us in. We just couldn’t resist the promise of big returns for a small investment and bought some product. The system usually had us doing hours of mathematical calculations or looking for some implausible angle that arose maybe once a month. Cash some tickets; rip some up, either way we might be little or no better off. My goal in this writing is to steer the reader away from future awful purchases and shed some light on what to really expect from systems.

First off, if you are an experienced handicapper then you will probably not learn anything new from a system. Horseplayers have had access to all of the literary works the subject of horse racing and handicapping for years. Some have read almost all of them, and through this labor of love have schooled themselves in the philosophies on form, class, speed, pace and the many angles that apply to them. If you are one of them, I congratulate you, but this type of handicapper does not represent the masses.

Just about all systems will work, in some way, at some time and in some situation. If you are a novice handicapper or an intermediate that is just not the type to dive in to the immense library of books on the subject, a system might be for you. Which one? That’s a question with many possible answers. The market is flooded and a small fortune could be invested before the first wager is even placed, so I’ll try to offer a little insight to those of you who want some quick action rather than a recommendation for years of study.

Sometimes we are all too quick to kill the messenger when they don’t deliver the instant results we’re seeking, so be patient. When researching a system avoid the over zealous sales pitch, the ‘My system picks 50 to 1 long shots’. These windfalls do happen, but the expectations are a little much for anyone to live up to. I do not want to label any product as a ’scam’, because I feel that many of these products are created with the best of intentions, but you will now it when you see it. If it sounds unattainable it probably is.

Prefer a system that is geared more towards angles and handicapping factors than mathematical calculations. Systems based on the latter sometimes miss out on the fact that horses are living, breathing creatures influenced by intentions of the living, breathing humans behind them. This is not to say that math isn’t valuable in handicapping. It is especially serviceable in trying to predict speed and pace scenarios, and in betting systems based on wagering structure, but avoid the systems that try to put everything into a neat little foolproof number.

Lastly, look for a system that, at least, offers a money back guarantee and throws in some free bonuses. If the author or creator is willing to stand by his or her product in this way and also offers some other valuable information, it dramatically increases their creditability. Any extra tools that you can add to your handicapping arsenal will increase your knowledge and make the system a bargain. If you are interested in Thoroughbred handicapping systems, stop by The Racing Report and read the reviews of some of the most trusted and well-priced systems on the market.

Making Profit From Horse Racing Posted By : Fantasy

Among many sports, horse racing is one of the most loved betting options. It is exciting to watch and at the same time, ideal for sports betting. Most bettors bet on horse racing events for money. Although there are still some bettors who bet just for fun. But still majority wants to win money. After all, wouldn’t it be more fun to enjoy the race while earning profit?

So how do you actually earn profit from horse racing? There are actually no magic formulas in winning because we all know that betting is a game of chance. It is not something that we are sure of. But if you equip yourself with some betting rules, you can actually increase your probability of making money in horse racing.

Horse Racing Betting Rules

Contrary to what others may have thought of, making money in horse racing doesn’t require an expert. I am not an expert in horse racing myself, but I still make money in horse racing. So what are my secrets in making money in horse racing? Actually, I am guided with some horse race betting rules.

First rule is not to desire for too much. Wanting more will just make you lose more. In betting, remember to bet only what you can afford to lose. If you are already making good money in horse racing, you should already be content. A common mistake among punters is that they bet and bet wishing they would win more but in the end, they lose more. So if they win a particular amount, they will bet it again and eventually will lose it.

Second rule is never to back a short priced favourite. Third rule is to stake for a fixed return instead of the fixed stake. This is due to fact that you can control better your profit by staking on a fixed return.

Fourth rule is to set a target and stick to it. You should define how much profit you want to get in a month. When you already reach this amount, stop betting first. This will help you to properly manage your money. It is just a matter of discipline. You might just lose more if you continue to bet and you might even not reach your target anymore.

So here are some of the rules in making money in horse racing. These rules may not give you big amounts but they will help you make small profit but often.

Betting Exchanges. Now You Can Beat The Bookmaker. Posted By : Kevin Phillips

Betting Exchanges

Betting exchanges are a an attractive new phenomenon in betting markets which has turned the conventional bookmaking and gambling industry on its head. Betting exchanges are gaining credence and influence all the time and with each month that passes apparently another country legalises the complete, and it would seem that it is only a matter of time before the large exchanges are totally legalised and recognized worldwide.

