You know when spring is in the air when the roses start to bloom, days get longer and the spring racing carnival is in full swing. This post is designed to help all ladies who go to the numerous race meetings during the racing season to understand on how to bet. Most girls put their faith and money on the name of the horse or the colour of the jockey silks, this practise may be fun but the chances of picking winners based on this strategy is not a wise move. I will give you a few tips on how to read the form guide and some pointers in what to look for when the horses are parading.
Advice
What does “22X34111 – Secret Gift mean ?
Bet on horses with good form (horses winning or placing). To know which horses are in form all you have to do is look in the racebook or form guide and the numbers to the left of the horses name is the form of the horses based on its last few races. The highlighted example shows that the horse has finished 1st in its last 3 races (111). The X means it had a spell (holiday) from racing.
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Distance
Look for horses that have form around the distance range of the race is run over, for example if the race is over 2000m read the form to see if the horse has run over or won over that distance. This information will be published in the racebook or form guide, you will see all the distances the horse has won over. Horses may have good form but if they can’t run over that distance they will get tired. Example Distance(s) Won: 1100 (1), 1250 (1), 1300 (1), 1400 (1), 1500 (1), 2050 (1) this horse has won races from 1100m to 2050m
Wet track
If its raining look for horses that can handle the wet track. You will find this information in the form guide, for example Slow: 1:1-0-0 Heavy: 1:1-0-0 this means the horse has had 1 start on a slow surface (track is wet) for 1 win, but to reinforce that this horse is adapable on wet ground he has also had a start on heavy (Very wet track) and has won on it.
Fitness
When looking at a horse in the parade ring before a race, make sure you look at his coat, muscle definition and size of belly. If the coat is shiny, the muscles are ripped and the horses stomach is tight then chances are he is fit and ready to run. If you see sweat on the horse (white sweat running down the neck), it might be a sign of nervousness and could indicate that the horse is not ready to run its best.
Have fun!
The most important tip is to enjoy yourself at the races, have fun catching up with friends and socialising and never ever bet beyond what you can afford to lose. Good luck and happy punting.
But wait there’s more, if you still can’t decide who to wager your hard earned on in the big race then here are some tips from the racing expert, Nino. He likes Red Cadeaux, Green Moon & Mount Athos.