The Inner Voice

[Pell Mell]

How often does that little inner voice in your ear tell you that a horse is going to win? How often do you recognize it in time to bet it? How often do you kick yourself for not making the bet?

Almost every day I come upon a race and will see a horse that causes me to pause because of some vague feeling that I can't really put a finger on. Generally I dismiss the horse because no way, no how, does it figure to win according to accepted handicapping methods but it wins anyway. There are times when I do listen to that faint voice and cash a nice ticket.

I know from long experience that this feeling can't be forced, that it must come from the subconscious. Is it possible that our subconscious mind, because of long experience, can pick up on clues that conscious logic dismisses as irrelevant?

Have any of you found a way to tap into this feeling that I'm sure most of you have felt at some time?

This past Friday I had 4 such cases where I simply had the feeling that these horses would win and then went about the business of forgetting about them and they all won at big prices.

Am I alone in my whackiness?:bang:

[cmoore]

Your definitely not alone. Second guessing has killed me of late.

[whiteathame]

Check out http://www.rhine.org/history.htm If you're in the vicinity of Durham, NC, you might visit Duke University's Rhine Research Center. They deal with the science of parapsychology.

It's a two-way street you assist them (nothing invasive) and they help you hone your ESP skill-set. You become a more effective capper.

[Great Communicator]

It sounds like a good illusion. For every time this horse does win, there are probably a dozen or more other times it doesn't, and you probably aren't filing those losses in your long term memory banks. The end result is that the winners stick out, and appear to be coming in at a higher % than they should.

[Pell Mell]

It sounds like a good illusion. For every time this horse does win, there are probably a dozen or more other times it doesn't, and you probably aren't filing those losses in your long term memory banks. The end result is that the winners stick out, and appear to be coming in at a higher % than they should.

This happens when you try to force the feeling. I'm talking about a feeling that seems to be so deep in the subconscious that one can barely sense it which promotes the tendency to dismiss it. I know this sounds like Mumbo Jumbo but I believe it.

To me it's akin to the fact that one may seek the answer to a problem to no avail and then sleep on it and wake up with an answer. In another vein, you may be unable to remember something such as a name. Try as you might, you can't remember it, but as soon as you forget about remembering it, there it is. This is the subconscious at work! Some may call these feelings a hunch or a gut feeling but we can't drag them up at will. If only we could:D

[judd]

somewhat like having an illusion about a number ready to hit (lottery)

[DJofSD]

If you want to explorer intuition a little more, read this book. (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780767900348&itm=2)

[ryesteve]

How often does that little inner voice in your ear tell you that a horse is going to win?
Quite honestly, when it comes to horses, my inner voice tends to be an idiot, so I try to ignore it whenever possible. The only times it has a good chance to be right is when it tells me a horse is going to win after I've been shut out trying to bet on it, or when I discover a keying error that is too late to fix.

[DanG]

I admit to going deeper than most in selected legs of a pick 3, 4 whatever.

Many years ago when I used to go to Monmouth with my brother he made an observation that when I said “I wish we went a little deeper because this horse scares me”. This group of “scary” horses seemed to get their fair share at decent prices and while I don’t have hard evidence of their impact I’ve learned to often include the “scary” ones…especially in chaotic legs and it’s led to some scores over the years.

We dope out so many races in our lives we are bound to internalize thousands of scenarios. A fatal flaw in many gamblers is they internalize their negative experiences at a far higher rate than the positive ones. We seem to dwell on the bad DQ, miss-punch, bad ride etc far more than we bask in our good fortune and this brings unnecessary clutter to the process.

[keilan]

Am I alone in my whackiness?:bang:


Nope -- I experience this quite often and the horses generally pay very well.

[46zilzal]

Implicit understanding talks and it is called BLINK.

[Wickel]

I'm with you PM. I also experience this quite a bit, although not as often as some. When they do come, they do in spurts.

[rrpic6]

I like to play the mind games to see if I can tempt fate. My track buddies get a kick out of it when I say "this is the only horse that can beat me" in a pick 3 or 4 bet. Its usually a horse in the 12-1 to 20-1 shot range that does indeed beat me like (Intercontinental in the BC). I also had a nice streak of 3 bets in a row last year where I either bet a super or tri, intentionally leaving out one horse in the last slot. Each time the horse I leave out, runs in that slot..UNCANNY! Laziness prevented me from checking into the psych ward on another occasion last year. It was the last race at Santa Anita, playing a 10 cent super, I choose to leave out the #14 for 4th place. I don't feel like punching numbers 1 thru 13, so I just punch the ALL button. Sure enough the #14 runs 4th at 99-1, a Walter Solis 1st time starter, and I cash a 10center for over two grand. Feel free to PM me with the question "who's your next best horse in so and so leg at so and so track"? Your ROI should increase drastically.

