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When you should (or shouldn't) bet a Pick 6
Effectively betting a Pick 6 can be difficult and expensive. These guidelines help you determine when you should (or shouldn’t) bet a Pick 6.
Education
Why it pays to look beyond a horse's most recent race
Horses aren’t machines, and any number of events can trigger a poor performance. Knowing when to forgive a subpar result is often the key to cashing tickets.
Education
G1-to-maiden class drop can be surprisingly lucrative
One of the most extreme examples of "dropping in class" occurs when a horse exits a Grade 1 race (the highest class there is) and enters a maiden race (restricted to horses who have never won a race).
Education
When to bet to place (or not)
The place bet can be a tricky wager to properly play. Not because it’s complicated to understand, but because executing a sound strategy that capitalizes on your opinions is easier said than done.
Education
Using Stable Alerts as a handicapping tool
If you’ve ever missed a bet because you weren’t aware your preferred horse was entered to race, we have good news. Stable Alerts from TwinSpires let you know when it’s time to bet.
Education
The Science of Horse Racing: Foaling the Future
Let’s look at the process of foaling and how our favorite racehorses went from safe inside a broodmare’s womb to taking their first steps toward greatness.
Education
The best way to decide and create a place bet
When carefully executed, the place bet can play a useful role in a bettor’s arsenal of handicapping strategies.
Education
The best way to decide and create a show bet
As strange as it might sound, the horse racing wager that's easiest to hit is one of the trickiest to understand on a technical level.
Racing
The best way to decide and create a win bet
The win bet is the purest way to wager on a horse race. All you have to do is pick the winning horse. But deciding which horse to bet can quickly grow complicated.
Education
How trainer and sire stats can combine for enticing payoffs
When betting maiden races filled with unraced horses, win percentage stats come in handy. They consistently steer bettors toward live contenders in races that might otherwise be inscrutable.
Racing
The Science of Racing: The Starting Gate
It is a sight as familiar to racegoers as the horses themselves: the starting gate. As the minutes to the next race tick by, a tractor pulls this mechanical wonder to the right spot on the racetrack, dirt or turf, and draws the eyes of everyone present.
Education
How trainer stats can point toward future stakes winners
When a horse defies the stats and wins at first asking for a low-percentage debut trainer, you might be looking at a special horse. Maybe even a stakes winner.
Racing
What is a jockey weight allowance?
In the sport of horse racing, the amount of weight carried by each horse has long been varied to account for differences in age, gender, and ability. Or, in some cases, the experience of their jockey.
Racing
The Science of Horse Racing: Colic and Laminitis
Both colic and laminitis come up as health issues that affect horses both on the racetrack and off.
Education
Oaklawn Park: How scrutinizing race conditions can be beneficial
The first thing bettors should generally do before handicapping a race is read and comprehend its conditions.
Education
Why horses tackling multiple major changes can outrun their odds
Sometimes, a racehorse will tackle so many changes at once it’s impossible to project how they'll perform. But the “change everything” approach can occasionally reap big dividends.
Education
Catching My Eye: Two Angles to find prices at Fair Grounds, Part One
Four weeks in at Fair Grounds, racing analyst Kevin Kilroy has found two handicapping angles that have been key for finding price horses.
Features
True Crime in Horse Racing: Shergar, Stallion Lost
This month, we explore the ultimate cold case in horse racing, an international mystery that captivates to this day. Who kidnapped Shergar and why?
Features
How sire stats and racing records can uncover winners
Sometimes, combining a little pedigree knowledge with the sire stats and performance data found in Brisnet Ultimate Past Performances is all you need to uncover a lucrative betting payday.
Education
Off-the-turf races can present enticing betting opportunities
When races slated to take place on turf are instead transferred to dirt or synthetic, enticing betting opportunities can arise.
Education
Fair Grounds meet horseplayer preview: Louisiana circuit insights
Here are some things to know about Fair Grounds and the Louisiana circuit to help sharpen your edge.
Analysis
Brisnet Speed ratings can make small fields playable
The power of speed figures—and specifically the Brisnet Speed ratings published in Brisnet Ultimate Past Performances—came to the forefront in the 2022 Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar.
Education
The Science of Horse Racing: Why Do Jockeys Ride Like That?
The race rider’s stance has gone from straight in the saddle to a balanced squat over the withers, a change that started with one legendary jockey and was soon adopted worldwide. This month’s Science of Horse Racing examines both how this change came about and why this demanding position works for both horse and rider.
Education
Pick 5 Play Fair Grounds: Saturday, Nov. 19
It’s important to have a strong opinion in one of the first two legs of this sequence at Fair Grounds.
