Handicapping 101
If only I’d had Brad Free’s excellent “Handicapping 101” (DRF Press) when I started trying to learn this game last year. The chapter on form alone elicited many, many aha! moments. My only quibble (and it’s one I have with almost all handicapping books) is with his disdain for place and show betting. “Wagering to place and show is futile,” Free writes. Oh, but such bets can be fun part of a wagering strategy. When judiciously made, they can pay off quite nicely. For instance, in race two at Suffolk Downs on June 15, the favorite, Brickaback, was at 1-1 on the board, despite his listless appearance in the paddock. But Got a Ticket looked lively and had odds of 18-1. A quick perusal of his past performances showed there was no way he would win, and he wasn’t a too likely second, but he was a very reasonable third, which is exactly what he ran, paying $17.80 — making a show bet in this race a better investment than a win bet on the second favorite, Metfleet, who returned $8.80.
Related: Steven Crist explains why a place bet on Smarty Jones in the Belmont would have made sense (Daily Racing Form).
