Harness Racing - Betting to Win at the Races

In the first edition of this series, I examined a few key points that can be found in the program pages which might point out horses ready to perform at a high level. In this edition, will look for keys to the horses condition on racing night. I'll also share a few angles that have been successful over the years and I'll share my insight on some of the major harness tracks in North America.

A very big handicapping key for me is being able to be track side for the races. From watching harness horses for so many years, I've been able to spot a horse that looks very sharp just by watching the horse warm up. This is a big advantage that harness bettors have over T-bred players. Well before their race, a trainer will send a harness horse onto the track to jog a mile or 2. The horse will often jog clockwise around the track or in the opposite direction of the way the horse will race. Usually the horse will be allowed to go at his own leisurely pace and sometimes near the end of this workout, the trainer will turn the horse and allow it to pace or trot around the track counter-clockwise or in the direction that the race will take place. Harness horses know the what this change in direction means and often a horse will be allowed to go close to race speed. At this time, a horse that is ready to race well will show a keen observer a few hints in how the horse may race later that day. I have noticed very good horses that didn't seem very interested in being on the track during their warm-ups, come back out later that day (or night) and race very poorly, despite being bet very well at the windows. At the same time, I have noticed horses that haven't been performing well in recent races that looked great on the track and came back later that night to race well, despite being a long shot on the tote board. The more familiar you become with harness horses in general and more importantly, the warm up habits of an individual horse or horses, the more information you have to rely on when going to place a wager.