Horse Racing Betting Why The Going Conditions Are So Important
Do you research the ground conditions when considering a bet? Working out the possibilities of a horse being successful in a particular competition is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. There are so many factors to consider. But each little bit of detail has a say on whether your horse is likely to cross the winning line at the front, or to be an also-ran.
But there is one essential item of the jigsaw that often gets neglected. Many gamblers brush over it, and some keep it out of their computations completely. But I consider it to be one of the single-most key elements when weighing up a race-card -- the Going.
Whether I am assessing the horses for the Derby, the Cheltenham festival, or a maiden race at Warwick, the one concern I always ask myself is "Will my horse be able to act over the existing ground conditions?"
This one item of data, in my view, is more essential than the trainer, jockey, distance of the race and previous course form of the horse.
The condition of the Going underfoot can be classified by one of the following descriptions: Hard, Firm, Good to Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, and Heavy.
The Going conditions are very essential because often racehorses will have a personal preference for operating on one kind of ground over another. Horses of varying inherited make-up will act diversely in the way they manage various racecourse surfaces.
So how can we as gamblers take benefits of these differences?
The first factor we can do is to get down to the parade ring before a competition and examine the horse's hoofs, why? Well, usually racehorses with big hoofs similar to soup-plates will be much better suited if the going is soft or heavy. This is because the bodyweight of the animal is spread across a larger frame, and it is able to skim over the surface rather than getting trapped in the mud. Horses with small 'donkey' legs are more likely to sink into the ground.
Once the horses have left the parade ring take your position in the grandstand, and focus your field glasses on the race horses as they go to the starting gate. Although the horses will not be operating at full speed, the intelligent punter can still take away a few more snippets of info before determining whether or not to place a wager with the bookmakers.
The factor to look out for is the horse's action. By that I mean exactly how it gallops along. A horse with a running style called a rounded action raises its legs much greater with each pace, and will most likely act better on soft going. Then there is a horse with a daisy-cutting action that hardly raises his hoofs off the ground.
This kind of race horse is more likely to appreciate going which is more on the firm or hard side. These rules are obviously never going to be 100% precise, but you would be surprised how many times you can prevent yourself putting a silly wager on a horse that is not likely to take to the days going conditions. Creating revenue from gambling on horses is just as much about avoiding losers as picking the winners.
But there is one essential item of the jigsaw that often gets neglected. Many gamblers brush over it, and some keep it out of their computations completely. But I consider it to be one of the single-most key elements when weighing up a race-card -- the Going.
Whether I am assessing the horses for the Derby, the Cheltenham festival, or a maiden race at Warwick, the one concern I always ask myself is "Will my horse be able to act over the existing ground conditions?"
This one item of data, in my view, is more essential than the trainer, jockey, distance of the race and previous course form of the horse.
The condition of the Going underfoot can be classified by one of the following descriptions: Hard, Firm, Good to Firm, Good, Good to Soft, Soft, and Heavy.
The Going conditions are very essential because often racehorses will have a personal preference for operating on one kind of ground over another. Horses of varying inherited make-up will act diversely in the way they manage various racecourse surfaces.
So how can we as gamblers take benefits of these differences?
The first factor we can do is to get down to the parade ring before a competition and examine the horse's hoofs, why? Well, usually racehorses with big hoofs similar to soup-plates will be much better suited if the going is soft or heavy. This is because the bodyweight of the animal is spread across a larger frame, and it is able to skim over the surface rather than getting trapped in the mud. Horses with small 'donkey' legs are more likely to sink into the ground.
Once the horses have left the parade ring take your position in the grandstand, and focus your field glasses on the race horses as they go to the starting gate. Although the horses will not be operating at full speed, the intelligent punter can still take away a few more snippets of info before determining whether or not to place a wager with the bookmakers.
The factor to look out for is the horse's action. By that I mean exactly how it gallops along. A horse with a running style called a rounded action raises its legs much greater with each pace, and will most likely act better on soft going. Then there is a horse with a daisy-cutting action that hardly raises his hoofs off the ground.
This kind of race horse is more likely to appreciate going which is more on the firm or hard side. These rules are obviously never going to be 100% precise, but you would be surprised how many times you can prevent yourself putting a silly wager on a horse that is not likely to take to the days going conditions. Creating revenue from gambling on horses is just as much about avoiding losers as picking the winners.
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