Here you will find some information to consider when wagering:

1. At the beginning of each season do not excite, take it easy. The form can take some months, perhaps a couple, to sort it’s self out.

2. You don´t need to study every race, you will realize which race is the best to bet, so concentrate on them.

3. It´s important to view the horses. Watch the broadcast signal while the horses are in the paddock and in the Post Parade.

4. You can buy a tip sheet or handicapping aid. These are prepared by professional handicappers and may provide useful wagering selections.

5. We also recommend to check on the draw in large fields, it can be the difference between your horse getting a run or not.

6. Bet on the favorite. Favorites win approximately one third of the time. The favorite is the horse with the lowest odds or the one on which the most money has been wagered.

7. If you have followed a handicap horse that is on a winning run, and it´s unplaced in a large field, in one of the major handicap races of the season, always back it on its next run, as once it returns to its usual grade, they often continue were they left off.

8. Try not to be influenced by reports or tips that speak about horses in the newspapers, unless they are proven successful. And remember; if they are so good at picking winners, why are they working for a paper? Do you think they have the time to study them all?

9. A good tip is not bet in amateur or apprentice races unless you are sure both of the horse and the jockey.

10. Try to avoid betting ante-post, unless you are sure your horse will run, and the price will have contracted on the day.

11. Finally, it´s important to re-check ground conditions on the day.

Some handicapping factors to help you when wagering:

1. Trip. For a bettor is important to watch his horse during the running of the race and again on the replays after the race and observe what kind of trip he had. Was the horse blocked at the quarter pole or carried wide on the turn or squeezed back at the start? A horse that loses a race because of a troubled trip might be a good bet in his
next start. Usually trouble encountered by a horse in a race is shown in the past performance lines.

2. Medication. Lasix and Butazolidin are medications administered to racehorses. Butazolidin is an anti-inflammatory medication and Lasix, a diuretic, is used to control bleeding (certain horses bleed from a ruptured vein - or veins - in the nostrils, the pharynx or the lungs). Some handicappers pay attention about this believing that these
medications might enhance that runner's performance.

3. Breeding. Some horses are bred for speed, others are bred for grass racing and certain horses have inherited stamina from their sires and dams and are able to run long distances.

4. Pace. The pace of the race. A horse generally can't have it both ways. He can't run extremely fast early and still have enough left in reserve to run fast late in the race.

A slow pace will help the horses near the front because they should have something left for the end of the race. A fast pace means the horses on the front will tire out and thus help the runners that are closing ground. If the past performances indicate that there are several speed horses in a race, it might be a good idea to consider a horse that likes to rally in the stretch.

In studying the past performances, you might find only one legitimate speed horse in a particular race. If that horse gets loose on the front end and has the pace all to himself with no pressure being applied to him, he figures to have something left for the homestretch and should be hard to overtake.

5. Changes in the horse equipment. Mud calks are used for off tracks. Calks, pointed extensions on a horse shoe are designed to prevent a horse from slipping. The Blinkers are used on horses to limit their vision and to prevent them from swerving from objects or other horses. It's worth noting changes in blinkers - a horse wearing them for the first time (or for the first time in a number of starts) or racing without them for the first time.

7. Trainers and jockeys. Some jockeys seem to ride better on the front end, and others are better known for their come-from-behind style. A good idea is to check the standings, which show the leading trainers and jockeys at the meeting. Some trainers do well with 2-year-olds while others are particularly adept with horses shipping in from long distances.

8. Weight. It's significant to take notice when the horse is carrying more weight than they did in their last start. It's just as important to watch for horses that are carrying much less weight than they did in their last outing.