POLL: EASIEST AND TOUGHEST TRACKS TO HANDICAP

[Chris Longshot]

Was curious what fellow handicappers thought the easiest and toughest tracks to handicap were, I myself target Mountaineer, which is pretty tough, Wondering what other handicappers think. Thanks, Chris Longshot

[Chris Longshot]

DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO POST POLL BUT YOU GUYS COULD JUST REPLY

[kitts]

Mountaineer was easiest back around 2002. I guess the slot money attracted better horses since I can't even get arrested in MNR. My easiest now is AP

[thespaah]

Was curious what fellow handicappers thought the easiest and toughest tracks to handicap were, I myself target Mountaineer, which is pretty tough, Wondering what other handicappers think. Thanks, Chris Longshot
I think the easiest tracks to tame are the tracks one usually bets. For example if a bettor plays the SO Cal circuit most often, he knows the trainers, jocks, track biases, etc. Consequently he would have the easiest time at those tracks.

[Hajck Hillstrom]

Easiest: Saratoga
Most difficult: Mountaineer

[kenwoodallpromos]

Easiest- Lone Star
Hardest- Calder

[Chris Longshot]

Tough: Woodbine, Turfway, Evangeline,
Easiest: Sam Houston

[whyhorseofcourse]

Easiest- Charlestown
Hardest- Emerald downs

[Tom]

Easy money at track 3, but track 4 is killing me.

[46zilzal]

Easiest: Fort Erie, Inner Aqu
Toughest: Mountaineer (inconsistent)

[Zman179]

Easy money at track 3, but track 4 is killing me.

Really? Track 3 is treating me like number 2.

[Tom Barrister]

Easiest: Hawthorne and Woodbine

Hardest: Delaware and Calder

[Norm]

Easiest : Aqueduct. Aqueduct makes my year, every year, consistently for many years. I love Aqueduct. :jump:



Hardest : Philly Park. I've been trying to learn it because they have year-round racing but it makes me crazy; they can run a mile in 1:43:2 and win ! They have whole fields where no horse has raced or worked in 35 or more days. They run lots of odd distances like

6-1/2 f and 7-1/2 f. But, it's o.k., I'm getting there. My winning average at Philly is creeping upward, . . . very slowly. :bang:

[Dan Montilion]

Difficult: GGF, HOL, STK, FNO

Very Difficult: SA, SR

F'n Impossible: DMR, PLN

For all that have posted "easy" tracks, you are all my hero. Amazing!

[Burls]

Is it just me?

What do Tracks 1,2,3 and 4 stand for?

[Robert Fischer]

everybody seems to like track 1 ...:)

[Robert Fischer]

The easiest to me are the New York circuit , churchill downs , gulfstream.

I stink at pretty much everywhere else when it comes to day-to-day play.

& follow the big names to any track .

[parshooter]

#1 Woodbine - toughest

#2 Mountaineer (file://\mountaineer)

#3 Del Mar

#4 Santa Anita

[jhilden]

Easy ( longrun profit): Penn Nat, Charles Town, Belmont, Hollywood, Aqu(inner) and Sam Houston

Toughest (lose my shirt): MNR, Calder, Hawthorn, Hoosier, and Saratoga

Longrun breakeven (Some days good, some bad): LRL, PHA, and Tampa Bay

[TEJAS KIDD]

This one's for you DAN


EASIEST: FERNDALE or any track that races MULES
TOUGHEST: TRACKS THAT DONT HAVE A STARTING GATE, OR TRACKS WHERE THE STARTING GATE MOVES.

[Robert Goren]

There are no easy tracks. Keenland is impossable!:bang: :bang: :bang:

[Arlington Rodie]

Easy- Laurl, Pimlico, Gulfstream, and Phili:cool:

Toughest-- EVG, or any other poly or cushion track (I live at AP and still can't figure it out yet):bang:

MTR has gotten alot harder since the slots. :mad: :confused:

[nobeyerspls]

Was curious what fellow handicappers thought the easiest and toughest tracks to handicap were, I myself target Mountaineer, which is pretty tough, Wondering what other handicappers think. Thanks, Chris Longshot

The problem has some complexity to it so my answer does too. I do not play Philly, Fingerlakes, Suffolk, Turfway, Mountaineer, Laurel, Hawthorne, or any tracks west of the Mississippi except for Fairgrounds. I play turf only at Arlington and Tampa. At Calder and the New York tracks I'm involved with maidens, fillies and turf except for the inner track at Aqueduct where I play the win four races regardless of type.
I avoid open claiming males sprinting at all tracks unless they are a solo part of a horizontal bet and I am seldom involved in races that are run after 4:00PM est.
The most profitable tracks for me are Woodbine, Churchill, Keeneland, Fairgrounds, and Gulfstream.

