Lots of characters populate the betting section of a local race track. Some people bet longshots, others bet fifty 10-cent superfectas per race, while others place wagers based on the color of the jockey's silks.
Very little can be learned from the above group of "handicappers".
But there is this one guy I run into at the track and he is a consistent winner. He bets big and wins more than he loses, so he comes out on top. He mostly a "tote board" handicapper but reads the form inside out and understands it.
He follows the money being bet and understands it to the point of absurdity. Baffert's crew had a horse in a maiden race recently and this guy remarked that if the barn is going to "hit" their horse (bet on it), they do it about half way through the betting. Sure enough, with 12 minutes to post the horse took a "hit" and went from 8-1 to 5-1. A sign? Isn't everything? I didn't bet the horse who ended up running third.
This guy teaches that the first bet on a race should be the win bet. In other words, if you feel strongly about a horse in a race and think you have the race nailed you should bet the horse to win before you make any crazy exotic bets. Of course, I rarely do this since I am looking for "value" as he says. He also recently scolded me for failing to "open up the key" properly on a trifecta bet that made. In that race, I bet "around" the winners and spent five minutes showings others my losing ticket.
Anyway, I had a race nailed and told people I liked the 2. He was 5-1 so I placed him on top of some trifectas and exactas. I also told people that I liked the 2, who had by post time drifted up to 8-1. Sure enough, he won. After the race:
"You got it," he said.
"No I didn't bet him to win."
He just looked at me. "He went off at 8."
I just returned the look and shrugged my shoulders.
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