Don't Bet On Me To Pick The Winning Horses

With the recent upset at the Kentucky Derby, the elimination of the Vancouver Canucks from the NHL playoffs, and the upcoming Cloverdale Rodeo, my (short) attention has briefly turned to horses, horseracing, and harness racing (harness racing is actually still horses racing, not the harnesses themselves). And with that focus on the ponies, I also focus on my wallet, and how much money I can actually afford to spend before I learn any lessons about betting on horses without understanding a single thing about the sport. While I would ordinarily just pick the opposite of my brother-in-law, or pick a horse based on any connection to its name, I really should take the time to figure out how horses are handicapped (not that type of handicapped), and how they determine things like the Preakness Stakes odds.

I've never considered myself the luckiest person at the races, and despite my ability to leave with my shirt still firmly attached to my back, I'd like to be able to have a bit more smarts when it comes to determining my Preakness Stakes picks, so that I could leave the track with my jacket...along with shirt.

I know there's some money to be made in betting, whether it's the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes, or any of the local weekly races available by video in the lounges at the track. Taking the time to learn and understand the nature of horseracing, or finding a good handicapping source would probably be time well spent if I expect to gain any edge on my betting and have a reasonable clue as to figuring out horse race finishes at Hastings Park or predicting Preakness Stakes results. I guess there is more to just luck in winning at horses. Knowing the odds is one thing, but understanding who is more likely to finish first under certain conditions is better. Whether this information is going to help me the next time I try to analyze which harness racers do better in the rain and on a sloppy track is still to be learned and recognized. Well, there's still the brother-in-law method--I always seem to win when I bet against him. But where is he getting his horseracing information from???