[Tom]

Curious...why nothing after 4:oo pm?

[nobeyerspls]

Curious...why nothing after 4:oo pm?

I am one of those dinosaurs that does not bet or watch races over the Internet and I do not subscribe to any cable racing channels. I have to be at the track or simulcast facility and I only bet races that I can watch. During the winter months the simulcast facility is 3 miles from my home and my office is in between. I like to stop at the office to see if any clients called and then get home to watch the market wrap-up with a few beers.
I used to play later races at Calder/Gulfstream when there were replays on the Sunshine network but they discontinued those.

[Chris Longshot]

didnt mean to post a poll just looking for replies

[Dan Montilion]

This one's for you DAN


EASIEST: FERNDALE or any track that races MULES
TOUGHEST: TRACKS THAT DONT HAVE A STARTING GATE, OR TRACKS WHERE THE STARTING GATE MOVES. Party at Winnemucca. Your host The Best Ass Picker In The Nation, Formerly known as The Sheik.

[northerndancer]

Easiest:

1. Woodbine
2. Turfway
3. Philadelphia Park
4. Mountaineer
5. Hollywood Park

Toughest:

1. Gulfstream Park
2. Monmouth
3. Finger Lakes
4. Del Mar
5. Saratoga

[NY BRED]

easiest: aqu(inner) ,Med, Belmont

Impossible :CALDER, The Mountain , Turfway

[cj's dad]

This has to be the most f---ed up track in America.:bang:

Talk about game playing.:mad:

[rcknhrse]

Keeneland is impossible,and i have trouble at turf paradise and the simulcast from argentina.

aqu ,hol,and SA seem to have payoffs that keep me alive.

[BlueShoe]

Will generalize,but the largest "Class A" circuits;SoCal,NewYork,and large Kentucky are tough for me.Too much smart money sharp players with their computer programs.Churchill and Keeneland,both spring and fall meets have gotten so tough that do not play them seriously.The best tracks for this player are the mid level tracks that have long meets that run lots of claiming races.On the other end,would hate to have to try and make money at places such as Penn National or Great Lakes.

[Greyhound Friend]

Toughest: Saratoga and Woodbine

Easier (or less tough): Monmouth and Philly

[dylbert]

I do not play Philly, Fingerlakes, Suffolk, Turfway, Mountaineer, Laurel, Hawthorne, or any tracks west of the Mississippi except for Fairgrounds.Fair Grounds is east of the Mississippi.

[RaceBookJoe]

For me : Easiest would be SAR, AQU, CT,HOL,PENN. The hardest for me are: SUF,FL,PHA,PIM....so i dont play them anymore.

[riskman]

The best tracks for this player are the mid level tracks that have long meets that run lots of claiming races.On the other end,would hate to have to try and make money at places such as Penn National or Great Lakes.

You could probably add Finger Lakes or I would. Otherwise, I totally agree with your statement.

[Greyfox]

Average win payouts at each of the tracks should give you a more objective standard as to which tracks are tough and which are not so tough, rather than our consensus here.

[Doc]

Easiest: Philly Park and any New York track

Hardest: Fair Grounds, Louisiana Downs and Keeneland

I think Philly is easy for me because I handicap it on a daily basis and so I'm extremely familiar with the larceny that's occuring there. ;)

Doc

[Chris Longshot]

Doc, going to philly park tomorrow, any advice, don't play there regulary, seems a lot of favorites run 1-2-3 there, even when a longshot runs in, its usually with a short price favorites, are there any longshot low % trainers that are firing right now? that's what I look for to get value, Thanks

[Doc]

Ihaveadate, I sent you a PM in regards to tomorrow's card.

Doc

[Overlay]

Average win payouts at each of the tracks should give you a more objective standard as to which tracks are tough and which are not so tough, rather than our consensus here.

Your comment highlights the obstacles to success posed by the fact that, the easier a track is to handicap (as judged by lower average payouts), the harder it becomes to achieve a sufficiently high win percentage to beat the track take overall. And the more difficult a track is to handicap, even though the average mutuel may be higher, the more unpredictable and infrequent the hit rate becomes. Either way, I think ultimate success comes down to selectivity in wagering, according to your assessment of a horse's winning chances versus that of the public, keyed either to the conditions at a particular track, or (if betting multiple locations) to fundamental conditions having the broadest possible range of general applicability.

