| Sometimes in order to handicap a horse race you | | | | many races and is now comfortable breaking from the |
| have to go against what is conventional wisdom. You | | | | inside. When you handicap a horse race make notes |
| may call it being a contrarian or just basing your bets | | | | of any maidens in an inside post with low morning line |
| on facts as opposed to fiction. For instance, it is | | | | odds. |
| common knowledge that at most tracks, the one post | | | | This bias towards betting on maidens in and inside post |
| has an advantage in many races. | | | | goes contrary to what actually happens in races for |
| But there is a time to use the one post advantage and | | | | maidens and can be exploited. The way to know |
| a time to bet against it. When would you ever bet | | | | about this at your own track is to keep tabs on how |
| against a horse in a post position because it had an | | | | well maidens do from an inside post and then wait for |
| advantage? When you know that particular horse, or | | | | the crowd to over bet a young horse on the inside. |
| horses like it, do not like that post position and usually | | | | The second situation is when a particular horse doesn't |
| lose from that post position. | | | | like a post position. You will only know this by reading |
| The situation I am talking about usually happens in one | | | | the comments for a horse and putting two and two |
| of two ways and you will have to discover this for | | | | together, or by actually watching a horse race from a |
| yourself at your own track. In the first case, maidens | | | | particular post. If a horse breaks awkwardly from a |
| do not usually like to run from the inside post. They | | | | particular post position, usually the one post, though |
| break better from the outside and like to be able to | | | | some just break badly when there is a horse to either |
| attack from the outside where they have a clear view | | | | side, then make a note of it and when the horse starts |
| of the field, and yet, in many races, the bettors will give | | | | from that post in the future see if the crowd is betting |
| the edge to a young horse breaking from post one. | | | | the horse to win. If so, find a more likely winner and |
| The exception, of course, is a maiden who has had | | | | take it if the odds are right. |