How To Bet On Dog Races And Win
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win World Series
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Money
- How To Bet On Dog Races Online
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Today
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Last Night
- How To Bet On Dog Races And Win 500
Knowing how to handicap maiden races can make a big difference when handicapping and winning at the racetrack. (Photo credit: Bigstock.com)
One common theme I hear from horseplayers is their disdain for playing maiden races. For me, the more maiden races on the card, the better. Handicapping maiden races is challenging and can be very rewarding.
Place betting on dogs is quite popular and this time, you are placing a bet about your chosen dog will finish the race in the first or second place. Note that it does not have to win the race: As long as the dog is in the top two, you will win this bet.
There is so much information readily available for most races: speed figures, pace figures, video replays, trainer statistics, etc. It can make it tough to find an edge, which tends to lead to many of us coming up with the same horses. That can only mean one thing: chalk.
Select three dogs and if two of your three dogs finish one, two, IN ANY ORDER you win. This is actually three $2 bets. 4-dog box ( 6 combinations) $12. 5-dog box (10 combinations) $20. 6-dog box (15 combinations) $30. For $12, I can bet a superfecta key with my quiniela picks first or second and the other two dogs coming in third and fourth. For instance, if I like the 1 and 2 dog for the quiniela and the 3 and 4 for third and fourth in either order, I'd bet a $1 superfecta key: the 1/2 over the 1/2 over the 3/4.
With maiden races, enough “unknown factors” can give an astute handicapper that does his homework an edge.
Part One: Pedigree
My teachers seldom described me as “astute”, but I always did my homework. Well, to be honest I did my homework in the subjects I liked. Okay, if you asked my mother I rarely did my homework, but if handicapping was a subject in tenth grade I would have done my homework.
Back in the early days, handicapping maiden races meant a walk down to the paddock for a quick inspection. However, now the vast majority of us are sitting at home wagering, and we are lucky to see a tape delayed post parade two minutes before post.
That does not stop me from handicapping my favorite type of races. Or getting some exercise. I still have to walk to the refrigerator to refresh my beverage.
It’s All in the Family
It starts with pedigree. When we are faced with a maiden special weight race where most of the entrants are first time starters, there is not much information in the past performances. Or is there?
I would guess 80% or more of our fellow horseplayers do not delve too deep into pedigree. It’s not right there in front of them for the most part. That gives us our first edge.
When I handicap a maiden race, I use several tools. Of course, I use my favorite past performances, located in The Daily Racing Form. I also use the Sibling Summary Report, which gives me detailed information about the mare of each entrant in a race. In addition I keep BRIS past performances handy as they include some pedigree information, or I pop in my Maiden Stats CD. Another resource you could use to look up pedigrees free is by going to http://www.pedigreequery.com.
With a first time starter, the first thing I look at is the sire’s results with debut runners. Anything above a 14% win clip is above average. Past performances will also give you a sales price if the horse went through auction. Compare that to the stud fee. If I see a sales price that is five times the stud fee, it peaks my interest. BRIS past performances give you the average sales price for the sire, also useful information.
Then I look at the mare. What has she done in her career and at what distances? The Daily Racing Form Sibling Summary will give you her race record on each surface along with her best Beyers and her career earnings.
It will also list her other foals, and what they have done on the track. There is nothing I like to see more than a mare that has dropped six or seven foals, all winners, with a couple of stakes winners on her resume. It shows she is a good producer and her latest foal could be a runner too.
If the race is for two year olds, look at the mare’s foals, see how many ran, and whether they won as two year olds. If it is a turf race, it’s easy to look up how the offspring of the mare performed on the grass.
Finding Wagering Value at the Windows
One of my favorite angles is finding a maiden that has made three of four starts on dirt and showed some ability, perhaps with a couple of fourth or fifth place finishes, and is trying grass for the first time. If the mare was a turf winner and has produced a couple of turf winners, there is a good chance the maiden will move forward with the surface switch. Often this can lead to a generous price.
Another angle is finding a “win early” type pedigree on a first or second time starter sent out by a lesser-known barn. We know a well-bred two year old sent out by Wesley Ward or Steve Asmussen will get all of the attention at the windows. However, they can’t win them all.
Find an offspring of Carson City (19% winners with debut runners) or Storm Cat (20%) that is sent out by a low profile outfit. The price will be more generous, particularly if Ward and Asmussen also have runners in the race. The win percentage overall on these types may be on the light side, but when we do catch one, a generous price will be there waiting.
For me, finding a hidden gem somewhere in the pedigree that might lead to a nice payoff is what makes this game fun, challenging, and most importantly profitable.
Next week we’ll take what we know about pedigree with maidens and add trainers and workouts into the equation.
Greyhound racing takes place daily in the UK apart from Christmas Day and, each day, there are a number of different meetings scheduled across the country. If you have ever been to the dogs before for a social occasion or placed a bet on a race with bookmakers like Betfair and Paddy Power, you will know how much of a thrill it can be.
Free Greyhound Racing Tips
Looking for free Greyhound Racing tips? Look no further. Head over to the Tips section of the Timefom website and every day we'll offer you the best best and next best at each fixture with our Meeting Tips, the Analyst Verdict at every meeting with the Tip Sheet, plus the top three slections across the meetings with our daily Best Bets.
