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Today's Racing Digest Educational Center
Explanation of Digest Layout And Features This is a quick reference guide explaining the layout and features in the Digest. Damaged Goods The negative class drop is often overlooked by the public. Here are several examples from the 2006 Fairplex Park meeting where the connections gave plenty of hints that there were problems, yet the fans knocked the horses down to ridiculous prices. Elementary Education - a 6 Step Plan To Attack a Race This is a race-specific strategy for wagering. Incorporate these principles into your daily play and you should notice the difference. It's All About Attitude A positive attitude can go a long way toward making you a successful player. Plan for Success Another in the series of articles on how to successfully approach a day at the races. Sometimes You Need a Little Luck If it wasn't for bad luck... Yeah, we know. But sometimes God smiles on you and everything goes right. The First Question You've handicapped the card and come up with your contenders. Now what? Assess the favorite's chances in each race. The Perfect Bet You've found your horse. Now how do you bet it? Here's one analysis of how Slew Is King was played one day. Truth And Training There is nothing like a juicy trainer quote to sway one's thinking. But should Bob Baffert's public pronouncements mean anything. Backstretch Buzz If you are a regular (or semi-regular) at the races, you'll start hearing stories. An owner loves his horse or the trainer does or something like that. How do you process that information? Here's a bonus story. Years ago, before off-track betting and when Vegas still had their own betting pools, you could fly to Vegas to pull off a betting coup. Charlie Whittingham was said to have one horse per Del Mar meeting that the whole barn would bet. One weekday morning, I got a call from a travel agent friend who worked in downtown Del Mar. She called to say that Whittingham's foreman had come in to book a round-trip one-day flight to Vegas, leaving at 11:00 a.m. that morning. Whittingham had two horses in that day. We bet them both and one won at better than $25. I'm sure there wasn't much buzz on this horse, but the barn did know. Betting Guides - Saving You have an $8 Pick 3 ticket and you've won the first two legs. You stand to make several hundred dollars if your final choice wins. Should you 'save' by making new bets on other horses in that final race? The Bigger They Are... Taking a stand against comebacking "Class" horses can prove very profitable, as the public assumes that they will romp and don't work too hard on finding alternatives. Intermediate Handicapping - Assessing Speed Picking a representative race is more than just using the biggest speed rating. You have to take into account how that number was earned. In short, you have to dig a little deeper. Intermediate Handicapping - Fresh Claimers Some of the best plays in racing coming in claiming races where all the horses are for sale, but not all are racing in the best form. Fresh horses can lead to big payoffs where everyone is concentrating on that last race line. Intermediate Handicapping - I Want To Be Alone Learn why it is important to filter out the extraneious 'noise' at the track or simulcast facility. Intermediate Handicapping - Making a Betting Line If you've seen some of our handicappers' products, you will notice that several use betting lines. This article discusses how to make a betting line. Anyone can do it with a little practice. Intermediate Handicapping - Negative Droppers A horse wins for $16,000 and shows back up for $12,500. A horse is dropped four class levels following a decent effort. These horses both lose. Why? Intermediate Handicapping - Repeat Winners Winning streaks seem rare, but the back-to-back wins are not all that unusual and that second win often comes at a better price. Intermediate Handicapping - Speed Vs. Class Class is the forgotten element in the handicapping equation. How does one factor Class into the handicapping equation? Intermediate Handicapping - Speed Vs. Class 2 More on the Speed Vs. Class discussion. Intermediate Handicapping - Stranger Danger Horses shipped west must be respected. This article covers a brief period at Del Mar some years back, but the angle continues to pay dividends. The "Stranger Danger" concept is as old as the Digest itself. Intermediate Handicapping - The Bounce The 'bounce' is when a horse fires a big race and regresses in his next. It can happen after a big comeback race, or after two particularly tough races. But, really, is the bounce a useful explanation for poor performance? Intermediate Handicapping - Trip Handicapping Here is a quick discussion on trip handicapping and how to incorperate it into your daily play. Intermediate Handicapping - Watching The Tote Boar The tote board speaks or understanding the hidden messages that can be revealed in all those blinking lights. Outside The Box - Best of a Bad Lot Sometimes you look at a race and can't make head nor tails of it. They all look bad. There will be a winner, though, and it's possible to employ some reverse handicapping to find that horse. Outside The Box - Favorites & Longshots A step-by-step guide to assessing both potential favorites (Morning Line 7/2 or less) and longshots (Morning Line > 4/1) Outside The Box - Finding False Favorites What is a false favorite? It's a short-priced horse who does not deserve the backing, but gets it because he's either down in class sharply and/or connected to a good barn. Some horses are being dropped off wins. They are another key to big payoffs, especially in the Pick 3's. Outside The Box - Go Against The Grain Anyone can pick the 8/5 favorite, but taking a stand against the public can be very profitable. Outside The Box - Going Against The Grain Going against the flow won't help if you're in a riptide, but going against the flow can pay dividends. Outside The Box - Myths Some call them racing axioms or handicapping basics. But some are just myths. Outside The Box - The Big Find How do you find that $16 winner? Here are some simple steps for indentifying horses likely to beat their odds. Outside The Box - There Are No Locks There are no locks or sure things at the races. Too