I handicap the night before. It's a habit I developed in the olden days when the only way to get a form was to stand in line at 8pm & wait for the DRF guy to bring the papers. I still think my handicapping is better when I can do it at whatever the proper pace is & not grappling for some obscure trainer stat 15 min to post.
After the day's scratches I take a piece of notebook paprt & organize it as follows. I leave about 2 inches blank & then using a ruler make 5 columns. They are
A horses that I think have a 2-1 or less chance of winning.
B those I think have a 5-2 to 7-2 chance
C those I think have a 4-1 to 10 chance
D rare horse that I think has something I find interesting. If a D horse is going off at huge odds, I'll put a few buck on it or if it's the last leg of a pic 3/4/5/6 series, & I'm alive, I want to cover that horse.
SH In this column I list the bridesmaid types or sucker horses that probably won't win, but have a strong chance of running 2nd. This is my goto column for exactas.
In the 2 inch section I left blank, I list the betting options for this race. At any course of the day, I can glance at the paper & see what my options are. If I'm playing the DD & one of the combinations is say $12, I ignore it as a DD, but use it with my other picks in the following race if there is a Pic3. If I think a horse is a mortal lock, I circle that number in red. If a horse is the morning line favorite or strong co favorite, I put a tiny asterisks next to it's number to remind me to bet a little more on this horse if I'm using it in a blind pool. I don't wan to win the bet & lose money.
The paper serves as a map an helps keep me grounded.
Now if I predicated the map on a strong early speed bias, & the 1st two winners come from dead last, screw it. The model has changed for some reason & I'm not going to throw a lot of money at the tote board in an attempt to get even or get it right. I'll handicap tomorrow or read a book or go to a movie.