RR

[Ron]

Now we have inner voices redboarding?

[rrpic6]

Now we have inner voices redboarding?

Losing 3 of 4 races..should have been 4 of 4 is cetainly not redboarding..its called telling an interesting story...and avoiding a trip to a real mental facility, not the one we share here.

RR

[Kelso]

Almost every day I come upon a race and will see a horse that causes me to pause because of some vague feeling that I can't really put a finger on. Generally I dismiss the horse because no way, no how, does it figure to win according to accepted handicapping methods but it wins anyway. There are times when I do listen to that faint voice and cash a nice ticket.


PM,
If you don't trust the voice sufficiently to turn it into one of your wagering angles, perhaps you can use it as a veto. Hearing the voice becomes an automatic pass on that race?

[thespaah]

How often does that little inner voice in your ear tell you that a horse is going to win? How often do you recognize it in time to bet it? How often do you kick yourself for not making the bet?

Almost every day I come upon a race and will see a horse that causes me to pause because of some vague feeling that I can't really put a finger on. Generally I dismiss the horse because no way, no how, does it figure to win according to accepted handicapping methods but it wins anyway. There are times when I do listen to that faint voice and cash a nice ticket.

I know from long experience that this feeling can't be forced, that it must come from the subconscious. Is it possible that our subconscious mind, because of long experience, can pick up on clues that conscious logic dismisses as irrelevant?

Have any of you found a way to tap into this feeling that I'm sure most of you have felt at some time?

This past Friday I had 4 such cases where I simply had the feeling that these horses would win and then went about the business of forgetting about them and they all won at big prices.

Am I alone in my whackiness?:bang:
You suck..... LOL!!!! This happens all the time. I pour over my PP's, get shoe info, look at the horses in the paddock and in the post parade. I make my selections and head to the window. Once in a while I happen to look at the Program to check the bets I have written down and BINGO , this horse jumps off the page at me..Now I am in between a rock and a concrete wall. Do I inlude my hunch and bust my budget , or do I tell that little guy on my shoulder( think of "Animal House") to shut up and ignore the hunch?...Dammit, if half the time this hunch horse doesn't blow up my exotics..GRRRRRR...
BAck to the budget thing..It is my tie to sanity. I firmly believe that successful wagering is all about money management. I create a budget and stick to it..No exceptions. No double dipping(ATM withdrawls at the track, ever)..If I dump my bankroll, I am done for the day..So the hunch horses have to be excluded. One of these times I will listen that little guy on my shoulder, and kick out one of my original selections and hit one of those rare bomb payoffs..Oh well.....

[Ron]

Losing 3 of 4 races..should have been 4 of 4 is cetainly not redboarding..its called telling an interesting story...and avoiding a trip to a real mental facility, not the one we share here.

RR

Actually I was commenting on the original poster.

.......This past Friday I had 4 such cases where I simply had the feeling that these horses would win and then went about the business of forgetting about them and they all won at big prices......

[Pell Mell]

Just what in the hell is redboarding about thinking about playing a horse? I didn't say I played and won after the fact. It seems to me that the only time you pop up on this board is to make some wise ass remark. What you really need is an attitude adjustment.:rolleyes:

[Ron]

Just what in the hell is redboarding about thinking about playing a horse? I didn't say I played and won after the fact. It seems to me that the only time you pop up on this board is to make some wise ass remark. What you really need is an attitude adjustment.:rolleyes:


Who thinks that -- you or your little inner voice?

You said your little inner voice picked 4 longshots.

Its called intuition.

[judd]

Now we have inner voices redboarding?
what have you contributed to this forum?
other than wisecracking

[NY BRED]

usually my radar goes off about a minute before post and more often
than not I'm right..


unfortunately, I'm generally shut out , and doing this..:bang:

[whiteathame]

what have you contributed to this forum?
other than wisecracking

Don't be too hard on Ron. Check out his avatar; I think he's autistic, he thinks he's a drummer...they contribute noise.

