Next time you’re at the races, look for horses that had problems leaving the starting gate caused by other horses.

Pay close attention to horses' past behavior out of the starting gate, and you might spot the next winner.

By C. Reid McLellan

Fourth of July is a great time to enjoy a lot of what this independent country has to offer. Some enjoyed outdoor cookouts, others went to baseball games, and many enjoyed watching impressive fireworks shows at their local racetrack. For many, Fourth of July events such as these qualify as great times. Each month, we have been looking at Read the rest of this entry »

Take the time to analyze your racing program, and you’ll add an advantage to your betting.

You just might pick the winner if you take the time to analyze your racing program before placing your bet.

By C. Reid McLellan

We have been discussing how to take advantage of the limited free time we might have to handicap a race card.  When we do our one- or two-minute handicapping, we use information that is readily apparent to everyone who buys a program or racing form.  Since about only 20 percent of the people attending the races buys a program, those who buy programs have a potential advantage.  You can get an additional advantage over that 20 percent as well, if you take the time to read between the lines.

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Spend a little time watching the horses as they walk in, and you just might spot the winner.

Study the horses pre-race to pick the potential winner.

By C. Reid McLellan

We have gone from taking a one-minute look at a program page to spending 4 to 10 minutes per race to evaluate each race on a race card.  Later in this series, we will talk about making decisions based on information obtained from that evaluation.

But, don’t forget those numbers represent real live horseflesh.

This month, let’s take a look at the horses.

One of the reasons we go the races is for enjoyment. In this day Read the rest of this entry »

Take the time to evaluate each horse race with a performance analysis.

By C. Reid McLellan

One-minute, two-minute, three-minute, four!

We’ve been discussing taking time to handicap. We started looking at the top-three trainers, jockeys and owners as good, quick handicapping aids. We added pedigree last time, looking at information about sires and dam sires of our selections. That information told us what our selection(s) should be.

This month, we’re looking at performance indicators that can give us information as to what a racehorse appears to be. As with pedigrees, you can use a small amount of performance data or you can do a least squares analysis of 15 Read the rest of this entry »

Improve your horse race bets by adding pedigree information to your selection criteria.

Improve your luck at the horse races.

Last time, we talked about one-minute handicapping.

You can improve the effectiveness of those quick methods if you are willing to take time to add pedigree information to your selection criteria.  Pedigrees tell us what a horse should be, based on his genetics.  Some students of pedigree can overwhelm others with their knowledge of pedigree history.  As a result, some horse racing fans shy away from using pedigree selection, Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone has time for one-minute handicapping at the horse races.

Increase your odds of picking the winner in just one minute.

By C. Reid McLellan

When planning to go to the horse races, do you plan time to evaluate the race card?

Many fans think nothing of spending $4.50 every work day on a cup of coffee at a coffee house, but will not spend $3 for a racing program that contains information about the runners in a race. While it is possible to get lucky and pick a longshot winner simply by picking a name you like or betting on the color of the silks a jockey is wearing, fans who spend some time evaluating a Read the rest of this entry »

Take responsibility for your choices at the track, whether it be with horses you have in training or races on which you place wagers.

Start the new year right -- with success at the horse races!

By C. Reid McLellan

“I don’t have time.”

I’d be surprised if everyone reading this has not uttered those words more than once, and, in many cases, more than once a day.

Early in my professional career, a time management counselor pointed out that we all have the same amount of time — 24 hours each day. We make choices from several options as to how we will spend our 24 hours. I chose to go to work because I wanted to make money to pay my bills, etc. Once I realized that I was making the choices that determined how I spent my time, I didn’t feel so “out of control” of my life. Some all-powerful “they” weren’t “doing it to me.”

As you look toward a new year, consider adding this concept to your horse-playing mindset: Take responsibility for your choices at the track, whether it be with horses you have in training or races on which you place wagers. Choose to take the amount of time necessary to evaluate each race. If you decide you do not like a race, pass that race. Choose to Read the rest of this entry »

Hialeah Park offers glamour, purses and a dose of history.