Another great facet of a betting exchange is that if you don’t like a price you can post a price of your own on the and then see if anyone one else is prepared to ‘match’ you and thereby take your bet on. Put very simply, betting exchanges are a secure place where members of the betting public can exchange bets with each other incognito, at odds that they state themselves. It seems that as betting exchanges are the way of the future, many businesses have jumped on the band-wagon and have started new betting exchanges.

The Odds

Odds offered by betting exchanges on average are about twenty percent higher than those offered by traditional bookies. When you compare odds at betting exchanges to odds at bookmakers, you should take the commission into account as you don’t pay commission at the bookmakers. There will still be occasions when a traditional bookmaker will offer more desirable odds than those that are offered on the exchanges. The odds you tender obviously need to be sensible in order to be matched, but if you are not content with the current price being requested by other punters you can simply leave an ‘order’ in the exchange at your odds and hope that somebody eventually accepts your offer. The beauty of using exchanges is there is no bookmaker, which means there is no edge built into the prices, which often results in significantly better value prices. Pro-gamblers work on thin margins, there are some that enjoy higher margins but they are the few, generally speaking most professionals work to small margins and so a 20% boost in odds despite the commission which can be as high as 5% is a substantial boon.

Betfair – No.1 Player

Betfair is the foremost player in the betting exchange market, with an estimated +85% market share by value. Betfair’s exchange boasts a high degree of liquidity, across a wide variety of sports betting markets, alongside a professional customer service operation and a fully integrated phone and internet betting facility. Unlike an established bookie, Betfair has no vested interest in the outcome of an event and therefore their interests are 100% in line with those who govern sport.

In-running (betting while a sport is being played) is one of the features that really makes betting exchanges like Betfair come alive. The phenomenal success enjoyed by Betfair and others in the last eighteen months is testament to the appeal of the product to the betting population.

Sports Betting

Sports betting is concerned with predicting sports results, while using the result of a particular sporting event to make a wager. Horse racing and soccer are the largest volume markets but rugby, cricket and other popular sports also contribute a significant amount as well. As sports bettors become more informed gamblers, an increasing number of players will move to the betting exchanges. For sports betting there are over 50 different sports on the exchanges covering events from many different countries.

Trading On The Betting Exchanges

Trading is like any other profession, it takes time to study and there are problems to overcome. And as financial exchanges have proven to be competent mechanisms for trading shares, options, and other kinds of securities, so have the betting exchanges proven successful in the world of online betting. The numbers of people betting from home utilising the talents of the internet, continues to grow at breakneck pace and one of the biggest areas of growth in the UK is online trading, both in sports and other markets. Exchanges are particularly good for dealing with in-running events, where using trading techniques similar to those used in financial trading, or by spread bettors, you can lock in a guaranteed profit before the end of an event.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing and Their Various Forms Posted By : James Murray

The most popular form of horse racing in the whole world is Thoroughbred horse racing and got so popular that some horse racing fans do not know of any other form of horse racing. Thoroughbred horse racing is also known as the ’sport of kings’ by some horse racing fans. A thoroughbred horse owner would hire a trainer to condition and train his horse for only one form of horse race, because a good trainer will know that there are training regimens for every type of horse race. Sometimes an owner will opt to enter his horse in races that are similar to what the horse is being trained for.

Thoroughbred horse racing comes in a number of different forms.

a) Maiden races, this type of thoroughbred horse racing places untested horses against one another and it is the debut of all these race horses. Some horse racing fans like this type of thoroughbred horse racing to be more exciting because of the fact that all the horses involved have not raced before. The whole career of a race horse in their maiden race often determines their future success and shows the world just what a race horse is capable of doing.

In maiden races, thoroughbreds of varying ages participate. In this type of thoroughbred horse racing, in order to even the odds, horses carry similar weights and no handicapped penalties are involved.

b) Allowance racing, this type of thoroughbred horse racing involves horses that have already raced in their maiden race but are not ready for the grand stakes races. Usually, this type of thoroughbred horse racing involves racing for a purse that is higher then the purse involved in maiden races and owners use this type of race to train their horses.

c) Grand stakes racing, this type of thoroughbred horse racing is the most popular form with horse racing fans since it will involve a lot of money. Horse racing fans like this form of thoroughbred horse racing so they can wager money on their favorite race horse. The ‘grand stakes’ in this race the reputation of the horse is on the line and also the amount of money involved. A grand stakes race winner usually becomes a celebrity among race horses.

