| How long have you been going to the horse races | | | | check each item on the list. Why? Because each one |
| and betting on horses? How much have you really | | | | of these "truths," is essential to your success as a |
| learned in that time? How much of what you think is | | | | horse player and yet each one may or may not be |
| the truth about horse racing is speculation, half truth, | | | | true. Let's start with a simple and universal truth of |
| opinion, outright myth? It is funny, but even though | | | | horse racing, the favorites win a third of the races. |
| we go to the horse races and may watch hundreds | | | | Look at the stats for each type of race at each |
| or even thousands of races in a year, we often | | | | track you play and the information may surprise you. |
| believe something is true when it isn't. | | | | While some kinds of horse races have a high |
| The problem is that these pseudo facts can cost us | | | | percentage of winning favorites, such as maiden |
| a lot of money and we all seem to fall for one or | | | | races, others do not. Some race tracks have a higher |
| two of them from time to time. You can start your | | | | percentage as well. Not only that, but whole |
| horse racing reality check by making a list of the | | | | programs may go by without a winning favorite while |
| things you depend upon to make money betting on | | | | other days are very chalky and more than a third of |
| horses. For instance, we all know the favorite wins a | | | | the favorites win. |
| third of the time, right? So put that on your list if | | | | So how reliable or helpful is that truth? It's really not |
| that is one of the things you know and it helps you | | | | much help at all, in fact, it can skew your judgment |
| to handicap. | | | | when you are handicapping a race or preparing to bet |
| You may have just a few things on the list, but if | | | | on a race. It is really much better to keep an open |
| you take some time and really think this through, you | | | | mind and simply judge each runner on its merits. |
| will probably find at least ten or more things to write | | | | Taking into account that a horse is the favorite will |
| down that you have noticed, read, heard about | | | | probably cost you money in the long run. |
| horse racing. This is the basis of your decision making | | | | Get the statistical information you need to verify |
| process when it comes to picking winners, picking | | | | each truth and then think about how it applies to |
| good bets, losing money or making money from your | | | | what you are doing and you may find that what you |
| horse racing handicapping. | | | | think you know may be costing you money. |
| The next thing that you will need to do is to fact | | | | |