Racing
The power of Brisnet Late Pace ratings
Among the many handicapping tools found in Brisnet Ultimate Past Performances are Brisnet Late Pace ratings. Their power was evident during 2022 Breeders' Cup week.
Racing
The Science of Horse Racing: Track Surfaces
This month’s Science of Horse Racing considers the three types of surfaces and how weather and geography play into our understanding of how horses race over those tracks.
Education
Exploring the effects of left-handed, right-handed, and straight racecourses
In the U.S., practically all Thoroughbred horse races feature at least one left-handed turn for the runners to negotiate. But racing around left-handed turns is far from standard on the global stage.
Education
4 reasons you should bet turf races
Some of the most famous horse races in the United States are contested on dirt, including the Kentucky Derby (G1). But turf races often provide the best betting opportunities for horseplayers.
Racing
5 positive signs when betting on unraced horses
It can be tricky for inexperienced horseplayers to bet on maiden races filled with unraced horses. How is it possible to predict the performances of horses who have never run?
Education
Betting Strategies: Pool Selection with Geoff Riggs
Born the day after his parents’ annual Kentucky Derby party, Louisville native Geoff Riggs’s love of horse racing was fated.
Racing
How can field size affect betting payoffs?
It’s common to hear horseplayers and racing analysts talk about field size, but they’re not referring to the acreage of open land. They’re referring to the number of horses entered in a race.
Racing
How to calculate the cost of a multi-race wager
Have you ever wondered how to calculate the price of a multi-race wager? Wonder no longer, because it’s easy and straightforward.
Racing
Furlongs, miles, and meters: How do race distances compare?
In the United States, the distance of a horse race is measured in furlongs and/or miles. But this isn’t the case in many other racing nations.
Racing
Betting Strategies: Scully's Superfecta Structure
Halfway through the Kentucky Downs meet, it’s not too late to take a few swings at a big superfecta score. With that in mind, I spoke to a horseplayer who has had phenomenal success playing the superfecta, James Scully.
Racing
Is a jockey change enough reason to avoid betting a horse?
When a high-profile jockey takes over riding a horse, bettors sit up and take notice. But have you ever wondered if a jockey change is ever enough reason to avoid betting a horse?
Education
When betting favorites in exotic wagers, watch your ROI
When betting a heavy favorite in a horse race, it can be tempting to skip a low-paying win bet and play complicated exotic wagers instead.
Education
5 times you should consider opposing the betting favorite
How can you tell when a betting favorite is vulnerable to defeat? Here are five common examples of when a favorite might not be trustworthy.
Racing
The Science of Racing: Vision and Blinkers
The Science of Racing looks at a horse’s vision and how changing the way they see the world around them can affect performance.
Education
Why planning bets in advance can be helpful
There’s something to be said for structuring betting strategies close to post time, when race-day changes are known and the odds are clearer. But there are also benefits to planning your bets early.
Education
Betting Strategies: Live Money Tournament Advice from Matt Miller
Winner of the 2021 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, Matt Miller knows what it takes to formulate a winning live money tournament game plan.
Racing
3 ways to maximize value betting against favorites
Betting favorites isn’t the worst strategy in horse racing, but they lose more often than not. If you can find the right horse(s) to play in place of a favorite, you’re in line for lucrative payoffs.
Education
Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast: Aug. 10, 2022
Jason opens the show looking back at yesterday's big Pick 5 sequence at Colonial Downs. Then he welcomes in Colonial Downs Track Surfaces Superintendent Harrison Young to talk about maintaining turf and dirt courses, rail settings, fighting track bias, and more!
Racing Podcast
What is a fair odds line, and how do you make one?
When betting on horse races, picking the right horse is only half the equation. Since it’s basically impossible to pick 100% winners, betting when the odds are suitable is a key to long-term success.
Education
Betting Strategies: Finding value when a race has two heavy favorites
This past Thursday’s $194,000 Birdstone S. at Saratoga presented a textbook scenario that vertical players should always be on the lookout for.
Education
Step-by-step: How to bet a superfecta
If you’re a horse racing bettor comfortable playing wagers like the exacta and trifecta, the superfecta is the next logical bet to pursue.
Education
Betting Strategies: 'It all depends on what you are trying to make from the race'
Sara and I spoke over the phone on Friday about her betting strategies, and she offers up her Late Pick 5 at Saratoga for Saturday.
Education
Pros and cons of boxing your bets
When horse racing bettors talk about boxing wagers, they’re referring to a specific wagering strategy for bets like the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta.
Racing
The Science of Horse Racing: Hooves and Horseshoes
For this month’s the Science of Horse Racing, let’s play some horseshoes and learn a little about hooves, plates, and more.
Racing