In this type of thoroughbred horse racing, the dreams of countless horse racing fans are also at stake because wagering in this type of thoroughbred horse racing can cost a lot of money. Some horse racing fans like to put their hopes and dreams on only one horse and that is the reason why thoroughbred horse racing will remain supported by horse racing fans all over the world today.

d) Handicap race, this type of thoroughbred horse racing is the evenest of all horse races, theoretically. The reason is that all the horses racing in this event have been handicapped according to their past performances in other horse races. More horse racing fans wager at this type of thoroughbred horse racing and the reason is that all of the odds are even. Theoretically, any horse has a chance to be a winner in a handicap race.

Although thoroughbred horse racing gains popularity because of the money involved, there are horse racing fans who see it as a great test of spirit. There are horses which have the potential to be great and real winners. However, if that horse did not have the will to win, then the potential would forever be useless. Thoroughbred horse racing is not just a game, it is a reflection of life.

UK Horse Racing at Newmarket Racecourse. Posted By : Kevin Phillips

Newmarket

Newmarket is the home of the British Jockey Club, remains the headquarters of many national and international racing organisations. Newmarket thrived because of its market and a profitable trade in accommodating travellers and so it continued for centuries, until King James I “discovered” its Heath in February 1604 as a great leisure venue for his court and Newmarket’s sporting associations began.

Newmarket is well served for easy transport links to the remainder of East Anglia: the A14 takes you in about 20 minutes to Cambridge in the west, where you can benefit from the delights of the ancient University Town. Newmarket racing is ingrained in Suffolk history and is alive and kicking turf today as one of the most exciting racecourses in the UK. Newmarket in the morning is a surreal place, busy with the activities of hundreds of centaur-like figures, nonchalant but serious, as though unaware of the danger and absurdity of answering rich men’s whims by teaching racehorses to run quicker.

Charles II’s involvement from the mid 17th century secured Newmarket’s future at the heart of British racing. The local history of Newmarket is inextricably tied up with the history of horseracing. The historic centre of English racing is today home to the world renowned Newmarket racecourse, the National Stud and the National Horse Racing Museum.

Racing

Newmarket is on the up and up, boasting world class racing and facilities and the strikingly picturesque July Course offering its own unique brand of entertainment over the summer months.

Bronze Age barrows, showing proof of early occupation, were scattered across Newmarket Heath until the 19th century when they were cleared to make better conditions for horse racing. The Rowley Mile hosts racing of the highest talent during the Spring and Autumn, including two of Britain’s five Classic races in early May: the 1000 and 2000 Guineas.

Horses

Of course, no visit to Newmarket is complete without visiting sites associated with its rich sporting tradition as the historic home of horse racing. You can visit the world famous National Stud, take in a tour of the National Horse Racing Museum, and even arrange a tour of the town’s training facilities and gallops. The town has a unique environment consisting of the world’s most extensive training grounds (situated on the world’s largest expanse of tended grassland), over two thousand racehorses, some seventy plus licensed trainers and more than sixty stud farms where the racehorses of the future are bred.

Course

The Rowley Mile racecourse sports a brand new grandstand which is a great feature of this lovely course. The unique thing about teh Rowley mile course is that it is a straight course and has a big dip about two and a half furlongs out which can catch out three year olds, as you need to have a exceedingly well balanced horse to keep up an even pace going into the dip and then have the endurance to come back up the dip to finish out the race. In the autumn the Rowley Course stages two further outstanding meetings in the Cambridgeshire and Champions’ Day race days.

Have a great day out at Newmarket racing.

The Aintree Grand National – History Of The Race Posted By : Kevin Phillips

The Grand National is the most valuable NH handicap horse race in the United Kingdom. The first Grand National at Aintree was in 1839 and was won by the fittingly named horse, Lottery. No horse has run in the Grand National more times than Manifesto, who competed in 8 renewals of the event between 1895 & 1904. The Grand National is one of the exceptional main sporting events in which amateurs can and do take on professional jockeys. Since “Lottery” won the very first race at Aintree way back in 1839, the Grand National has been throwing up fascinating stories of attainment and bravery. The Grand National has become part of the social structure of this country.

Aintree

Aintree Racecourse is the residence of the worlds most celebrated, most talked about, most perfect race, the John Smith’s Grand National. The NH race is run over two circuits of the Aintree ‘National’ course, covering four and half miles. It is normally held on a Saturday in early April at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. This is not to be confused with Aintree’s normal ‘Mildmay’ park fence and hurdle track.

The Aintree Grand National is the principal Horse Racing betting day of the year and the entire nation wants to have a Grand National bet and for many of you it maybe your first look at the odds and more than likely the first time you are having your Grand National bet with one of the online Bookmakers. No other racecourse can compare to the sheer excitement of Aintree.

