If you want to use your brain to pick winners at the horse races but don’t want to handicap horse races in the usual way, here is a little horse racing system that can be used for fun. I always recommend that if you are trying to make a living off the races you must resort to in-depth horse racing handicapping, but for some light entertainment the check mark system can’t be beaten.
One of the nice benefits of this system is that you don’t need the past performances. You can easily operate with a regular racing program as long as it give you the jockey and trainer win record. As long as you can tell which riders and trainers are the best in the race, you have the information that you need.
Start by circling the four horses at the lowest odds on the toteboard at three minutes to post or less. In order to save time and to be ready to make a bet before getting shut out at the windows I recommend that you make your check marks beside each horse that earns them before three minutes to post.
The horse with the most check marks will be your bet. If two horses are tied you may bet both to win or box them in an exacta. Put a check mark beside the four horses whose jockeys have the highest win average. Then put a check mark beside the top four horses whose trainer has the highest average. You should have four checks for the trainers and four for the riders. In the case of any ties, just check both horses that tied.
Look at the results for the last three races and give any horse that finished in the money, that is, first second or third in any one of its last three races, one check mark. The finish in the last three races is usually to the right of the horse’s name and looks something like this, 2-3-4. Many track programs will show the last three results this way.
Watch the horses in the post parade and put a check mark beside the top three horses according to how well they look in the post parade. This is site handicapping and is very valuable and often overlooked by most handicappers. Now the next step is to wait until 2-3 minutes before post time and check the odds on the toteboard.
Circle the four horses with the lowest odds on the toteboard. Of the horses you’ve circled, which ones have the most check marks? The one with the most will be your win bet and the others will be used as exotic bets with that winner. Just remember that this is for entertainment only and betting on horse races is risky. The check mark system
