The average person's approach to predicting the winner of a thoroughbred race is haphazard at best. They arrive at the track unprepared, take a cursory look at the horse racing statistics found in the racing form, and make horse racing selections based upon the information that they were able to obtain in the short time between races. After losing the race, they curse their rotten luck, or they blame the trainer or the jockey. The true blame, however, lies within. Even the best professional handicappers can't make accurate horse racing selections without a proper routine at the track.
The knowledgeable handicapper does his homework before he arrives at the track. This is the most difficult and time consuming part of the process. He gathers as much horse racing statistics as possible on every horse in the race. He consults the Daily racing Form, watches videos of previous races on the Internet and gathers horse racing statistics from various online sources. The old-school handicapper would then take a pencil, paper and calculator and literally spends hours making his selections. The modern handicapper, however, makes use of computers and advanced handicapping software to analyze the horses and assist him in his efforts. This reduces the time and effort needed to make accurate horse racing selections to a manageable level. After analyzing the statistics and past horse racing results, it's time to make a preliminary selection. The knowledgeable handicapper is only interested in races where there is one clear contender. Races that have two or more horses with a good chance to win should be avoided. Only losing handicappers try to make a selection in every race. One must pick and choose his spots.
