Horse racing is ranked as the third most popular sport in America that people bet on. There are different horse racing types, including steeplechase, harness racing, trot, national hunt racing, maiden racing, quarter horse racing, and many more.
People bet for different reasons. Some bet for social entertainment purposes, so it doesn’t matter whether they win or lose, while others bet to win. The people who bet to win have strategies that they use. These strategies include:
- Placing different kinds of bets
- Buying betting odds
- Betting on multiple races
- Looking for specialists, and many more.
Harness racing uses a system called pari-mutuel betting, check this site to get an idea about the system. Pari-mutuel betting is different from the betting systems used in other sports. The difference is brought about by the lack of fixed odds in harness racing. Therefore, winning in harness racing betting might be challenging despite having betting strategies. This article provides tips that you can use when choosing a profitable harness racing strategy.
1. Learning More About The Race Before Betting
Many people make the mistake of betting without finding information about harness races. This mistake leads to some losing their money.
One of the ways that you can learn more about harness races is through racing forms. Racing forms provide information that can help you place profitable bets. This information includes:
- A list of participating horses and their starting positions. Knowing the position of horses is important as some positions are considered disadvantageous. Betting on horses in such positions, decreases your chances of winning.
- The trainers of the participating horses. You should use this information to learn more about the trainers; the number of races they’ve won or lost. Experts believe that the higher the trainer’s record of wins, the higher the possibility of finishing in the top three.
Such information will help you differentiate between the horses likely to win the harness race from those not. You’re therefore better fitted to bet on a horse that is likely to win the race.
2. Frequently Watching Harness Races
Watching harness races frequently helps you learn and gain information that can help you choose a profitable harness racing betting strategy. Here’s what you may learn from regular watching regular harness races:
- Finishes: Knowing more about finishes will help you identify the horses that succeed against their opponents. As a result, you should focus more on these horses.
- The speed used to finish a race: It would be best if you concentrated on horses that have high speed. However, you should know that the size of a track affects speed. The larger the track, the higher the speed. Additionally, it’s easy to keep track of speed in harness races because most races are set at a mile.
- Class: Harness racing tracks provide conditions horses are expected to meet in every race. Horses that move up the classes tend to have a challenge when racing. On the contrary, horses that move down have better chances. You, therefore, stand a better chance to win a bet while betting on the horses that move down a class. You can only learn such information from watching multiple races.
- Equipment and medication: It’s normal for horses to undergo some adjustments to execute their full potential. These adjustments influence a horse’s performance. Adjustments can be made through medication or a change of equipment. When developing a betting strategy, it’s best to be aware of any medication done to the horse.
- Pedigree: Watching harness races frequently will make you notice which horses sire horses that win often. Knowing the horses’ parents participating in the race may tell you how a horse is expected to perform in the race
If you don’t have time to watch the races live for whatever reasons, you can catch up on recorded videos posted online. Use the extensive knowledge gained from watching the races to inform your harness betting strategy.
3. Participate In Large Races
It’s advisable to concentrate on big racing events than small events. This is because of the following:
- Large events have large markets, which offer better odds. These markets are good for people beginning to bet as they have more chances to win than lose.
- Large harness races have several bookmakers with promotional offers that could benefit you.
- In addition, large racing events have more races than small ones, increasing the probability of winning. This is because you aren’t limited to betting on a few race options.
Moreover, having many race options can improve your chances of making profits from your bets. This is because you can use harness racing betting strategies such as making different kinds of bets and betting on multiple types of races to your advantage.
4. Keep A Record Of Your Betting History
Most people that have made profitable bets keep their betting records. Therefore, if you want to join them and start benefitting from harness race betting, you need to keep track of your betting records.
Having a record of your betting history helps you analyze your betting strategies. By analyzing your betting strategies, you can identify which method works for you and which doesn’t. As a result, you’ll increase your chances of winning by using what works for you.
5. Learning About Harness Racing Wagers
Harness racing has different wagers from other horse races. These wagers are classified into two, namely straight wagers and exotic wagers.
A straight wager is characterized by the participation of a single horse in a race. There are different types of straight bets, and they include:
- Win bets: Requires you to bet on a horse that you think will finish first in the race’s order
- Place bets: You bet on whether a horse will finish first or second
- Show bets: Involve betting on a horse to finish in the first, second, or third position
The win bet is the most popular type of straight bet because it’s easy to understand. On the other hand, exotic bet involves multiple horses. You can place exotic bets in single races or multiple races.
Understanding the different types of bets in harness racing informs your harness racing betting strategy, helping you place more informed bets that are likely to profit you.
Wrapping It Up!
As stated earlier, betting in harness races isn’t similar to betting in other sports as it doesn’t have fixed odds. You’re sometimes not guaranteed to win bets despite having the right strategy. However, using the five tips disused above when choosing a profitable harness racing betting strategy increases your chances of making a profitable bet. Good luck in making profits from harness racing!