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Guide to FREE online contests, tips, Past Performances, handicapping tools, and more. Find out where to watch and where to bet!
Picking winners is a challenging and exciting part of horse racing. Any fan can learn and develop their own methods.
Companion Lens to www.squidoo.com/horseracing
Exotic Betting - by Steven Crist
In Exotic Betting, the horseplayer takes a colorful wagering ride by learning to maximize profits by betting on a multitude of exotic wagers including the daily double, exacta, trifecta, quinella, superfecta, pick 3, 4, and 6.
"This is not a book about how to pick winners at the racetrack," writes Steven Crist in the opening lines of this unique and long-awaited book about playing the races. Exotic Betting instead argues that how to bet is as important as who you like, especially in the 21st-century world of horse racing, where a new menu of wagers such as the superfecta and pick four have overtaken the familiar win, place, and show betting of yesteryear.
"This is not a book about how to pick winners at the racetrack," writes Steven Crist in the opening lines of this unique and long-awaited book about playing the races. Exotic Betting instead argues that how to bet is as important as who you like, especially in the 21st-century world of horse racing, where a new menu of wagers such as the superfecta and pick four have overtaken the familiar win, place, and show betting of yesteryear.
Exotic Betting: How to Make the Multihorse, Multirace Bets that Win Racing's Biggest Payoffs
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 11/11/2009) 
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $8.00
Basics of Pari-Mutuel Betting
All betting at American tracks today is done under the pari-mutuel wagering system, which was developed by a Frenchman named Pierre Oller in the late 19th century. Under this system, a fixed percentage (14 percent-25 percent) of the total amount wagered is taken out for track operating expenses, racing purses, and state and local taxes. The remaining sum is divided by the number of individual wagers to determine the payoff, or return on each bet. The projected payoff, or "odds," are continuously calculated by the track's computers and posted on the track odds board during the betting period before each race. Odds of "2-1," for example, mean that the bettor will receive $2 profit for every $1 wagered if his or her horse wins.
Win, Place, and Show:
Bet the horse to come in first (win), second (place), or third (show).
All three bets on the same horse is called "Across the board".
Exotic Wagers:
Exacta: The Win (1st) and Place (2nd) horse in exact order of finish.
Trifecta: Win, Place, and Show (3rd) in exact order of finish.
Superfecta: First four horses in exact order of finish.
Win, Place, and Show:
Bet the horse to come in first (win), second (place), or third (show).
All three bets on the same horse is called "Across the board".
Exotic Wagers:
Exacta: The Win (1st) and Place (2nd) horse in exact order of finish.
Trifecta: Win, Place, and Show (3rd) in exact order of finish.
Superfecta: First four horses in exact order of finish.
- NTRA's Horseplay Tutorials
- Several thorough photo-illustrated tutorials from NTRA and DRF on everything from basics to winning techniques. PDFs and a pocket-sized guide to print out. They even have a couple of video tutorials. Good stuff!
Betting Strategies
Betting Win and PlaceBet Win at odds of 2-1 or higher.
Bet Place at odds below 2-1.
Underlays and Overlays
An underlay is an overbet horse, and an overlay is underbet. So, overlay odds are higher than they should be (pay more). In other words, everyone else has underestimated or missed a horse that you think has the ability to win the race.
Anytime you like an overlay and and underlay, or a good-price horse a low-price horse in the same race, bet the overlay.
Three Do's and dont's in exacta betting
The important point about Exacta wagering (betting horses will finish one-two in the exact order you bet them) is to use strategies that will pay off better the more frequently you play.
The Don'ts
1. Don't bet favorites below 2-1 on top.
2. Don't box pairs of long shots, which means horses at 11-1 or higher. Instead bet both horses to win.
3. Don't take 3 horses and bet every possible combination to come one-two, a total of 6 combinations.
Note: If you bet a low-price favorite on top, do not use the second and third betting choices on the bottom.
The Do's
1. Do bet the favorites on the bottom.
2. Do box pairs of medium-priced horses, such as 8-1 with 6-6.
3. Do bet long shots on top of favorites, but also bet on the long shot to win.
4. Do make sure you have a two to one ratio with what picks your are using
Free Past Performances - Featured Races
Past Performances detail horses' athletic records, and usually include pedigree-based stats and recent workouts.
