Popular US Horse Race Betting Terms

 There is basic terminology for horse racing in betting on the daily card at the live track. These terms are broken down into the horse, the horse race and the horse bets.

The Horses

Blinkers are often used to improve the horse’s vision and focus. The area is a cup-shaped device placed around the eyes and nose that limits a horse’s vision.

Past Performance is a term given to a horse’s records of performance, earnings, blood lines and other statistical data.

The Closer is a horse that runs better in the latter portions of the race. They come off the pace set by the leader.

The Front Runner is a horse that will attempt to get the lead in the start of the race. They also will attempt to keep the lead through the entire race.

The Pace Setter is the horse that is leading the way through the race.

Dam is the mother of the horse.

Sire is the father of the horse.

The Horse Race

The Allowance race is determined by certain conditions such as the horse’s age, sex and/or past performance. For example, the allowance is a non-winner of two separate races other than a maiden race or claiming race.

The Claiming race is when each horse that is entered can be claimed at a set purchases price.

The Graded race is guaranteed to offer a $100,000 or more as part of the prize purse. The horse race has to be run at least twice (each year) under similar conditions.

The Stakes race is where an owner has paid a fee to enter the horse in the field. Some stakes races are by invitation and no payment or fee.

Handicap is a racing type that each horse carries different weights and it is allocated by the handicapper.

The Length is a quantitative measurement of one horse leading the field by another horse.

The Post Positions is the number of the starting gate in the race of the horse and their jockey.

Off-Track is a wet horse track with sloppy conditions. The off-track term can also be a facility or venue that is a simulcast view with live racing from the actual horse track.

A Furlong is 1/8 of a mile.

Silks are the name given to a jockey’s cap and jacket in a horse race.

Horse Racing Wagers

Across the Board is a bet on the horse to win, place and show in the race.

Box Exacta is a term that bets two horses coming in first and second place in any order. The box trifecta is any three horses coming in first, second and third.

Chalk is betting the favorite horse in a race.

The Daily Double is betting two consecutive races in the daily card.

The Exacta is betting on the first place horse and second place horse in the same race. The first three positions in a horse race is called the Trifecta and the first four positions is called the Superfecta.

Exotic Bets are any other wagers except for the win, place and show positions. The Daily Double and the Exacta are two types of Exotic Bets.

The Handle is the amount of total money in a pari-mutuel money pool.

In the Money is betting on the win, place and show positions in a horse race.

The Morning Line is the starting odds of a handicapper at the horse racing track.

On the Board is a phase given to the first, second and third place horse in a race.

Pari-Mutuel is a betting term that totals-up the money in the separate pool in each race of the daily card. Pari-mutuel horse race betting money pools have the deduction of track fees and state taxes.

Parlay is a multiple horse race bet that combines the wagers on a certain number of races in the daily card.

Pick 3 is a parlay bet of three consecutive races in the daily card at the horse track. The parlay wager can be extended for a Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6 of consecutive races in the card.

The Wheel is a betting term that uses one horse to win the race and multiple horses to finish second and/or third.

Win, Place and Show positions in a horse race determine who is first, second and third in that race.

Posted at ScoresandStats.com

 

 

 

Early Odds for the 2023 Preakness Stakes

Mage +137

First Mission +225

Two Phil's +400

Derma Sotogake +800

Tapit Trice +800

National Treasure +1000

Disarm +1000

Perform +1000

Blazing Sevens +1400

Confidence Game +1600

Red Route One +2000

Chase the Chaos +6600

Il Miracolo +6600

Posted by MyBookie.ag

Circa Sportsbooks Seeks Partnership with MLB's Athletics

 Derek Stevens and Circa Sportsbook is very interested in partnering with the MLB's Athletics as the team relocates to Las Vegas from Oakland, California. The time-table is 2025 with the brand new stadium completed in 2027.

The A's bought land for development at the former Wild, Wild West Casino in the north Las Vegas Strip. Stevens has three land-based casinos with retail sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas (Circa, D Vegas and Golden Gate). Circa has offered its sportsbook partnership with the A's once the team is in Las Vegas.

Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the blog post, Circa Sportsbook Plans Partnership for the MLB's Athletics in Las Vegas.

The Most Popular US Horse Races to Bet On

1) Kentucky Derby - Churchill Downs

2) Preakness Stakes - Pimlico Race Course

3) Belmont Stakes - Belmont Park

4) Haskell Stakes - Monmouth Park Racetrack

5) Travers Stakes - Saratoga Race Course

6) Pacific Classic - Del Mar Racetrack

7) Breeders' Cup Classic - Santa Anita Park (2023)

Posted on ScoresandStats.com

My 5 Contenders for the Kentucky Derby

These five horses have morning line odds and my prediction to win this stakes race in percentage points. I also have the top three contenders to win, place and show as a bonus pick.

Forte (3-1)

This three-year-old colt has been a favorite to win the Kentucky Derby ever since he won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 as a two-year-old. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Forte won a pair of major graded stakes at Gulfstream Park this year. He finished first in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes on March 4 and he topped the field in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on April 1.

Sired by Violence, he finished first in six of seven races in his early career (fourth in the Grade 3 Stanford Stakes in mid-July last year). Forte has shown the pedigree and power to finish strong in the backstretch at 1 ¼ miles on dirt. He is starting at the No. 15 gate at Churchill Downs with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr..

