What is the key to betting on horse racing and making money? Many people have searched for that truth for years and are still losing their way. While it can often be difficult to win a horse race and earn money from your efforts, sometimes it’s as obvious as the nose in your face. Do not you believe it? Here is a real example.
For those of you who regularly read my articles, you know that there are two themes that I keep repeating over and over again. The first truth about horse racing is that you need to find a horse that has already achieved what you are asking of it today. The second is that if you find such a horse, it should be considered as a potential winner and that the key to making money from your bets is getting fair value odds. That means that if there are two or more horses in a race and one is the favorite and the other is a long shot, and yet both have achieved what is called for today, then you should probably bet on the long shot.
Here’s a graphic example from race 8 at Laurel on January 27, 2010. 4 Handsome Bruno was cutting short to a mile event after taking the lead only to come up short in his final mile effort and an eighth. His sprint number in that event was the second-best number from the last race for any horse in the 7-horse short field and he had won the distance and on that surface many times at Laurel. He was also the second classiest horse in the breed and had been bred on January 9th.
Handsome Bruno was ridden by D. Panell, the same jockey who had previously beaten trainer John Rigatieri. If all this information doesn’t make you realize that Handsome Bruno was a contender and deserved some respect, then you don’t know much about making money betting on horse racing. How did the crowd let such a horse walk away with the incredible odds of 11.60 to 1?
Take a minute and think about that. While trainer Gary Capuano’s entry was taking the most money and may have commanded a lot of respect in the winner’s pool, that entry didn’t fare much better than Handsome Bruno, a proven artist with very proficient connections. Handsome Bruno was going away with very good odds for a fast and classy horse who had just shown some very good form. He rewarded his sponsors with a $25.20 winning ticket.
Don’t get caught up trying to determine which horse is the best or most likely to win and forget about the most important point. If that horse is overbid and there is another possible winner with good fair value odds, take it. You will find this situation almost every day at race tracks across the country and around the world. That is the key to making a profit, in the long run, when you bet on horses.