Horse racing has many variables you must consider when you want to win bets. From the horses themselves to the jockeys and even the surface type of the race, some factors can significantly impact each race. But, if you think about it all, it might be overwhelming, making winning bets seem impossible.
Luckily for us, there are also a lot of strategies that you can use in horse betting. Each of these strategies is tested and proven, and depending on the situation and application, they can help you go home a few hundred bucks more during the Breeder’s Cup. Here are some of them.
Dutching
You may have heard of this before, but dutching is one of the most famous horse racing strategies. It’s a system that ensures that you still win some of your bets with multiple horses regardless of which horse wins. If you’re wondering, it does involve a little bit of math but don’t worry; you don’t have to be a math whiz to use this strategy.
For this system to be effective, you must first decide how much you want to wager in this race, then work out how much will be divided to be wagered on in different horses. That’s pretty much it, essentially. We’re not going into detail too much in this strategy because it honestly deserves its article. Delving head-first into this strategy will take a long time to understand how it works fully.
Laying the Favorite
Laying the favorite is a strategy that requires you to bet against the favorite of a specific race. This might sound counterproductive, but it’s an effective strategy that can win you tons of money if used correctly. Races often have false favorites on their top contenders. 1/3 of favorites win their races, which is why laying the favorite is a viable and profitable strategy.
So how do you use it? First, you must find your favorite trading at 3/1 or lower for this strategy to work. Remember that any more than this will make your loss much more significant if the favorite wins. After that, it boils down to your knowledge of handicapping. If you determine that it’s a false favorite, then you can lay against it.
The Beaten Favorite
This one is also quite popular, but it’s instead very situational. In this system, a bettor will have to bet their money on a horse on a winning streak but lose its most recent race. Most people would argue that the horse has lost its touch and will only go downhill after its loss. But this system begs me to argue.
This system believes that a horse will have a comeback after its back to its elements. After having their horses have a winning streak on a particular race, trainers will think that the horse will be ready to go to the next level. For example, if a horse mostly wins its local races, the trainer tends to think it is ready for bigger races like the Kentucky Derby.
And then the horse loses. The trainer would then return to their roots and race again on local races. There’s a big chance that the horse will start winning again, and if you think that’s the case, then you might have a solid play and a massive payout in your hands.
This applies in big races like the Breeder’s Cup, Kentucky Derby, etc. For example, if the horse has lost in the Triple Crown but has a long history of winning in the Breeder’s Cup, it might be a good idea to bet on that horse when it shows up in the Breeder’s Cup again.
80/20 Strategy
Another popular strategy that veterans use is the 80/20 strategy. This strategy requires you to divide your bet into 20% and 80%. 20% is for the horse to win, and 80% is for the horse to win a specific place.
When is this strategy applicable? This strategy is fitting if your chosen horse has a history of starting strong but slowing down in the final furlongs. Since it has a history of doing that, you’re betting that the horse will only finish in places. But if it wins the race, you can still get back a significant percentage of your bet.
Boxing Your Bets
No, we’re not talking about punching people here. For the people not in the know, in exotic bets like a trifecta, exacta, and superfecta, you have to bet on 2-4 horses and wager that they can win the race in the exact order you guessed them to be. Of course, this is pretty hard since you have to predict the exact places of the horse.
For example, in the exacta, you bet that horses #1 and #2 would win first and second place, respectively. However, if you boxed these bets, you can still win the bet even if they are not in the correct order as long as they are the first two horses to finish the race. This system is not exactly a strategy, but it’s still viable and profitable.
Final Words
The betting strategies are effective if you use them efficiently. However, as mentioned earlier, they are pretty situational so pick your moments. As long as you have picked the right horse and race, your bankroll will thank you, and you’ll go home a few hundred bucks richer at the end of the day.