- Past Performances - FREE PPs - Buy PPs
- See a complete list of FREE Past Performances, including by track and trainer. Buy Past Performances from the top data providers.
- Brisnet - Race of the Day Contest and PPs
- Brisnet Ultimate PPs feature a wealth of useful comments about jockey and trainer records, horse pedigrees, and track biases. Free PPs every day!
Race of the Day PPs - DRF.com - Races of the Week
- Daily Racing Form Past Performances include exclusive Beyer Speed Figures. Races of the Week feature free past performances and analysis. Free PPs for weekend races should be available as early as Wednesday night, or as late as Friday.
- Thoro-graph - Race of the Week
- You MUST register for an account before you download any FREE Products or Specials
from their site. Unique and complicated PPs. - Equibase - Race of the Week
- Equibase PPs feature Equibase Speed Figures. Equibase Company LLC is a general partnership between the Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America (TRA) and The Jockey Club. The company was formed in 1991 to provide the Thoroughbred racetracks of North America with a uniform, industry-owned database of racing information and statistics.
- NTRA.com Featured Races Schedule
- Select featured races of the week will have links to free Equibase PPs. Usually on the weekend.
FREE Past Performances for your favorite Tracks
These are the select race courses Brisnet offers free PPs for.
- Del Mar
- Wednesday through Monday. July to September.
- Meadowlands
- Wednesday through Saturday. January through August , November through December. Brisnet PPs.
- Mountaineer
- Friday through Tuesday beginning March through November. Brisnet PPs.
- Canterbury Downs
- Thursday through Sunday. Live Racing May - September. Brisnet PPs.
- Emerald Downs
- Thursday through Sunday. April through September. Brisnet PPs.
- Lonestar
- Friday through Sunday. Spring Thoroughbred Season: April - July. Brisnet PPs.
- Monmouth
- May through September. Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday or Monday. Brisnet PPs.
- River Downs
- April through Labor Day. Everyday except Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Suffolk Downs
- May through November. Live Racing Schedule: Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Saturday. Brisnet PPs.
- Hollywood Park
- Wedenesday through Sunday. Spring/Summer Meet: April - July. Thursday through Sunday.
- Gulfstream Park
- January - April. Wednesday through Monday.
- Free Past Performances
- View a complete list of Free PPs by track.
Betting Online
Where to place your bets.
Betting online can be more convenient than visiting your local simulcast venue, and most account wagering services offer bonuses.
TwinSpires.com
Watch and wager on horse racing! Bet horses online and watch live video. Tracks include Churchill Downs. Players get FREE PPs!
Bodog Racebook
Wager online on every major North American track, including Churchill Downs, Magna, and NYRA tracks. Bet horses and even make propositional horsebets in the sportsbook. Bet on Boxing, Basketball, baseball, and other sports in the sportsbook. Play casino games and poker for real money. Bonuses on deposits!
TwinSpires.com
Watch and wager on horse racing! Bet horses online and watch live video. Tracks include Churchill Downs. Players get FREE PPs!
Bodog Racebook
Wager online on every major North American track, including Churchill Downs, Magna, and NYRA tracks. Bet horses and even make propositional horsebets in the sportsbook. Bet on Boxing, Basketball, baseball, and other sports in the sportsbook. Play casino games and poker for real money. Bonuses on deposits!
- YouBet.com
- Online wagering. No Churchill Downs or Magna tracks. YouBet also owns United Tote which offers self-service betting machines to tracks and betting facilities.
Online Contests
Develop your handicapping skills with free contests online.
- Brisnet Race of the Day Contest
- FREE contest. Every day you play, you receive an additional entry in the Breeders' Cup drawing. Plus, if you're one of the Top 50 players each week and/or month you'll receive an additional 50 Bonus entries.
- Daily Handicapping Contests
- Charge ees, but pays real money. The total contest pool for any contest is Number of Players x Entry Fee:
$50 Entry Fee x 500 Players = $25,000
$100 Entry Fee x 200 Players = $20,000 - Public Handicapper
- Presented by Daily Racing Form and the NTRA. Public Handicapper is a free, national handicapping contest. Current contest is the Public Handicapper Challenge running from May 5 (the Kentucky Oaks) through November 4 (the Breeders' Cup). Sign up to play for free.
