You can often make money betting horses at an online racebook when you use what are known as angles. Angles are specific situations to recognize which do not require extensive handicapping. EZ Horse Betting is all about simplifying the process of picking winners. One popular angle is to bet horses who are once again attempting something at which they have been successful before.
A Real Horse Racing Story
Here is a story that actually happened to a horse racing bettor we will call Bob. One evening Bob sat down and opened up his computer. He logged into his favorite online racebook and got ready to make some wagers at Delta Downs. There was a horse in race 7 that looked unbeatable. Bob had spent hours handicapping the races earlier that day and was ready to make a huge bet.
As it so happened, a friend of Bob’s stopped by that evening and mentioned that he was also going to make a bet with his racebook using his smartphone. He also liked a horse in the 7th race, but it was not the same one Bob thought would win. When Bob heard his friend’s choice, he laughed. There was no way that horse could win today in Bob’s opinion.
You may have already guessed what happened in this scenario. Bob’s heart and bankroll sank as his chosen horse never got into contention and lost the race by many lengths. On the other hand, his friend’s horse took command early on and cruised to victory at nice odds of 5-1. Bob began to look closer at the past performances to see what he had missed. It was right there staring him in the face. The winning horse was trying something today it had demonstrated success at in the past.
The most recent races of the winning horse were all dismal. It had failed to finish better than 5th in its last three races which were all on the turf. If Bob had looked farther back in the past performances, however, he would have noticed that the horse won two in a row when it last raced on dirt. Tonight it was returning to its preferred surface and the results were the same.
Race Horse Have Preferences
Some race horses have preferences. They like the turf or the dirt. They prefer six furlongs in distance. Some like the mud. As a handicapper you must learn to identify the preferences of each horse in races you choose to handicap.
Why would a trainer try something different when he or she knows a horse prefers a certain scenario? The answer to that is complex. Sometimes trainers want to see if their horse is skilled at any other scenarios. There are plenty of horses who carry their track harrow wherever they go and are consistent in a variety of situations.
Trainers also might be trying to set up their horse for a big score. If a horse has won two races in a row at a given distance the odds on that horse will be very low when it tries the feat a third time. Even the most casual bettors can recognize the superior ability of a horse like this. A trainer might purposely take the horse out of its comfort zone in an effort to place some poor performances on the recent record. This is sometimes done in the effort to “cash a gamble” and reap big rewards from longer odds.
Of course, you can never know for sure when this is the intent unless you are a part of the trainer’s inner circle. What you can do is be alert for horses returning to something at which they have shown success at in the past.
Betting Past Success
If you want to use this angle profitably, there are a few requirements which must be met. First of all, you still want the races you consider to be relevant. What does this mean? Here’s an example.
Past success cannot be described as one single attempt. In other words, if a horse won a single race in the past at seven furlongs this is not enough to definitively state that the horse is exceptionally skilled at that distance. You would need to see consistency at that distance every time the horse has tried it. If the horse has multiple wins at the distance or has never finished worse than third when trying it, it might be a good angle play.
Another requirement is that you do not consider previous races which are too old to have much merit. By this we mean races that are more than a year in the past. Just because a horse had success at five furlongs when it was three years old does not mean that it will replicate the feat when it is four. The reason for this is that horses are continually growing and evolving. Many of them do not fully mature and produce their best races until they reach age five or beyond. A great example of this was the horse Lava Man. The horse Mucho Macho Man would also fall into this category.
Past Success is a good angle when it is combined with other handicapping factors. It is always better to support any angle sound handicapping. Once you have identified the horse with a past success, also check to make sure that horse qualifies in terms of speed, form, class, and pace. If the horse fits in all aspects, you may have identified a potential winner.
If you want to explore playing this angle and betting horses online, you may want to create an account with one of our recommended horse betting sites. You can receive a large welcome bonus just for signing up and you will also have access to free past performances and race replays. The process takes just a few moments and you can be betting on your computer, smartphone, or tablet in just a few minutes.Check our Bovada racebook review, Twinspires review or even our Betamerica review. All great choice if you are in the US. 5Dimes review for folks anywhere!
