Track Handicappers

[cosmo96]

I was mostly a thoroughbred player, but now I am betting a lot of harness races. I'm not real experienced at handicapping standard breds. I don't care how I do it I just want to make a profit. That being said, could I get some recommendations for the best harness track handicappers. Thank you.

[Ray2000]

I can't rank the top cappers but I can give you some of the good web sites to check out.

1. This site of course :)

2. Pandy's USTA info, (Bob sometimes posts in this forum).

http://handicapping.ustrotting.com/pandycapping.cfm


3. HANA's on-going contest has some top notch cappers competing in a year long event.
I don't know if they post picks on any social sites. You might Google their names.
Zanakis is a regular poster here, I don't know if any of the other leaders post at this forum

http://hanaharnesscontest.blogspot.com/p/leader-board.html


4. For Robotic Picks, Trackmaster's free picks has some interesting picks at times.
http://www.trackmaster.com/free/picks/har


5. And finally, the Pickers at DRF Harness Eye, but since they've redone their web site I don't bother trying to find them anymore.
Maybe they've gone digital for a subscription price? The news blog is a waste of time.

http://www.drf.com/harness



Good Luck and welcome to the "Dark Side" :)

[pandy]

I was mostly a thoroughbred player, but now I am betting a lot of harness races. I'm not real experienced at handicapping standard breds. I don't care how I do it I just want to make a profit. That being said, could I get some recommendations for the best harness track handicappers. Thank you.

www.trotpicks.com

On my trotpicks website you can click on the harness now page and there are a lot of harness racing links listed there, including picks, video replays, etc.

[The Judge]

Barry Meadow handicapped Harness before he switched to Thoroughbreds. He had a manual " Professional Harness Betting" Barry is well known and trusted by almost all handicappers that have had dealing with him.

http://www.trpublishing.com/?page_id=100

Their was another guy that had a decent rep but I am not sure of his name he had a large Binder Manual out on Harness Racing but I am not sure of his name.
I think it's something like Brakham , Bracham I'm not sure maybe Steve Barkham.

This was all around the middle 80's

[bello]

Any of the older models or books will not hole water in today's game IMO.

Today it is about driver changes, trainer changes, trainer intent, and the class dropping to set up for a score in the conditioning classes.

And focus one track, at most two so you understand trainer intentions.

The game is not about the horse anymore

And pray. harness racing is an insiders game. You at at the mercy of forces out of your control.

[The Judge]

both of these guys left the harness racing for the thoroughbreds and if I remember if was because they felt the Human played to much of a role in the outcome of Harness racing where the horse play more of a role the thoroughbreds. So this was true way back in the ancient times past, of the middle 1980's.

[Charlie]

I have always been curious about this book and am wondering if anyone can offer any opinions about it's handicapping value. Is it really worth the asking price of around $100.00? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[trp]

I have always been curious about this book and am wondering if anyone can offer any opinions about it's handicapping value. Is it really worth the asking price of around $100.00? Any feedback would be appreciated.

I bought the book in about 1988 and I still have it. It was $198 then. (His first book from circa 1967 only cost me $3.)

I'd been playing the harness races for four years at that time and I don't think the book added anything significant to my handicapping or betting methodology. It would be the same today.

It was well-written, well-organized, and comprehensive; overall, a very good harness handicapping book for its time (there wasn't and still isn't much out there). I just didn't get anything particularly useful out of it.

I'm not knocking Meadow. I have a positive opinion of him. Just my opinion of how useful the book was to me.

[spreader]

http://www.drf.com/news/yonkers-sunday-118-analysis


Matt Rose @DRF harness consistently has positive best bet ROI
Yonkers ADW throws in 8% win rebate

[The Judge]

Have been trying to remember the name of the other guy I mentioned in an earlier post along with Barry Meadow.

I am pretty sure his name is Barry Burkan saw his name in a PA post from 2006.

If I am not mistaken I think this Barry passed away, but I not 100% sure, just remember hearing this a number of years ago.

[Longshot6977]

Have been trying to remember the name of the other guy I mentioned in an earlier post along with Barry Meadow.

I am pretty sure his name is Barry Burkan saw his name in a PA post from 2006.

If I am not mistaken I think this Barry passed away, but I not 100% sure, just remember hearing this a number of years ago.

Here is one of several threads about Barry. He even responded in this one as screen name libra142

http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31713&page=1&pp=15

[robman65]

I have a great suggestion. Get in good with the drivers, trainers and judges at Woodbine. They offer the best "boat racing" I've yet to see in my 35 years of betting harness. It's the greatest show on earth. Forget about Barnum and Bailey Circus. Lol

[bello]

Obviously you didn't watch Big M Saturday night. Every race lined up by the 1/4 with no pulling at all to the outside.

To the OP...maybe stay away from harness racing.

[robman65]

No I did not watch Sat @ The BigM. I'll go back and view the replays However, Meadowlands carries a strict policy on plugging holes and not advancing when pulling. Drivers get fined if the judges see that drivers are letting horses just drop in w ease. Also, if they pull and just sit out there and create a bad flow they will get fined. This is something WEG really should do. I watch Woodbine/Mohawk on a daily basis and I see how they just let horses drop in these big gaps and yes, in most cases they end up winning as a result. Gapped cover and non- advancing, etc They allow this to happen and nobody says anything. I myself had to call on Mike Saftic for a no try in the lane and as a result he was called in and I believe removed from his drives for the next evening. Actually I was one of a few people who called. This was last year. Point is they let this slide over there. Look at Mike Brealey. Great example!