Many people think that horse racing handicapping factors are speed, class, connections, etc. That is true, but other factors that will help you succeed when you bet on a horse race are things like angles, tips, and systems. The reason is that each one of those factors can be used successfully if you know where to find them and how to separate the good ones from the bad.
A good tip is one that comes from an inside source that you can rely on. If your barber gives you a tip on a race, it may or may not be good. You need to know where he got it from. If he says he got it from his last customer whose brother works with the cousin of the mechanic for the sister of a well known trainer, well you get the idea. It probably isn’t worth much.
In fact, that tip may be a bad one and it was started in order to get the odds up on another runner in the same race. If you start a few rumors about other horses in the race, it will drive the bettors to bet those entries and therefore, drive the odds up on another horse that really is meant to win.
On the other hand, if you know someone on the inside and he tells you that a horse has been held back and is being sent today, you may want to pay attention and consider betting that one. The best angles don’t usually depend on information from another source, once you learn the angle. You may have read about the angle in a good horse racing handicapping book or perhaps figured it out for yourself. Either way, a good angle can make you money, if the right situation comes along.
The next good way to handicap horse races is to have a good system. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a truly automatic system that will make a profit, but there are some good systems that you can adapt and learn to use to improve your handicapping. Sometimes you can find these in books as well. The important thing to remember is that all these things should be tested before going out on a limb with them.
Finding a good horse racing book isn’t always easy, but there are some excellent ones out there if you take the time to look. With the advent of eBooks you can now download them right to your computer and print them or read them immediately.
