Winning is possible but not easy. How on earth do you get your
bets onto the winning horse or greyhound with any sort of consistency???
This is THE fundamental problem facing anyone who intends
to take betting seriously. Make no mistake; there are people
out there who are making a very nice income from doing
just that. How do they do it?
Obviously, studying the form, in all its detail, and allowing
for the weather and going, the jockey, the trainer, the myriad
factors that have a bearing, all have their place. All of
the horses in a race have to be assessed in similar detail.
But there is more to it than that, isn't there. If not, the
winners of non-handicaps would be predictable with near certainty
and all the horses would pass the post together in handicaps!!!
So why can you not get it right most of the time? Why is
it that the great majority of favourites do not win?
Naturally there is more than one answer. Horses and greyhounds
are not machines and they do genuinely have "off" days, whether
for mental or physical reasons ("spooked" by the event, unexpected
bug). They also have accidents, specially in jumping. But
it is not all chance. If you have ever wondered if things
get "fixed", be in no doubt. They DO.
I am not suggesting illegality or immorality in this. It
is just part of the business (sport) that seems essential
for its survival.
Trainers must beat the handicapper in order to have a chance
of making ends meet. In other words, the animal must go off
at longer odds than would be justified if the true form was
known and the trainer/stable/connections must get decent bets
on. Finding these instances is key to successfully getting
big-priced winners.
