How To Handicap A Harness Horse Race. Articles | Horse Betting

By: Richard Bleuze

How To Handicap A Harness Horse Race.

Handicapping a harness race is not that difficult.  In fact, if you can handicap any horse race, then you can handicap a harness horse race.  Naturally, the more handicapping factors that you take into consideration and effectively weigh, the better your chances of knowing if your harness horse will win the race.  That is the true goal of handicapping a horse race.  This article is not meant to make you a great handicapper, but to win a few races.  Most horse bettors do not win many races.  In fact, for them horse betting is a losing proposition!
 
My goal is to have you win some of the harness horse races and not all of them.  Thus, when you are trying to pick a winner at harness racing, remember that you are really deciding what each horse's chances of winning may be.  Thus, remember that a half mile track is much different than a five eighths mile track.  Thus, there is a great advantage to some post positions when racing different tracks, especially on shorter oval tracks.  Thus, remember that almost all harness races in the United States are one mile dashes unlike in Thoroughbred racing.  Thus, distance really does not matter that much when handicapping a harness horse race.  Although, pole position does matter.
 
Generally, the Standardbred horse, the horse type most raced in a harness horse race, is a hardy breed that usually handles the one mile distance quite well.  In fact,  harness horses often raced more than once in a single day in years passed.  Thus, you will do not need to worry much about fatigue either.   Once a Standardbred horse is in good condition, barring lameness or injury, they usually stay in good form for quite a while.
 
When you start to handicap a harness horse race, start by looking at the post position of each horse and the track's statistics.  I suggest that you spend your time knowing the horses and tracks at 1 or 2 harness horse racing tracks.  Unlike most horse races, harness races are usually performed daily.  If you see that a particular post or posts are advantageous, mark it beside the name of the horse.  The next thing to look at is the UDR of the driver, known as universal driver rating.  The UDR of a driver will provide you with the proficiency of the driver at coming in first, second, third and it is very important when you handicap a harness race.  Thus, the better UDR of a driver is, the better the chances the horse will win. 
 
In addition to the above handicapping tips to handicap a harness horse race, you should look to see how the horses themselves have been racing on the track.  Remember, most harness horses race the same track.  You should look for horses who have finished in the money (1,2,3) in their last two races.  In addition, if the horse finished in the top 3 positions, look at the post position it raced from in that race.  If you feel that the post position today is more advantageous than past post positions, take that into consideration since that horse may do even better today.
 
Finally, look to find the best odds (highest odds) on one of your top two or three horses in a harness race.  The simplest bet is a win bet so you may bet the horse to win.  However, I always suggest a place bet.  You might not win as much money, but you will most likely win the bet if you did handicap a harness race correctly.  In fact, you might consider doubling your bets.  This simple method of deciding which horses have the best chance to win is not meant to be a great money maker, but it will help you to understand why the horse is favored and also is a way to start understanding betting on harness races.

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