Which tracks have been your best and worst lately?

[trying2win]

Just curious what everyone's best and worst thoroughbred tracks have been lately. The ones you play on a regular basis. For me, the best have been ARLINGTON PARK and EMERALD DOWNS. The worst (ouch!)...definitely STAMPEDE PARK and MOUNTAINEER PARK. Should be interesting to compare and see if there are some trends amongst the PA members, where they are doing their best and worst at.

Thanks,

T2W

[Tom]

Evd, Pen, Pha, FL. Hol

$$$$ :)

Bel, :ThmbDown:

[Valuist]

Arlington & Canterbury :jump:

Churchill :mad: too much Lep-arano

[Zman179]

Best: Rockingham trots have treated me very well. Doing kind of ok at Philadelphia.

Worst: Ice cold at Finger Lakes, but I've made good money there in the past. Finally, I hate Arlington Park with a passion. Wouldn't mind if they burned it down a second time. :ThmbDown: :ThmbDown: :ThmbDown:

[betchatoo]

For some reason I've been hot as hell at Deleware and the Ohio tracks. Arlington, which has always been my best track is :ThmbDown: for me so far

[lsbets]

Good - EVD and MNR

Bad - CD - friggin Lerparoux kills me.

[kenwoodallpromos]

Best are still Magna highways- worst is Pha.

[WJ47]

I like Belmont and Hollywood Park. I've done decent at Great Lakes Downs and River Downs.

Despite my best efforts, I cannot figure out PHA, Penn National, Mountaineer, Arlington, Calder, Churchill, and Fort Erie. Fort Erie is the track nearest to my house, so I've desperately wanted to figure them out as they are only 20 minutes away. One time, I was standing in the paddock at Fort Erie with my sister and we were excited about a horse that had won its last three races. He looked like he should slaughter the competition and his price was overly generous. A man standing next to us asked us who we liked and we told him. He said, "He won't win, he's already went through all of his conditions." We bet him anyway (partly because I've never really understood conditions that well) and he ended up finishing last. So I guess that guy knew what he was talking about. I guess what I'm thinking is that these small tracks have to be handicapped totally different than the larger tracks.

I have certain weaknesses in my handicapping and I think that is the problem. I've never been good at judging pace or whether a bias exists. And post positions and how they factor into the outcome. Like when they say, "he's breaking between 2 speed horses", LOL, I just can't figure that out in my handicapping. I look for the fastest horse or the classiest horse and hope for the best. I understand class, but I think it is different at the smaller tracks than the major circuits.

I think Lerparoux is amazing. He beats me all the time! I think he's going to have an amazing future.

[mainardi]

:ThmbUp: Best places have been Lone Star and Monmouth (seemingly just like every other year). :cool:

:ThmbDown: Worst place -- why do I even bet there -- is Hollywood Park... as has been the case for-almost-ever. Latest was the opener on Sunday. Gates open, my horse wakes up about 1/2 a second late and then the jockey's left boot comes out of the stirrup. Oh yeah, he's a front-runner that gave the field 10 lengths... and he only loses by 4 or 5... arrrrrrgh... freaking HollyPark!!! :bang:

[Tom]

Funny how some us look a track as the best while others look at the some track and shudder!:D

[NEhandicapper]

Good tracks: Bel, Del, Mth, and Pha. For the year, I made a killing at AQU inner track.

Bad tracks: Pim. Mountaineer has been bad until I discovered this angle: I handicapp the race as I normally do for other tracks like Belmont and rank each horse best to last in chances of winning. I then play the horses that are ranked within the LAST three :bang: ...

[Si2see]

:ThmbUp: - HOL, CRC, DEL

:ThmbDown: - CT ( the track I started at I now hate to bet )

Colonial downs is local to me and they start next weekend so I am thrilled to have live racing again for three months. :jump:

[fouroneone]

:ThmbUp: Belmont, Great Lakes Downs, Hastings (i have no idea why) and Fort Erie

:ThmbDown: CHU, ARL, MNR, PEN, PHA, BAY/GG

[ponyplayerdotca]

Although I live near Woodbine, I have largely ignored their meet thus far as they prepare to rip up the main track for Polytrack, etc. (won't play it anymore).