much can happen. Outside The Box - What If What if the heavy favorite needs the race? What if his connections are pointing to a more lucrative race? What if he breaks poorly? What if he doesn't care for this track? What if I play against the favorite and win? Race Competition Level (rcl) Charts The Digest uses these Race Competition charts to assign our class figures. We adjust the RCL charts every quarter and there are separate charts for both both Southern and Northern California. When assigning class values to races on other circuits, you can use the Southern California numbers for New York most of the year, Florida in the winter and most of the tracks in Kentucky. Use the No Cal charts for lesser circuits. Intermediate Handicapping - Track Bias More on track bias and its effect on your wagering and handicapping strategies. If You Want To Play Like a Pro Want to quit your job and play the races? Wonder why Andy Beyer doesn't? Money Management It's one of the most important aspects of betting whether it be horses, sports or cards. Game Plan Game Planning. Think this subject gets old, think again. Winging it at the track makes for great stories, but in the long run it can be very very expensive. 10 Steps To Successful Handicapping Here's a step-by-step approach for anyone who bets the horses regularly (or would like to). a 12 Step Approach This supplements the 10-step plan. This is best reviewed at the start of the year or the start of any meeting. Handicapping 101 What is the point of handicapping? Most people learn to narrow the contenders to one horse, but is that really the goal? Handicapping Age In the spring, 3-year-olds begin to compete with the older horses. Sometimes they have the advantage, but in other races, the younger runners are at a distinct disadvantage. Do you know when? Well, do you? Handicapping Basics - Claimers There will always be three of four claiming races on the card. Here are three successful, price-producing patterns to watch for. How To Lose Here's the ugly little secret about racing: You are going to lose a race more often than you'll win. How you handle a losing day goes a long way toward making futures days successful. Pop Quiz Take this quick quiz to see if you are on the right track. The First Question All right, the legwork is done. What's the first question you ask yourself? If it's not, "what chance does the favorite really have?", you're about to be lost in a maze of guesswork, supposition and, more than likely, buried in a stack of losing tickets. Successfully determining the relative strength or weakness of the favorite is the jumping off point to success. Failing to even address the question is the first step to jumping off the bridge. Betting Guides - Dutching Dutching is betting two long-priced horses to win. What should you do when you like two such horses. Betting Guides - Pick 4 The Pick 4 can be one of the best bets around. Here's a useful strategy. Betting Guides - Pick 6 The Pick 6 is the get-the-rich-quick program at the races. When should you play and how should you structure your ticket? Betting Guides - Quinella The Quinella is not just the indecisive player's Exacta box. It's a great substitute for the place bet, too. Betting Guides - Reading The Betting Menu When you go to the races, you can be overwhelmed by the number of different wagers. It's not just win, place, show and exacta betting anymore. Now there are Pick 3's, Pick 4's and Pick 6's plus Trifectas and Superfecta. Add in the Quinella, the Place Pick All and parlay wagering and you have a lot choose from. Betting Guides - Superfecta The Superfecta is risky business, but the rewards are tempting. A cautionary tale. Betting Guides - Superfecta Ii OK, you've decided to throw caution to the wind and play the Superfecta. Here's a strategy. Handicapping Basics - Luck Sometimes luck is all you need, but you may be able to make your luck, too. The First Question All right, the legwork is done. What's the first question you ask yourself? If it's not, "what chance does the favorite really have?", you're about to be lost in a maze of guesswork, supposition and, more than likely, buried in a stack of losing tickets. Successfully determining the relative strength or weakness of the favorite is the jumping off point to success. Failing to even address the question is the first step to jumping off the bridge. Handicapping Basics - Beyer Numbers Nearly everyone reads the Racing Form and the Beyer Figures has taken on legendary status. Still, how do assess that figure? Handicapping Basics - European Imports The Euro has surpassed the dollar in value and European imports are a fact of life at the race track, especially in California. Here's a strategy to help separate the 'live' Euro from the ones that will need a race. Handicapping Basics - Favorites Play favorites all day and you can cash three tickets and lose. Here is a primer on evaluating favorites. Handicapping Basics - Jockeys When should you consider the jockey or a jockey change important? Handicapping Basics - Results Charts Most people think that the result charts that they see in the paper are calculated by cameras, clocks or computers. Think again. Handicapping Basics - Track Bias Track bias. Here's a primer on how to spot one and how to factor it into your daily play. Handicapping Basics - Using Fast Figs The Osterman Fast Figs are in the Digest every day. Here's a tutorial on putting them to use. Maiden Races - First Timers First time starters are among the most intriguing and difficult to assess horses on any given day. Here's one approach to rookie runners. Maiden Races - First Timers Ii More on first-time starters. They win their share and cannot be eliminated from the handicapping process. Maiden Races - Second Timers More dangerous than first-timers, lightly-raced Maidens can be some of the best bets in racing. Today's Racing Digest Handicapping Factors Today's Racing Digest has always used handicapping factors as shortcut reference points for the reader. Regular users can quickly scan a race for HF 19's (likely to improve), HF 15's (Likely in-the-money finisher - read likely winner) or even HF 86 (veto or do not consider this horse). Here is a list of all the HF's and an explanation. 
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