That said, The quiet little voices can certainly play hell with a budget if your "hunch bet" is in addition to your plan. Maybe, think s-u-b-s-t-i-t-u-t-i-o-n. Most exotics plans consist of a group of horses, some stronger than others, even in the top position.

[jonnielu]

This happens when you try to force the feeling. I'm talking about a feeling that seems to be so deep in the subconscious that one can barely sense it which promotes the tendency to dismiss it. I know this sounds like Mumbo Jumbo but I believe it.

To me it's akin to the fact that one may seek the answer to a problem to no avail and then sleep on it and wake up with an answer. In another vein, you may be unable to remember something such as a name. Try as you might, you can't remember it, but as soon as you forget about remembering it, there it is. This is the subconscious at work! Some may call these feelings a hunch or a gut feeling but we can't drag them up at will. If only we could:D

I'll bet you look the PP's over at night, my phsycic selections are 100% over 30 years and I have never bet a single one of them.
jdl

[Tom]

Actually, Ron is a decent horse player and a welcome addition to Toga every year. Lighten up - he has a sense of humor.:ThmbUp:

[ranchwest]

what have you contributed to this forum?
other than wisecracking

Doesn't that put him a step ahead of most?

[pandy]

How often does that little inner voice in your ear tell you that a horse is going to win? How often do you recognize it in time to bet it? How often do you kick yourself for not making the bet?

Almost every day I come upon a race and will see a horse that causes me to pause because of some vague feeling that I can't really put a finger on. Generally I dismiss the horse because no way, no how, does it figure to win according to accepted handicapping methods but it wins anyway. There are times when I do listen to that faint voice and cash a nice ticket.

I know from long experience that this feeling can't be forced, that it must come from the subconscious. Is it possible that our subconscious mind, because of long experience, can pick up on clues that conscious logic dismisses as irrelevant?

Have any of you found a way to tap into this feeling that I'm sure most of you have felt at some time?

This past Friday I had 4 such cases where I simply had the feeling that these horses would win and then went about the business of forgetting about them and they all won at big prices.

Am I alone in my whackiness?:bang:

Good post. I wrote about this subject in a harness handicapping column I do for Harness Eye (it will eventually be published at www.ustrotting.com under my Pandycapping columns but I have to wait a couple of months to post it due to copywrite restrictions). I've had these types of feelings where I felt strongly about the outcome of a race or a sporting event. Twice this has happened in the Super Bowl and both times my team own easily, the last was when Tampa whipped Oakland, which I was absolutely positive about. There are some interesting new books about instincts such as Gut Instinct by a Gerd Gegerenzer. Also Blink, by Gladwell is pretty good. Basically when you get that feeling your subconscious has taken everything you know about handicapping and predicted the winner for you. Unfortunately I got these feelings more often when I was around 19 years old. It was uncanny. I'd be at the track deciding between two horses then suddenly I would know which one was going to win. One time I was with a friend and we ran into some guys we went to high school with. Suddenly it hit me that the four was going to win. My friend James told the other guys that they must bet the four because "when Bob gets this feeling the horse always wins" but they looked at him like he was nuts. James and I ran to the window and bet the four, which won easily at 5-2. After that if I told them to bet a horse, they bet it.

[shanta]

Anyone interested in putting their mind in "that other place" where it will be receptive and then give you feedback when a situation comes up.

Here is a link. When it comes up the meditative chant you hear has been used for hundreds of years to relax one's mind. Not sure if it will work with Firefox. Will work with IE browser.
http://home.att.net/~jimbradshaw/heal.htm

[Pell Mell]

Pandys post prompts me to relate this story. I was reluctant to tell it, but what the hell.