The Race

There is much dispute among historians regarding the first official race held and most who have scoured the newspaper libraries of the United Kingdom now prefer the idea that the first race was in 1836 and was won by The Duke. For three years during WW1, while Aintree racecourse was closed, an alternative race was run at Gatwick Racecourse, on the site of the present Gatwick Airport. The race captures the imagination of millions, and time after time produces thrilling finishes and heart-warming stories as horse and rider try to master the mighty Aintree fences. 1967 Saw the largest priced winner; Foinavon won the race after he was the only horse to jump a very small fence in the race.

Winners

1850/1851 saw the first duel winner of the race when Abd-El-Kader was the winner on both occasions. 1869 was to see the first Grey winner, The Lamb who also went on to win the race three years later. 1999 saw a remarkable father and son win the race, Tommy Carrbury a previous winner as a jockey was the trainer, saw his son Paul partner Bobby Jo to victory. Since the race moved to the current track in 1946, there have been around 16 horses to win Grade 1 races prior to winning the National, but there have been fifteen Hunt Cup winners to start the Grand National and never win. The Aintree Grand National is many things but easy to pick a winner isn’t one of them, and some people resort to the pin!

Horse Racing Staking Plans Are Required For Betting Posted By : Kevin Phillips

Staking plans vary in their difficulty; from the exceedingly easy to the very exotic and sophisticated. Staking Plan methodology can be modified to any form of betting or speculation, for example, stock market investments, casino table games, etc. Bookmakers want a bettor to chase losses with blind hope, often depending on luck, and this is what will happen without the use of a disciplined Staking Plan. Staking plans can be risky; they cannot turn a bad gambler into a professional.

Betting

Betting exchanges are a captivating new development in risk markets which has turned the traditional bookmaking and gambling industry on its head. Betting exchanges have vast turnover now and many billions of pounds are matched each month on these markets. Whether your sports betting consists of back or lay betting there is a staking plan that will suit you. Percentage (bank) staking, like level staking, standardises the amount of the stake, but as a percentage of the size of the current betting bank at the time the bet is placed, rather than as a fixed number of points proportional to the initial bankroll. The first variable you need to specify is your opening betting bank. This is the sum of money you will put aside for your betting.

Book Makers

Bookmakers are in the business to make money and they too gamble as they adjust the odds. Bookmakers have to gamble at every race meeting, but the gambler has the choice to bet or not to bet on any given race. Bookmakers and top level professional gamblers use little known formulas for this form of calculated betting, where pro’s make calculated risks over days, weeks or even months and bookmakers make counter bets to limit their exposure from incoming bets.

The fact of the matter is that Bookmakers always come out in front, although a minority of smart well-informed gamblers do make a regular profit and luck has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, many do not and this fact is probably the most significant weapon in the bookmaker’s arsenal.

Staking

Staking plans vary in their difficulty; from the exceedingly simple to the fantastically exotic and sophisticated. Staking a set amount on each selection, depending on their chance in a race is an example of a simple plan. If you currently do not use a staking plan you could be losing money. When talking about staking plans, I am referring to those that require you to change the size of your bet (up or down) based on the result of your previous bet.

Proper money management may mean different things to different people, but common elements include: the application of a bankroll of fixed size, set aside for the purposes of betting, which if lost would not be detrimental to everyday living; the identification of a suitable staking plan; the maximisation of returns; the reduction and control of bankruptcy risk to acceptable levels. Level staking forms the benchmark staking strategy against which all others should be compared for profitability and risk assessment.

Conclusion

Without a staking plan it is so easy to see one’s betting bank go under. We have seen people go bust (when one’s betting account reaches zero) because they thought that they didn’t need a staking plan. This is the function of a staking plan; without this one could be placing the incorrect stake onto the wrong horse. Ultimately betting without a staking plan will negate good horse selection.

Horse Racing Videos and Racebooks Posted By : James Murray

One of the oldest sports in history is horse racing. Horse racing still has strong followers all over the world even though technology has continued to produce various forms of racing. With access to the World Wide Web today, you will find that many Racebook Bettors actually try to locate horse racing videos. Why do these people do this?

List of reasons why Racebook Bettors look up horse racing videos on the World Wide Web.

a) Techniques, many Racebook Bettors watch horse racing videos in order to refine their technique. Now, we all know that horse racing today exists mainly for gambling. Yes, some people could reason out that watching some horses run around in circles can be exciting but the fact is, it is made more exciting by the prospect of getting your hands on some cold hard cash.

