Newbies next question.

[Jaecubed]

Originally Posted by TheGarMan

Late Edit: I would be remiss for not saying that some of my more enjoyable picks have come right here at PA, during "big days" of racing we have fun with semi "live threads" and the guys here are first rate. (PA picking Take Charge Brandi comes to mind) Good luck!

This sounds interesting... this is the kind of thing I miss about the good old days of poker and the poker forum... comradely and having fun with like minded people. I'm hopeful I might actually be able to meet up with some of the PA people at Saratoga this year. Maybe see how things are done. I know I'm new but maybe by then I'll have made a friend or two. Worst case I can bribe someone with a beer or two.

[jk3521]

There have been times when I was so hopped up on playing a certain longshot that I overlooked something in the PP's. Listening to the track handicappers can bring you back to earth on the real chances of your horse scoring.
(It's when those guys pick a longshot, that I don't listen.)

[Tom]

Andy Serling is a treasure to this game.
You will learn a lot about raing that you will never find in the PPs. Pay attention to his comments.

And go to NYRA.com and look under racing, then Resources, then Track Trends to get his track bias reports that go back over a year and cover all the NYRA tracks.

https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/track-trends

Listen to Steve Byks's radio program - you will get a lot of general information from trainers and jockeys and handicappers that will give your foundation a boost.

Go to Horseplayernow for a beginners's guide for a lot of basics:

http://www.horseplayernow.com/upload...1/beginner.pdf

Go to night school here - several years of archived classes - pick the topics that you are interested in and listen in.

http://www.horseplayernow.com/archives.html

They also have weekly sessions where they handicap a track live using FREE BRIS PPs. Follow along, not so much to bet other tracks, but to get a look at the thought processes used by other. Jeremy Plonk is a good capper. You can learn stuff just enjoying a night at the track!

[jay68802]

If you like the show, watch it, grab your form and go through the races with them. Where and how you learn is up to you. There are going to be some races where you say, I see what they are saying. There are going to be some races where you say, are we looking at the same race? I learned from a guy named J.P. Miller. No one on this forum, unless you happen to be in Nebraska in the early 80's, will know who he is. One thing that I think everybody will agree on is you will never stop learning about this game.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by Prioress Ply

"I welcome opposing points of view."

Then I need to revise the TOS to add "but I don't welcome assholes."

[jay68802]

Originally Posted by PaceAdvantage

Then I need to revise the TOS to add "but I don't welcome assholes."

But I tolerate them in a New York way.

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by Jaecubed

This sounds interesting... this is the kind of thing I miss about the good old days of poker and the poker forum... comradely and having fun with like minded people. I'm hopeful I might actually be able to meet up with some of the PA people at Saratoga this year. Maybe see how things are done. I know I'm new but maybe by then I'll have made a friend or two. Worst case I can bribe someone with a beer or two.

Right, and that's the good thing about listening to track analysts like Andy Serling and others who know what they're talking about---it makes the game more fun, especially when you're learning. In the long run, sure you want to handicap on your own and come up with strong opinions, but when you're learning it never hurts to hear someone else's ideas. They might have considered things from an angle that you didn't. In the "old days" we did this on track with a bunch of guys; now a lot of it is done on great sites like this one. Those discussions and analysis are part of the fun and what makes horse racing interesting.

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally Posted by jay68802

But I tolerate them in a New York way.

You guys are good.

[deathandgravity]

The first book I read on Thoroughbred racing is the one I still consider the best: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing.

Yep, it's old & a little outdated, but it helped me cut-my-teeth @ Turf Paradise in it's 1980's glamour years. (that was a joke)


https://www.amazon.com/Ainslies-Comp.../dp/0671656554

[GMB@BP]

Originally Posted by deathandgravity

The first book I read on Thoroughbred racing is the one I still consider the best: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing.

Yep, it's old & a little outdated, but it helped me cut-my-teeth @ Turf Paradise in it's 1980's glamour years. (that was a joke)


https://www.amazon.com/Ainslies-Comp.../dp/0671656554

Me too, lol

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by Jaecubed

Hi All,

My first post/question gave me some very good advice and I thought I would go back to the well for another one. I kind of think I know what the overall answer to this question is going to be but I thought I would ask it and see if there is any advantages.

My question is this:

What is your thought on listening to "track experts" thoughts/picks on the days card? I'm practicing/playing Aqueducts and before each days races they have a 30+/- min. show with their thoughts, replays & picks on the days races. As a beginner I find this educational but is this something I should shy away from at some point? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the "experts opinions" and what I should or shouldn't take away from them.

Again thanks in advance for any input on this.

Think of yourself as an attorney. Ideally, a good one is going to know the case so well that you could be prosecution or defense. You've employed critical thinking, and know both sides of the story.

Watching a track expert, it's like getting a chance to see how another top attorney would try the case.

They may shed light on some insights that you hadn't noticed. Maybe you disagree with them.

Realistically, there are also times when you are considering a wager because of one angle on one horse, and you may not know that specific local circuit as well as a specialist. They can help fill in the blanks, and sometimes they give you a feel beyond the morning line, of how the public views the race.