thoroughbred racingSome eastern religions purport the idea that one must always try to “stay in the moment” and this can’t be any truer than in the world of thoroughbred racing. When we take a trip to Atlantic City to test our luck at the tables, we know that most of the time, unlike thoroughbred racing, the house will always have the advantage. But at the horse tracks, a little investigation can and will swing the odds your way. There are many betting systems that take into account past statistics and if you were going to bet a hundred times on the same race, then more times than not you will win.

However, horse racing results are never obligated to follow the past and at any one given race all past statistics could be completely useless. But how is it that some people become experts at making money at the horse racing tracks? Well, just like those ancient philosophers knew that the most important thing in life is staying the in the moment, to become successful at handicapping one must live the race in the present and only use past statistics when the “now” does not provide all the information one needs.

As a handicapper, whenever its time to make a bet, you want to take into account everything that’s right in front of you, from the condition of the track to whether your jockey had a bad week at home. One must keep in mind that just like any race in the Olympics, thoroughbred racing can also be influenced by psychological factors that both jockey and horse are susceptible to experiencing. You see, when it comes to thoroughbred racing, the first thing you want to check is if all the time you spent collecting data was useful. All those handicapping statistics you have accumulated are contingent on all things being normal and no extenuating circumstances influence the thoroughbred racing event.

So before the race, make sure you check the weather, the condition of the track, any changes in equipment, any medication taken and the mood of the horse and jockey—this is especially true for stakes and maiden races. After breaking the track, horses and jockeys down in detail, it’s then your call to determine whether this thoroughbred racing event will follow the past or not. Ultimately you want to determine whether this is going to be a normal day at the track and whether horse and Jockey are also having a normal day.

To become an expert at handicapping one actually has to become an expert at predicting the future. True, I still haven’t met a man that could predict the future without looking into the past, but the most important factor in determining whether the near future will look like the past is to completely scrutinize the present. Thoroughbred racing is all about the horse and jockey and they are meant to behave in predictable ways as long as things remain normal. When looking to score a winner in thoroughbred racing you have to look for that one thing that is out of place, that one thing that sets that day apart from other days and then let your bets reflect your discoveries. Always remember, that the past is only useful if we learn to live in the moment.