[maxwell]

Amazingly I have to say Aquemuck is my buddy. And I love NY racing ... at least for this year. On the flip side of the coin, I don't care for DMR or Kee; even if I have a winning meet. I can't put my finger on the why but those two tracks bug me.

I normally don't seperate major tracks on a circuit even though I jot them down. But this thread forced me to do a little bookkeeping ... which never hurts. So far this year :

SoCal : SA: +16/1 Hol: minus 8 DMR: minus 10 = minus 2 ... Holy crap!

NY : Aq: +44/1 Bel: +24/1 SAR: +12/1 = +80/1 ... go figure!

Kentucky: CD: +12/1 Kee: minus 1 = +11/1

Florida : GP: = +34/1 ... a good meet considering the quality of racing is going south of the Keys. :(

I expected to win with my SoCal picks, and hope for the best with the rest. So much for favorite tracks and circuits.

My average win is around 9.5/1. I keep the final odds tight : 7.8/1 -> 12.2/1

I rarely get to the track to bet. I like to play the BC Pick Six, and the odd handicapping contest. Some people like to solve sudokus; I enjoy the riddle of handicapping, and the game in general.

Happy Holidays!

[Gambleonclaimers]

Doc, i was also considering beginning to play at Philly Park there during the week i have just been watching a little every day not really see any patterns developing. Are there realistically any possibilities to making this a daily track I can play.

[Doc]

Gambleonclaimers, the most consistent jockeys at Philly right now are Kendrick Carmouche, Eriluis Vaz, Frankie Pennington and Harry Vega. Abel Mariano and Pennington are currently the go-to riders for leading trainer Jayne Vaders - they both have the same jockey agent (Bob Martel). Vaders has been dominating the action all year and she is sitting on a bunch of live horses the next couple of days. This time of year it's often tough to handicap because the year-round horse/jockey/trainer population is spiced up by newcomers from Delaware and New Jersey. Steve Klesaris has a high % shipping up from Fair Hill, while regular Phil Aristone has been sneaking some over at decent prices lately. It's tough to boil it all down in a couple of sentences, so I just tried to give you the highlights.


Doc

[thespaah]

Gambleonclaimers, the most consistent jockeys at Philly right now are Kendrick Carmouche, Eriluis Vaz, Frankie Pennington and Harry Vega. Abel Mariano and Pennington are currently the go-to riders for leading trainer Jayne Vaders - they both have the same jockey agent (Bob Martel). Vaders has been dominating the action all year and she is sitting on a bunch of live horses the next couple of days. This time of year it's often tough to handicap because the year-round horse/jockey/trainer population is spiced up by newcomers from Delaware and New Jersey. Steve Klesaris has a high % shipping up from Fair Hill, while regular Phil Aristone has been sneaking some over at decent prices lately. It's tough to boil it all down in a couple of sentences, so I just tried to give you the highlights.


DocThat's good info..Thanks!!!

[DrunkenHorseplayer]

Easiest: Aqueduct, Calder
Most difficult: Emerald, Mountaineer, anything in Canada.

[PaceAdvantage]

Is this not the funniest poll of 2007?

[cjruma]

My vote is for Beulah where you can generally isolate 3-4 picks or just stick with horses shipped in from Turway/Mountaineer or Trainer Ralph Martinez.

[Greyfox]

Your comment highlights the obstacles to success posed by the fact that, the easier a track is to handicap (as judged by lower average payouts), the harder it becomes to achieve a sufficiently high win percentage to beat the track take overall. And the more difficult a track is to handicap, even though the average mutuel may be higher, the more unpredictable and infrequent the hit rate becomes. Either way, I think ultimate success comes down to selectivity in wagering, according to your assessment of a horse's winning chances versus that of the public, keyed either to the conditions at a particular track, or (if betting multiple locations) to fundamental conditions having the broadest possible range of general applicability.

I think Overlay that you and I are in high agreement on this one.
The question posed though was concerning the easiest and hardest tracks to handicap. The answer is in Average Win Payouts.

The answer would be different if the question were which are the easiest and hardest tracks to make money at.

[Chris Longshot]

Is this not the funniest poll of 2007?


Since I started it, Yes Mr. Pace!! The best poll of 2007, Just can't believe nobody likes tracks 2 and 4 lol