Following Horses, the Pros and Cons of keeping a List of Horses to Watch

There are many methods of picking winners and making money at the race track. Some people like to handicap a race and try to find a winner or good bet by comparing the merits of the runners and then figuring which one is the most likely to win and then who is second likeliest to win, etc. There are others who like spot plays, those situational bets that come along when a runner is in a situational that has paid off in the past.

For other people it is the money. They play the tote board and try to beat the odds or find a good bet based on probability. An example of that situation is a Dr. Z bet where a horses win odds indicate it will hit the board a certain percentage of times, but yet it is under bet in the place and show pools. Others look for overlays in the exactas and trifectas.

Then there are the old plodders, the dying breed of horse man, like myself, who still follow the animals. I keep a list of runners, their recent works and wait for them to reach their peak form. When I know they are in form and ready to win, and have a smart trainer who also knows that, I wait to see what kind of race he or she can find for the promising athlete.

I recommend using the virtual stables that are available on several of the big horse racing websites for this job. They will send you an email when your horse is ready to race and you can go and check the race out to see if the trainer has indeed found the right spot for it.

Does this sound like a lot of work? It is a lot of work, but it is also fun to watch an animal race and workout until it is ready to win. There are few joys in life that surpass betting on a runner and knowing that it has a great chance of winning and you and the trainer are on the same page.