Many Racebook Bettors watch horse racing videos in order to refine their techniques in either racing or gambling. Some watch horse racing videos in order to observe which horses or jockeys can help them get their hands on some money. They observe horse racing videos in order to perfect the technique of gambling. Hey, we all know that gambling is often governed by luck, but what the hell, let’s make gambling into a science.

Some jockeys also watch horse racing videos in order to strategize their races. They try to improve their techniques in order to gain the advantage in a race. You see, horse racing is not just about speed, it is also about finesse. A jockey needs to be able to plan out his or her passes while riding at breakneck speeds. Improving these techniques, of course, will help jockeys win. By watching horse racing videos, they can observe their old mistakes and make improvements. They are also able to observe their opponents and study their techniques. Through this, they can find a way to neutralize their opponents’ techniques and keep the advantage.

b) Entertainment, of course, there are Racebook Bettors who just experience a thrill when they watch horse racing videos. They watch horse racing videos in order to see just how far a man and animal could push themselves and work together in order to achieve a single objective. Racebook Bettors admire the way that a man could control such a powerful animal in order to win a race.

Racebook Bettors who watch horse racing videos do so because they want to be entertained. Sometimes, those who go to the track do not really find the show to be very entertaining. Some are actually left disappointed by the general air of gambling within the race track. They come hoping to witness a battle of prowess between gladiators and they leave when they realize that all they can see are the heads and hands of people who are leaping because they just won the jackpot. Winning can be terrific… unless you’re just a spectator.

c) Passion, some Racebook Bettors just watch horse racing videos because for them, racing is a passion. These people enjoy a good horse racing video no matter how many times they have already watched it. They go ‘oooh’ and ‘aah’ at the various sights of horse racing. They analyze every second of the horse racing video and talk about how the winner raced his or her way to victory.

The History of City of Chester and its Racecourse Posted By : Kevin Phillips

Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is according to official records the oldest racecourse still used England. Chester Racecourse is now ranked as the fourth best attended in the whole of Britain, averaging 18,000 visitors per day at its horse race meetings. It was Chester Racecourse that showed how to succeed with Sunday racing and tens of thousands now pack the Roodee for the annual family fun day in August. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most popular racing events of the summer. It is interesting to note that Chester racecourse is built over the silted up old port of Deva.

Chester City

Chester celebrates its folk heritage with concerts, dancing, workshops, displays, crafts and children’s events, featuring many local and national folk performers. Chester also boasts a great cathedral founded in the tenth century. The story of Chester Cathedral can be traced back to the era of the Saxon Minster, which in 907 housed the remnants of St Werburgh. Chester Castle, set in the angle of the city walls boasts the best Norman architecture in the city. The Normans built a castle at Chester not long after William the Conqueror took control of England.

Circled by a 2 mile ring of medieval and Roman walls, Chester is fashioned by 2,000 years of history. In Roman times Chester was known as Castra Deva (pronounced Dewa), meaning “the military camp on the River Dee” (places in England whose names contain the letters “chester”, or which end in -caster or -cester, were areas for Roman military camps). The remnants of a Roman auditorium were dug out in the 1960s and can be seen opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar’s Lane).

Racing at the Roodee

Racing at Chester’s historic Roodee course dates back to the early 16th century, making it the country’s oldest racecourse. There has been racing on the Roodee at Chester for over 450 years and the buzz of seeing a race at Chester unfolding before you from the sophisticated surroundings of the course’s enclosures or the vantage point of the City walls is an unforgettable occurrence. Tudor Kings and Queens ruled England when horseracing began on The Roodee.

There are a few more thrilling sights in British Racing than the horses thundering into the final furlong at Chester, a near oval course that makes exceptional demands on the capabilities of jockeys and their mounts with races run repeatedly on the turn. For many it is the ideal weekend to merge horse racing with the delights of shopping and eating out in the city of Chester.

The Dee Festival celebrates the prominent position of both Chester and Bangor-on-Dee Racecourses on the banks of the River Dee, allowing racegoers to take in the thrill of racing with all the appeal. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most popular racing events of the summer.

Chester racecourse is the oldest in Europe and regular race meetings are held throughout the year. With stunning views over the course and the River Dee, Chester Racecourse is found within the historic and beautiful City of Chester, one of Britain’s best heritage cities.

The Dee Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in the UK for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings run over a distance of 1m 2f 75yds (2,080 metres) at Chester Racecourse in May. The race is so named because Chester Racecourse is situated on the banks of the River Dee.