Percent to Win: 60%

Tapit Trice (5-1)

As a Kentucky-bred colt racing for Whisper Hill Farms and Gainesway Stable, Tapit Trice has won races at Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs and Keeneland Race Course as a three-year-old. He finished first at Keeneland on April 8 in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes to cement his rating (7.89) at Horse Racing Nation.

In that race at Keeneland, Tapit Trice covered 1 1/8 miles on dirt in 1:50.00 over Verifying and Blazing Sevens. Also trained by Todd Pletcher, he drew the No. 5 gate at Churchill Downs and Luis Saez will be his jockey.

Percent to Win: 20%

Angel of Empire (8-1)

As a son of Classic Empire, he finished first or second in five races out of the six in his competitive career. Angel of Empire won his last two races as a three-year-old. He finished first at Fair Ground on Feb. 18 in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes before winning the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on April 1.

Trained by Brad Cox  and ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, Angel of Empire will start the Kentucky Derby at the No. 14 gate. He has increased the distance and grade of this event, but his HRN rating of 7.70 will make him one of the legitimate contenders for the Kentucky Derby.

Percent to Win: 5%

Practical Move (10-1)

With Tim Yakteen as the trainer and jockey Ramon Vazquez leading him out of the No. 10 gate, Practical Move is in pretty good position to make a run for the money in the Kentucky Derby. He won back-to-back races at Santa Anita Park by finishing first in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 4 before taking first in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8.

Sired by Practical Joke, he climbed the ladder in his 7.67 rating at HRN with his two victories out on the West Coast.

Percent to Win: 5%

Kingsbarns (12-1)

As a son of Uncle Mo and trained by Todd Pletcher, Kingsbarns has an 8.02 HRN rating from his last win at Fair Grounds. He finished first in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby on March 25 by covering the 1 3/16 mile on dirt in 1:57.33. His competitive career as a three-year-old created wins in the one-mile Allowance race at Gulfstream Park and a Maiden Special Weight race at Tampa Bay Downs covering 1 mile and 40 yards.

Starting at No. 6 at Churchill Down in the Kentucky Derby with jockey Jose Ortiz, Kingsbarns is a live longshot to finish in the money in this race.

Percent to Win: 10%

Kentucky Derby Bonus Pick:

$50 on Forte to Win

$25 on Tapit Trice to Place

$25 on Kingsbarns to Show

Previously posted at Doc's Sport Service

Is Legal Online Sports Betting Coming to North Carolina?

North Carolina's House of Representatives approved a bill allowing 10 to 12 online sportsbooks to set up shop in the state. If the state Senate follows suit, Governor Roy Copper could sign HB 347 into law and legal online sportsbooks might be operating next year.

State Representative Jason Saine introduces HB 347 for the legislative session in late winter and he  recently commented:

"We've learned a good bit from both sided about some of the tweaks that needed to happen. We've worked to accommodate those concern, and we believe we have a bill can that can do better than pass. It can get support from both caucuses"

Doc's Sports Service has all the details in the post, Are Legal Online Sports Betting Sites Coming to North Carolina?

5 Tips of Horse Racing Bets

 Whether you are betting the Kentucky Derby or the race card at the local track, these five tips for wagering on horse racing come to mind when picking out the winners. It is both a science and an art to know and understand which horses are a cut above the rest in running the race around the track on dirt and on turf.

Handicap Your Odds on Horse Race Betting

You have the basic positions of which horses will win, place and show. Also, you have exotic positions referred as the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in a horse race. These positions are bets within the particular race in the daily card. They all have money pools as part of the para-mutual waging on horse racing here in the US.

There are multiple bets in a race card known as the Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 and Pick 6. A common goal is to pick the winner in consecutive race cards throughout the day at the same horse track. These multiple wagers in the same horse bet have separate money pools as well at the live horse track, an off-track betting facility and online with a betting site.

You can handicap your odds for the different types of  bets to want to play for the daily race card. If you only want to pick a win, place or show position, you can focus on the favorite, a few legitimate contenders and one or two longshots. If you want to pick an exacta, trifecta or superfecta, you can focus your attention to two, three or four horses in the same race. From live race tracks that offer the Daily Double all the way to the Pick 6 bet, you can pick winners for consecutive multiple races in the card.

Find Out Your Daily Horse Track Conditions

Most horses run in fast conditions at the track in dry weather, but a few horses do better with sloppy conditions at a wet track. You have to find out your daily track conditions whether you are at the facility itself or betting the track from an off-track venue or online from a betting site.

The track conditions applies to racing on dirt and turf. You can finds a horse that prefers a sloppy track if it is raining or wet . It is important to change track conditions from dry to wet as the race card progresses.

Make Note of  the Trainer and Jockey of Your Horses

Along with the horse you want to focus on, the trainer and the jockey are important for this race as well in the daily card. The trainer has a win-loss record at every main horse track in the US. They can make a big difference over the span of the horse’s competitive career. The jockey rides the horse and he can also make a difference in that race, good or bad.

Understand the Tangible and Intangible Factors

Here are tangible factors that needs to be considered in a race including the position in the starting gate, blinkers on or off and dirt vs. turf as a riding surface. The intangible factors in a race are layoffs between two events, raising or dropping in the class of the race and medication (Lasix and Bute).

Know How Skill and Luck Work Hand-to-Hand

Winning a horse race is a combination of skill and luck. You need skill to pick out the horses in a race and you need luck to have the right breaks fall their way. From the odds-on favorite to the live longshot, a certain amount of skill and luck will guide you along with your picks at the horse track.

Previously posted on ScoresandStats.com