How to kick ass … just in time for the Triple Crown, we asked thoroughbred handicapper Brad Free, of horse-racing bible The Daily Racing Form, to tell us how to pick ponies the smart way

CHECK IN WITH THE EXPERTS

Albert Einstein had [E=mc.sup.2], and genius handicapper Andrew Beyer has the Beyer Speed Figure--published in The Doily Racing Form. Though horses may have run on tracks of varying lengths and conditions, the figure allows apples-to-apples comparisons. Look for horses with high numbers. The greatest horses run in the 120s, while bottom-level claimers score in the 50s.

FAVOR EXPERIENCE

Compare rankings. If School on a Saturday is running his first big race against horses accustomed to stiffer competition, bet elsewhere.

STUDY THEIR HISTORY

Like an athlete's, a horse's career ebbs and flows. Before you place any bets, check out your chosen horse's past performance in a racing form. If Colonel Mustard hasn't been cutting it lately, and Salsa Sallie is on a hot streak, bet on the lady.

SUPPORT THE FOLLOWERS

We all cheered for Seabiscuit, but there are times to avoid a front-runner. In a race full of ponies that love to lead, they'll tire themselves out, leaving room for a closer to come from behind. However, a frontrunner is better off in a race full of closers.

TRUST THE JOCKEY

Do numbers make your head swim? Here's the figure that matters: either the jockey's or trainer's winning percentage. Folks who win 20% of the time or more know how to play their ponies in the right races at the right time. That's your bet.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Unless you can calculate pi to the tenth decimal place, skip bets in which you have to win, say, six separate races. Also, bet to win, not place (second place) or show (third place). That sort of betting is best done by guys named Lefty.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning