Introduction - Horse racing has been popular since the advent of man and the horse. If one thinks of Roman times he will remember horsedrawn chariots racing at breakneck speed. In modern times, however, harness racing has been a newcomer, attain­ing popularity in the 1800's and reaching its present peak in the United States between 1940 and 1960.

01. Program Reading - You can pick winners! Handicapping the harness races is an art, one which is acquired by study, effort and the application of common sense. Many racing fans are of the opinion that thoroughbred horses (flat racing) are more true to form and more easily handicapped than pacers and trotters (standard breds). I believe that the reverse of this is true.

02. Handicapping Speed - To figure a race on speed alone is meaningless! Many fans have a notion that speed will tell the tale exclusively. Per­haps it is the generation we live in, where everything is measured in terms of miles per hour, that causes this. It seems that the average person grabs at the nearest and easiest measure to use in analyzing everyday occurances.

03. The Problem - A basic problem most handicappers have is that they begin with a series of preconceived likes and dislikes. A common cry heard is "I don't like the driver" or "I don't like the post," etc. This type of misconception will immediately put one strike against anyone planning to make full use of this book.

Each race is different. Each track is different and each horse and driver feels somewhat different each time he races.

04. The Driver - As I have noted, an acquaintance of mine once remarked that he "never bets on losing drivers." He said that it wouldn't matter to him if the horse appeared to be a 'shoo-in" or a "steal" at the price. He simply would never bet on a driver who fails to win a fair amount of the time.

To further this point, one can learn an interesting fact by taking a sample number of races run at Roosevelt Raceway (using the Roosevelt Raceway Program of October 30, 1959); there were 632 trotting and pacing races to that point. Now look at the distribution of wins among the drivers. At that point, of the 632 races, 396 wins were by 21 drivers.

05. Post Positions - The Phillips starting gate is an automobile mounted with horizontal bars on either side, which permits the horses to start while in gait. Generally, the pacing or trotting horses begin their movement about ¼ of a mile before the starting line. Before reaching the start, each horse generally has his head up, nose to the gate and is pacing or trotting on stride. The starting gate is about 30 feet wide; hence the horse in the number 8 post position is starting approximately 30 feet further out from the rail than the horse in the one position.

06. Subjective Judgment - Much of handicapping can be summed up under the general heading of "subjective judgment." While there are mechani­cal devices which will aid this judgment, these will seldom work. One of the most important aids to handicapping that I have found, is attempting to analyze the race on the basis of "how the race will be run." There are many instances where this can be assisted by other factors.

07. Parimutuel Board - One of the more important factors in racing is odds. This factor can also be an excruciating liar. However, if one pays attention to the odds through the principle of trying to ob­tain an edge from the parimutuel board, he will find himself the wiser. There are two ways to use the odds board. One is to be unduly concerned with the fact that your choice is either an underlay or an overlay and be swayed by this fact.

08. Cautions on Betting - So far, we have dwelt on handicapping to pick winners. This methodology, however, has only been presented in its posi­tive sense. The truth is that three out of five races are un-bettable and this doesn't matter whether favorites or long shots win them. The fact is: The best horse doesn't always win and the fastest horse doesnt always win. One of the reasons for this is plain: Races are filled by racing secretaries eager to fill cards, not to produce easily handicapped win­ners

09. Winning - The harness races are fraught with more difficulties than any other form of horse racing except possibly steeplechases. The problems that crop up may range from a horse breaking into a gallop, being boxed in by other horses, or being caught on the outside, unable to tuck in at the rail. The reasons for these hazards are obvious. Some of these reasons might be quickly discussed for clarification.

10. Exercise - In this book we have examined the various elements in handi­capping harness races, and their relationship to each other. It remains now for you, the reader, to try out the ideas we have proposed.

I would like to suggest that you obtain a few back pro­grams from any of the major harness racing tracks, and attempt to analyze them just as you would if you were at the track.

Appendixes - APPENDIX 1

Mutuels for Each $2.00 Bet

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