- Beat the Handicapper
- FREE contest. Your job is to take the same $50 the guest handicapper has to bet and beat him with a more profitable winning wager. Sponsored by NTRA and DRF.com - Free Equibase PPs are made available.
- Digiturf.com
- Virtual horse racing played online for real money!
Picking Winners by Andrew Beyer
Just as football evolved with the introduction of the forward pass and basketball with the development of the jump shot, so too was handicapping forever changed by the use of speed figures--and it all started with Andrew Beyer's Picking Winners. This edition features a new foreword in which the author discusses the changes that have swept the sport since the book's original publication. Picking Winners remains a classic in the field of thoroughbred racing.
Picking Winners: A Horseplayer's Guide
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Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $15.00
Used Price: $2.76
Horse Racing on TV
- HRTV
- HorseRacing TV is brought to you by Magna Entertainment Corp. (MEC), North America's number one owner and operator of thoroughbred racetracks and leader in interactive wagering. XpressBet is their online wagering affiliate.
- TVG
- TV Games. Live thoroughbred horse racing, including harness racing, and overseas events. Open a TVG account and wager through TVG.
- Get DISH Network
- The only satellite provider that offers us both TVG and HRTV's dedicated horse racing coverage every day of the week. Both TVG (TV Games) and Horse Racing TV (HRTV) have multiple ways for you to wager from home, and each broadcasts exclusive tracks and races. You get both channels in the first-level package, DISH Network's America's Top 60 Programming.
So if you love horse racing, go for the Exacta with DISH!
Books for Horse Players
Handicapping 101: Finding the Right Horses and Making the Right Bets
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Amazon Price: (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $24.95
Used Price: $4.40
The Power of Early Speed (Elements of Handicapping)
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Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $14.95
Used Price: $2.00
Modern Pace Handicapping, Revised
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Amazon Price: $19.77 (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $29.95
Used Price: $7.16
Betting Maidens and 2-Year-Olds: Analytical Approach to Future Winners (Elements of Handicapping)
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Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $14.95
Used Price: $2.87
Betting on Horse Racing For Dummies (For Dummies (Sports & Hobbies))
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Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 11/11/2009)
List Price: $19.99
Used Price: $6.97
Track Tips
National Thoroughbred Racing Association member tracks. Handicapper's Tips:
Churchill Downs - Arlington - Hollywood Park - Woodbine
Churchill Downs - Arlington - Hollywood Park - Woodbine
- Thoroughbred Race Tracks
- Guide to Thoroughbred race courses in North America.
Beat the Handicapper
Contest SiteEach week during the contest periods, the NTRA and DRF invite a guest handicapper to make $50 in wagers on a selected race. Wagers may be made among Win, Place, Show, Exacta and Trifecta wagering. Wagers may be played straight, boxed or wheeled, just like wagering in the real world.
Your job is to take that same $50 and turn it into as much cash as possible. If you're fortunate enough to "Beat the Handicapper" for that given week, you'll receive a bonus of $50 to your score.
Horseplayer's Notes
Speed Figures - These can be deceptive and subject to human (or software programming) error, even those who devise them occasionally admit to their faults. Don't rely solely on speed figures. Examine the fractions in the horses' race times and read the comments about their trip; compare their running style to others' and you'll learn something you won't from speed figures.
Fundamentals - Handicappers forget fundamentals like workouts, pedigrees, and fractions all the time. Don't let new practices that seem to succeed overshadow everything else you've learned.
Past Performances - I have preferred Brisnet Ultimate PPs for a long time. The additional comments can be very helpful in reminding me about a trainer's or jockey's success under the circumstances, and other relevant factors. When you have a tough time deciding between horses, the extra information on Ultimate PPs can be a big help
Horse Racing on Squidoo
Who do you like in this weekend's big races?
Fundamentals - Handicappers forget fundamentals like workouts, pedigrees, and fractions all the time. Don't let new practices that seem to succeed overshadow everything else you've learned.
Past Performances - I have preferred Brisnet Ultimate PPs for a long time. The additional comments can be very helpful in reminding me about a trainer's or jockey's success under the circumstances, and other relevant factors. When you have a tough time deciding between horses, the extra information on Ultimate PPs can be a big help
Horse Racing on Squidoo
Who do you like in this weekend's big races?
Horse Racing News
Gohorsepower.com - a site for horse racing fans
News and Horse Racing Forum
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