It was some time in the 50s and I was at Garden State on a Sat. and it was so crowded there wasn't a seat to be found. I was tired from standing all day and was sitting on a vendors pushcart vacantly staring at my form. I don't know if I fell asleep or was in a trance but I was seeing a race being run. There was a beautiful chesnut coming down the stretch all alone. The jock was wearing bright red silks and the thing I really noticed was that he had no whip. I then snapped out of it in time to see the horses coming on to the track for the feature race and the first thing I saw was a jock in bright red silks on a gorgeous chestnut. Then came the announcement that Larry Gilligan aboard Pucker Up would carry no whip. I damn near crapped my pants, this was what I saw in my trance. I was with my brother-in-law who gave new meaning to the word cheap. I told him to tap out on this horse but he told me to get lost. I had 40 bucks left and put it all on her nose. Just like I saw it, here comes Pucker Up all alone by 10 to the wire and paid $28. to win. She went on to become a great mare and there is is a race named for her that's run every year. Strange but true.:)

[shanta]

1) A friend calls me the morning of the Belmont stakes 2006. Tells me "Rich I don't have the form but who is this Bob horse?". After looking at entries I tell him it's Bob and John. He says " ok when the gate pops that horse is gonna go to the lead and before they get halfway down the backstretch will stop like he is shot Rich". Now this is the race that had that Minister speed horse and some other one too I believe.

I tell him all this and he just said " Listen to what I told you and watch the race later. Throw out any and all horses that win from the first 3 positions early on.Winner is coming from the back." 7 hours later the race runs,gate pops and his exact scenario plays out to a "T". never looked at a Form.

2) Same fellow. Morning of this years Preakness calls me and says "Rich I have that feeling again. I know who's gonna win the race and I haven't seen the pp's. Curlin is going to win the race."

I tell him "are you serious? You HATED that horse in the Derby(what he actually told me was book all the bets I could find on Curlin to win) and now without seeing any pp's you think he's gonna win today?"

Said he knew the horse was going to win. Didn't need to see the pp's. Race runs hours later and Curlin wins.

True stories from a legendary intuitive player who uses the "inner voice" written about here every day of his life!

[superfecta]

There has to be some part of the human brain that takes information and processes it differently than your conciousness.As you handicap a race as you normally do that other part is looking at the same race illogically,taking notice of such things as names or colors or trainers and other factors to a horse.And ocassionally it notices something that is not a part of your handicapping method,but is a trend in the winners or contenders in the race.
Then it may lodge itself in your brain tellling you to take this horse that doesn't "figure" and its up to you to be aware of this being a good gut feeling or just a flight of fancy(in effect your brain screwin with your head).
I have gone to the track and after pouring over the races and not getting excited about any of them,I would get one race that for some reason is "leaping off the page at me" and I would get some horses that dont figure as logical contenders but I just "feel" they have a chance.
The other type of "feeling "is doping out the race and you just know its gonna be your horses in contention,no wavering.And as they are coming down the stretch you hear that little voice(minesounds like Jay Trotter) saying "I got IT" and you start walking to the window before the race is over.
Those feelings don't come near as often as I would like,and they dont always work but I have to admit I pay attention to them at the track and at the poker table .

[Dick Schmidt]

I don't know if you can "divine" the winners or not, but I do know how to find out. Well before the race is run, maybe as soon as you get the feeling, open a notebook and write down your feeling about the race. If you think the three horse is going to do well for no good reason that you can articulate, write it down. Then after the races, write down the results. Do this for a few hundred races and you'll know if you can trust your feelings or not.


Of course, even if you show a profit, you face the problem of doing it under pressure for real money, but that's another story. I kept an "racing instinct" notebook for a year and managed to convince myself that I had none.

Dick

For those who understand, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not, no explanation is possible." - John Taffin -

[Grits]

I like this advice. Its sound thinking, a good exercise; and its quite honest. Funny too.

I think if we were working from memory alone, we would, indeed, tend to recall our winners--because, this is true of our general horseracing memory banks.

I've done fine, over the years, on physicality, at times, even when the horse may have looked questionable, or may have been a first time starter. But, going on a "little voice." No, no, no. Absolutely not.

Any degree of the "little voice," may perhaps, cause me to wind up on the ward with other schizophrenics. Now wouldn't I be in a mess with my gift then? LOLOL

Thanks for the sound advice, and the great post, Dick Schmidt.

I don't know if you can "divine" the winners or not, but I do know how to find out. Well before the race is run, maybe as soon as you get the feeling, open a notebook and write down your feeling about the race. If you think the three horse is going to do well for no good reason that you can articulate, write it down. Then after the races, write down the results. Do this for a few hundred races and you'll know if you can trust your feelings or not.

Of course, even if you show a profit, you face the problem of doing it under pressure for real money, but that's another story. I kept an "racing instinct" notebook for a year and managed to convince myself that I had none.

Dick

For those who understand, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not, no explanation is possible." - John Taffin -