| Pace handicapping is still a very important and useful | | | | itself and that horse is almost always one of the top |
| way to find good bets. Some lazy people use speed | | | | four. |
| figures and pay the price with low mutuels and lots of | | | | Look at the top four horses and start by adding the |
| failures. Pace handicappers put forth a little more | | | | numbers in each call column for each horse's last four |
| effort, but can find much better bets. Pace | | | | races. Put the total fro each call over the column. For |
| handicapping is still as much an art as a science, | | | | instance, if a horse has a 1 in the quarter call for its last |
| because it involves some imagination as well as | | | | race, a 2 for the previous race, and 3 for each of its |
| mathematical ability. | | | | next two races, it would earn a 9. So this for the |
| Therefore, if you want to be a successful horse racing | | | | quarter and half call in a sprint race and the quarter, |
| handicapper, and make money betting on horses, you'd | | | | half and three quarter call in a route race. |
| better learn pace handicapping. Even if you do, | | | | Now look at those four horses and see which one has |
| however, be warned, trying to make money betting on | | | | the lowest numbers. This will probably be your front |
| horse races is extremely risky and you should never | | | | runner or a horse who is very close to the lead. Take |
| bet money you cannot afford to lose. At first glance, | | | | the top two with the lowest numbers and they will be |
| pace handicapping can be a daunting task. Feet per | | | | in contention early in the race. If there are two horses |
| second, velocity, graphs, etc., can quickly confuse you | | | | with extremely low numbers who seem to fade, you |
| and seem hopelessly complicated. | | | | may want to look closely at the other two horses and |
| Fortunately, however, it can be much simpler. First of | | | | see which one will be running close enough to pick up |
| all, start out with the four horses in the race who have | | | | the pieces at the end of the race and past those two. |
| the lowest morning line odds. The winner will usually be | | | | On the other hand, if your two front runners do not |
| found in these runners. Since the winner is in these | | | | have blazing speed but only moderate early speed, the |
| runners, the horse who will be the pacesetter is often | | | | winner will often be among them. Handicapping horse |
| in these four horses as well. There may be cases of a | | | | races is a complicated business, but pace handicapping |
| longshot setting fast fractions early in a race, however, | | | | can be simpler than it looks. |
| the real class and speed of the race will soon reveal | | | | |