In the UK, there are six dogs in a race and here are the colours you need to look out for.
Trap one – red
Trap two – blue
Trap three – white
Trap four – black
Trap five – orange
Trap six – black and white stripe
The dogs are placed into the traps at the start of the race and they chase an electric hare around the track over the designated distance, with the winner obviously being the first dog past the finishing line.
Here is a look at some of the options you have available to you when betting on greyhound racing.
Win or place
The most common way to bet on greyhound racing is to pick a selection and back it to win a particular race. You can either choose to be paid out at the starting price if your dog wins or you can take the price the greyhound is at the time of striking the bet. Unless there is a withdrawal from a race, your dog has five other rivals to beat.
In order to have a better chance of picking up a return in greyhound racing, you can back your dog to be placed. If it finishes in the first two, you are a winner. Obviously, your returns will be much lower than if you back the dog to win the race but if you are not chasing the big winnings, this could be the bet for you.
If you want to try and increase your winnings in greyhound racing, you can add more than one selection into an accumulator bet. All of these dogs have to prevail in their selective races for you to win the bet and the more you choose, the bigger the potential return will be. There are an array of bets you can place at Betfair and Paddy Power.
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win
In UK greyhound racing six dogs sport red, blue, white, black, orange, or black and white stripes, according to which trap they race from
Forecast and tricast
Forecast betting in greyhound racing is where you are required to choose the first and second home in a race in the exact order. For example, a forecast of Trap 1 – Trap 6 requires trap one to win the race and trap six to finish second. A dividend is then returned for a £1 stake and the size of this will depend on the price of the dogs which were first and second. In order to increase your chances of being successful, some people perm their selections into a combination. They may opt for three dogs and cover all combinations for first and second which, in this case, is six bets as per the example below.
Trap 1 x Trap 3 x Trap 6 - 6 x £1 straight forecasts – Total stake = £6
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win World Series
If you want to go a step further in the race, you can place a bet on the tricast which requires you to select the first, second and third in the contest. This is obviously much more difficult, however, if you are lucky enough to do it, you will be well rewarded. Just like in forecast betting, you can perm selections into a combination to make it easier. One way of doing this would be to select four dogs and cover all possible permutations for these dogs finishing first, second and third as per below.
Trap 1 x Trap 2 x Trap 3 x Trap 6 – 24 x £1 straight tricasts – Total stakes = £24
Major competitions/Ante-post
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Money
Ante-post betting at Betfair and Paddy Power is available on all the major competitions in greyhound racing. Due to there being lots of entries for the big events, this is a great opportunity to pick up some decent odds about a selection you fancy. You can either back it to go all the way and win the competition or each-way where, in many cases, you just need your dog to reach the final to pick up a return. However, different bookmakers offer various place terms, so always check this before placing your bet.
The biggest competition in greyhound racing in the UK is the English Greyhound Derby where, in 2017, there was over £350,000 in prize money in the tournament. All the runners start off in the first round and need to finish inside a certain position to qualify into the next round. At the semi-final stage, the first three dogs home in each heat advance through to the final where they then race for the trophy and the first prize. In 2017, Astute Missile was victorious in the event which was held at Towcester for the first time.
Trap challenge
A trap challenge is a bet which gives you an interest across a full greyhound card or a number of cards that day. You select which trap you will feel will have the most wins at the meeting(s). For example, if you place a trap challenge bet on Trap 1 at Perry Barr and there are 13 races, Trap 1 would need to win the majority of the races for you to win your bet. Here is an example of a winning trap challenge.
Perry Barr results (13 races)
Race 1 – 4-2-6
Race 2 – 1-3-5
Race 3 – 2-1-6
Race 4 – 1-4-3
How To Bet On Dog Races Online
Race 5 – 1-6-4
Race 6- 6-5-4
Race 7 – 4-5-2
Race 8 – 4-5-1
Race 9 – 1-5-6
Race 10- 5-4-2
Race 11 – 3-6-2
Race 12 – 1-4-3
Race 13- 3-2-1
From the above card, here is what the result of the trap challenge would be –
Trap 1 – 5 wins
Trap 2 – 1 win
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Today
Trap 3 – 2 wins
Trap 4 – 3 wins
Trap 5 – 1 win
Trap 6 – 1 win
When a trap finishes the card with the same number of wins, dead-heat rules apply. Some bookmakers, such as Betfair and Paddy Power, offer in-play betting on the trap challenge so you can watch the first few races and then decide which trap to back in this market.
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Distance betting
Like a trap challenge, distance betting takes into account the full results from a greyhound card. In this market, you are required to choose if the total distance of the winning results is under or over a quoted amount. For example, on a 13-race card, the mark may be 39.5 lengths. If you believe that there are going to be some races where the winner prevails by a larger distance, you are likely to back overs in this market.
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win Last Night
Here are some things to consider when placing a bet on distance market:-
How To Bet On Dog Races And Win 500
Identify how many races on the card and then calculate how many lengths you need on average per race to win your bet.
A nose, short-head, head and neck are all official distances used in greyhound racing, therefore, check the terms to see how much is added onto the accumulative distance for these results.
There are a maximum number of lengths which can be recorded from one race. Many bookmakers put the limit at 12 lengths.
If a meeting gets abandoned midway through the card, the bet may be voided, unless the distance has already reached above the quoted mark.