The color and flash of racing at Hialeah Park.

The opening weekend at Hialeah is in the books, but the meet — and the latest chapter in American Quarter Horse racing — is just beginning. The track will host racing four days a week through February 2. During that time, they will give out $4 million in purses to those who show up to take advantage of it. They also have 23 stakes races, including the $100,000-added Hialeah Laddie, Hialeah Lassie and South Florida Derby. And, with the success of this meet, the sport may be poised to develop a year-round circuit fueled by alternative gaming money.

The track, generally known as one of the most beautiful racetracks ever built in the United States, features 10×10′ temporary stalls for horses with lots of air ventilation for the warm Florida weather. The track itself has a long history of being Read the rest of this entry »

A record crowd heads to Hialeah Park to see American Quarter Horse racing.

American Quarter Horses race at Hialeah Park.

A crowd of nearly 27,000 people flocked to watch the opening day of American Quarter Horse racing at the historic Hialeah Park Race Track near Miami, Florida, on November 28, and when the gates clanged open for the very first race, the standing-room-only crowd roared in appreciation. It was one of the largest opening days in American Quarter Horse racing history.

The track, which originally opened in 1925 and is the site of many legendary Thoroughbred races. For decades, it was the place for the rich and famous to see and be seen. Hialeah Park, famous for its flock of flamingoes, closed in 2001. With the summer announcement of the upcoming American Quarter Horse meet, workers began repairing the track which had fallen Read the rest of this entry »

Legendary Hialeah Park will reopen its doors November 28, 2009.

The doors of legendary Hialeah Park Race Track are preparing to once again swing open to welcome horsemen and patrons for the first time in eight years. The inaugural American Quarter Horse meet at the track near Miami, Florida, begins November 28.

Hialeah Park, hailed as one of the most beautiful racetracks in the world and home to a legendary flock of flamingos, opened in 1925 and hosted some of the greatest horses in Thoroughbred racing history, such as Seabiscuit, Citation, Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid. It was also the backdrop for a number of movies, such as the 1989 Richard Dreyfuss comedy “Let It Ride,” and has a cameo in the television show “Miami Vice’s” opening credits.

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Just as in poker, four of a kind is a good thing on the race track.

By C. Reid McLellan

In poker, four of a kind usually means the player wins big.

Similarly, horseplayers that hit a pick four generally win big. As it sounds, the pick four is a bet that you can pick the winner of four races in a row. Los Alamitos makes its early pick four a worthwhile playing opportunity as the track guarantees that the pool will be a minimum of $50,000 on most Thursdays and $75,000 every weekend night! The pick four is not easy to hit, but with a minimum unit wager of $.50, we can bet several combinations and keep the size of our wager within bankroll limits.

To bet a pick four, go to a mutuel window prior to Race 1or Race 6 (at Los Alamitos when there are only 9 races), and say “$2 pick four 7 – 6 – 1 – 5. If 7 wins the first race, 6 wins the second race, 1 wins the third race AND 5 wins the fourth race, you win the pick four.

If a huge longshot wins one of those four races, there is a chance that no one will have correctly picked all four winners. In that case, every player that picked three winners will share the net pool. We are all aware of how hard it is to pick one winner, let alone several in a row, so betting just one $2 ticket is a bit like buying a Read the rest of this entry »

A quick guide to help you enjoy Saturday’s big horse races.

Catch the Challenge Championships October 31!

The excitement of the 2009 Bank of America Challenge Championships takes place Saturday, October 31, at Los Alamitos Race Course in Los Alamitos, California.

The Bank of America Racing Challenge is the richest and most successful program in American Quarter Horse racing today – a championship series developed for the “World’s Fastest Horse.”

Downlaod the Challenge Championships wagering guide!

The Bank of America Racing Challenge program provides Read the rest of this entry »