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.

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.

Epsom Downs Racecourse is the home of one of the most iconic events in the British sporting and social calendar – The Derby Festival. The two day festival of horse racing dates back to 1780 and will be held on Friday, 5th and Saturday, 6th June in 2009.

Phase two of our Grandstand Redevelopment Programme is now well underway, so we won’t be hosting music nights in 2008. We will have a full racing programme in 2009, starting with our Spring Meeting on Wednesday, 22nd April and including the return of our Epsom Live! music nights.

In August 2006, Epsom Downs Racecourse started its Grandstand Redevelopment Programme. The first phase of the Redevelopment Programme consisted of the demolition of the Rosebery Stand and the building of a new Entrance Pavilion.

The second phase of the Grandstand Redevelopment Programme is now underway. It consists of the knocking down of the 1914 Building and Grandstand and the construction of the new Grandstand – to be completed in 2009.

newbury race track

Newbury Racecourse – the Early Years
Newbury Racecourse didn’t come into existence for another 90 years when Kingsclere trainer, John Porter proposed a new racecourse at Newbury. The Jockey Club had laid down strict qualifications for new racecourses and after Porter’s plans were rejected several times, a chance meeting with King Edward VII brought about a further application which with the King’s support was approved by the Jockey Club.

In April 1904 the Newbury Racecourse Company was formed and purchased the land and construction began of the buildings and stables at a cost of £57,240.

On September 26th and 27th, 1905 the first ever racemeeting took place at Newbury Racecourse with Copper King ridden by Charles Trigg and trained by Charles Marnes winning the opening race, the Whatcombe Handicap.  Marnes was presented with a Silver Cup (value £25) and Trigg received a gold mounted whip (value £10).

It was fitting that John Porter trained Zelis to win the Regulation Plate on September 27th providing the only winner at Newbury for course’s founder as he retired from training at the end of the 1905 season.

National Hunt racing followed shortly after Flat racing and in 1906, nine days racing were planned for Newbury in 1906 – six on the Flat and three over Jumps.  A members badge which also covered the two days in 1905 was priced at 7 guineas!

The War Years
In 1914, the September, November and both December meetings are all abandoned following the outbreak of World War I.  Racing did take place during 1915 and 1916 but was abandoned in 1917 until the end of the war.

When World War II was declared on 3 September 1939, racing was postponed with first race times brought forward to allow everyone to get home before dark.  Jump racing continued until 1940 but the Easter meeting that year was the last to be staged until 1951.

Flat racing continued despite the course being damaged by bombing and craters having to be filled in.  However in August 1942, the whole course was handed over to the American Army who use the course as a vast depot and marshalling yard.  The course was de-requisitioned and the task of reinstatement commenced.  It was only on April 1st 1949 that racing resumed after a seven year absence.

Legends at Newbury
Legendary winner of 5 Cheltenham Gold Cups, Golden Miller made his steeplechasing debut at Newbury in 1931 and duly finished first, only to be disqualified for carrying the wrong weight.   He returned on 30 December to win the Reading Chase and again on 20 January 1932 to win the Sefton Steeplechase.

On 19 January 1934 Fulke Walwyn rode Our Hope to win the January Moderate Handicap Hurdle.  This was the first of Fulke’s many winners at Newbury both as a jockey and trainer including 7 wins in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup making him the most successful trainer in the race ever.  The Fulke Walwyn Steeplechase is run in his memory at the Hennessy Meeting.

Lester Piggott has strong associations with Newbury and rode his first winner here on 20 August 1949 as a 13 year old boy.  He also rode his last ever winner at Newbury on Bin Ajwaad for trainer Ben Hanbury in the Avebury Stakes and on 17 September 1994 Lester had his final ride at Newbury aboard Royal Hill for trainer Lord Huntingdon.

Newbury has a strong association with the Royal family with the first of a long line of royal winners being His Majesty’s Minoru, ridden by Herbert Jones, in the Greenham Stakes on 31 March 1909.  Other well known winners include Winston Churchill whose Loving Cup won the Kintbury Stakes in 1952.

Of course the most famous race at Newbury is the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup which was first run on 26 November 1960, beginning the longest unbroken commercial sponsorship in British sport.   For more about the history of this race, visit our Hennessy Winter Festival section.

Battling the Elements
Newbury’s famous Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup has been blessed with regards to weather and has, touch wood, never been abandoned.  However, over the years a number of fixtures have been abandoned due to waterlogging and frost, none more dramatically than our July meeting in 2007 which was hit by the freak floods.  Newbury has made huge strides in dealing with the elements and in 2006/07 became the first racecourse to use frostcovers to cover the entire Jumps course with remarkable success.

It was first run in 1958, and when the Pattern system was introduced in 1971 it was given Group 2 status. Three-year-olds were eligible to run prior to 1995, at which point the race was upgraded to a Group 1 for older horses only. The leading performers often race next in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. The race is currently sponsored by Juddmonte Farms.

he Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old thoroughbred horses.  Winning all three of these thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a thoroughbred racehorse.

In England, where the term Triple Crown originated, it is made up of:

• the Two Thousand Guineas Stakes at Newmarket Heath, Newmarket, Suffolk;
• the Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs, Epsom, Surrey;
• the St. Leger Stakes at Town Moor, Doncaster, Yorkshire.

In the nearly 200 years that these races have been run, only 15 horses have ever won the English Triple Crown.

In the United States, in 1930, Gallant Fox won all three important races, and sportswriter Charles Hatton brought the phrase into American usage.  The United States Triple Crown is made up of:

• the Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
• the Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore, Maryland;
• the Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

In the more-than-125-year history of the U.S. events, only eleven horses have ever won the Triple Crown.

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 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 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.

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.