Fort Erie was more predictable last year, but this meet has been a mish-mash of results.:ThmbDown:

As for MOUNTAINEER, :ThmbUp: . The trick to MNR is you can't always go "by the numbers" on the majority of races (IMO).

I've been watching MNR religiously since 2003 (when they had the previous track announcer who retired....Peter Barry took over for him). I've learned that you have to know the trainers, jockeys, conditions, and nuances that make the track unique to play.

One example is jockey assignments. Knowing which jockey/trainer combinations are primary (and can indicate that the horse is well meant that night). Also, knowing when a jockey spurns a regular trainer partner for another horse he/she believes has a better chance.

MNR is all about "short term forms". Which trainer gets hot for a week or two at a time? Which Kentucky trainer's horse is well meant to click or simply entered to dump at a lower claiming price? The basic rule for trainer's like Bernie Flint and Tom Amoss: if their horse is dropping into a lower claimer, they're dangling them to get rid of them. If their horse is entered in a MSW or ALW, or STAKES race, they're usually live.

Those are a couple of basic angles that seem to work more than not.

Also, trainer DALE BAIRD, (aka "The Wizard of Waterford), doesn't win every race he enters a horse in (people always bet his horses whether they look legit or not - it baffles me). Bet the horse, not the people (most of the time).

"LIVE" JOCKEY/TRAINER COMBOS:

Scott Spieth / Jeff Radosevich
DeShawn Parker / Dale Baird
Rex Stokes / Jami Poole
Rex Stokes / Margaret Grimm
Rex Stokes / Loren Cox
Oswald Pereira / Doug Johnson
Oswald Pereira / Paula Capestro
Huber Villa-Gomez / John Baird
Dana Whitney / Eric Reed
David McFadden / Paula Bacon

Those are the main ones off the top of my head. Note that if any jockey opts for one trainer's horse over another's who they have first call with, they've probably picked the right horse of the two (as far as win prospects go).

If you follow some of these angles, the prices on the tote board will be better than you'd expect, regardless of what the public is betting.

I'm no expert on MNR or anything, but those are just a few of the things I've learned to employ when "by the numbers" handicapping isn't working.

Hope some of this helps. PP :ThmbUp:

[kenwoodallpromos]

"He won't win, he's already went through all of his conditions."
Maybe in this case he meantmthe horse has been going up several classes, so has not settle at any certain level, may be over his head- and may have been tired from several good efforts in a row.

[alysheba88]

Can only focus on one track at a time. Focused on Belmont- doing well

[WJ47]

"He won't win, he's already went through all of his conditions."
Maybe in this case he meantmthe horse has been going up several classes, so has not settle at any certain level, may be over his head- and may have been tired from several good efforts in a row.

I think thats what probably happened. The problem is that a small class raise is usually not too much of a problem when I handicap the larger tracks. But there seems to be a huge difference between 3500 claiming and 4000 claiming at small tracks. Or the conditioned claiming versus open. I just took out the Handicappers Condition Book from the library, so hopefully I'll learn something from it! :)

I really should try to confine my efforts to figuring out one track, but I like alot of action. I pretty much can hold my own and usually don't lose more than $50 a week, so I figure thats my entertainment. But I want to win! :)

Years ago, before I had the kids, I was a good handicapper. I won the pick 6 twice at Aqueduct and used to do pretty good. Thats when I concentrated only on the NY tracks and took good notes, ect. I'd spend 5 or 6 hours handicapping a card. But now I'm not nearly so thorough and it certainly shows in the bankroll. :)

[bpiets]

:jump: THE 'ONE'S' 'I'VE' BEEN WINNING AT AND THE :bang: 'ONE'S' 'I'VE' BEEN LOSING AT.....