Want To Make A Bet?
Pick Your Wager
To begin your betting adventure, decide on the type of wager you’d like to place. Beginners can start with Win, Place, Show bets (predicting 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place). If you’re ready to advance, consider learning about Exacta, Trifectas, and Superfectas Daily Doubles, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5, Pick 6
Exacta– Your selections must finish 1st and 2nd place in the exact order you’ve placed your wager.
Trifectas– Your Selections must finish in 1st, 2nd, 3rd place in the exact order you’ve placed your wager.
Superfectas – Your Selections must finish in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place in the exact order you’ve placed your wager.
Daily Double– Select the winners of back-to-back races.
Pick 3,4,5,6 – Select the winners of the consecutive number of stated races, Pick 3 is 3 races in order, Pick 4 is 4 races in order.
Pick your Horse!
Intuitions
Feeling lucky? Take a chance! The odds of success by this method are unpredictable. It’s all down to you and your lucky stars. If a horse’s name or look catches your eye, go with that horse. Just have fun and go with your instincts!
Check out Program & the Odds
Looking to make a more informed guess?
Study the racing program and familiarize yourself with reading the past race performances. Alternatively, you can consider the odds. The morning line racing odds indicate the horse’s likelihood of placing, with these odds shifting as bets are placed on the horse leading up to post time.
Ask the Experts
If you prefer not to analyze the horses on your own, there are many individuals willing to offer advice—for a fee. Naturally, the more extensively an expert studies the horses and drivers, the more accurate the tips will be. Be sure to review the Professor’s Picks on every race day at the Meadows: https://themsoa.com/professors/
Place your Bet!
At the Track:
Go up to the teller and place your bet:
- Track Betting on – (Ex. “The Meadows”
- Race Number – (Ex. “Race 1”)
- The Amount of your Bet – (Ex. “$2”)
- What Type of Wager – (Ex. “Win, Exacta, Pick 4)
- The Horse’s Number – (Ex. “4”)
Example: “The Meadows, Race 1, $2 to Win on the 4”
Bet Online!: https://www.xpressbet.com/
How to Handicap a Race
All the information you’ll need is right there: where they raced, their times, who drove them and how they finished. Of course, none of this information will make any sense unless you read the page of the program that explains “How to Read The Program.” Soon the numbers and the symbols will be easy to understand.
Now that you understand the program, there are few other things to look for:
The Driver Factor
Drivers, much as other athletes, possess varying amounts of ability. Anyone in the sport knows that Luc Ouellette is among harness racing’s greatest drivers, and many people bet the horses he drives just for that reason. The top drivers are easy to spot. Besides being listed among the leaders in the standings in the program, these are the reinsmen who are in the winner’s circle the most often. They know how to best plan out a race, and know how and when to get their horse to give his all. Racetracks keep track of how a driver is doing for you. Right next to his name, they list his statistics at this track. For example, near a horse Ouellette drives, you might see some thing like this: LUC OUELLETTE (155) (07/22/65) red-blk-wht (1269-261-194-161-.333) This says Ouellette, who weighs 155 pounds and was born July 17, 1965, wears red, black and white colors. At this meet he has driven in 1,269 races, winning 261 of them, finishing second 194 times and finishing third 161 times. His “Universal Driver Rating,” a number calculated like a batting average, is .333. Any number over .300 is considered excellent. Check the drivers in the race you’re handicapping; find the horses being driven by drivers whose average is .300 and make note of them.
The Time Factor
Since almost all harness races are conducted at a distance of one mile, Standardbreds can be compared by time. However, it is important to remember that there are many other factors involved, such as post position, the particular track and its condition, and whether the horse stayed on stride for the entire trip. Just because a horse won in 1:58 last week, he may have raced against classier (and thus faster) horses. In general, though, a horse who recently won a mile race in 1:58 should post a similar time tonight. Bob says it will help your handicapping to identify the three horses that posted the fastest final times in their most recent races.
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