Consistency and quality of racing top the list - plus Canada’s leading rider, Kazushi Kimura, debuts at the southern California track today.
Handicapping
A little patience goes a long way, but a lot of patience goes even further, judging by one horseplayer's epic self-control.
Wrapping up the Canadian racing season with a recap of handicapping tips to carry you over the winter and beyond...
Could this be a record, and what can we learn from the winning horses in each leg? Don't be afraid to throw some pocket change at it ...
In the final race card of the season you handicap differently – not for class, instead you look for “gameness.”
You can learn a lot about how things are shaking out on the day; this just might become your favourite handicapping angle.
You too can get hooked on superfectas by employing a few simple rules and investing a little pocket change.
If you had heeded Mike Welsch's advice and included Blue Stripe in your Breeders’ Cup Distaff ticket, you may have done the happy dance.
Here are a couple of rules to get you started on your Breeders' Cup picks, plus a blow-by-blow of Saturday's card.
Betting on stakes purse values pays off on Sunday - and offers a sneak peek into how to pick Breeders' Cup contenders.
A nw2L case in point at Woodbine on Saturday: when the horse looks logical, but most of the time the logical horse doesn’t win.
When horses running 'evenly' in past races or jumping up in class levels are worth a look to give you a healthy leg up in your wagers.
Computing fractions may be tough to wrap your brain around - but the horses with the best closing fractions comprised the trifecta.
While it's not possible to watch all the racing all the time (especially when beautiful weather is beckoning) Sunday at Woodbine was the wrong one to miss.
The truth is, the nw2L condition usually doesn’t lend itself to logic, so save your brainpower for other race conditions.
The handicapping 'rule' for big turf stakes events continues to apply, so use it to your advantage in upcoming races.
Historically, horses haven’t transitioned well from the synthetic surface at Woodbine to the dirt surface at Fort Erie.
While nothing works all the time, here are a few examples of horses with the highest speed numbers who won recently at this distance.
Assiniboia Downs player Les Buzzell — who never bets the favourites — has had legendary good fortune wagering on the ponies.
The best betting outcome is often not thanks to the winner; here's how to spot the serial 2nd through 4th-place finishers.
The Queen's Plate saw Hall of Dreams run as predicted and in the undercard races a few winners made for a decent day of handicapping.
Opinions are plentiful and cheap; applying some handicapping rules may see you in the money in the Queen's Plate and other races on the day.
Burning questions from a reader about first-race maidens, non-winners of 3, breeding and the value of race comments are answered.
Fairly inexpensive superfecta play, where a longshot finishes somewhere in your “sandwich”, can yield hundreds (or thousands) of dollars.
A look at the handicapping angles that led to the $47,697 (USD) payout during another day of longshots and upsets.
What’s happening in Kentucky is being watched by Canadian tracks which could eventually follow suit if the breakage laws change.
Despite a crazy day of longshot upsets, it was still possible to put together a winning ticket. After all, someone did it.
If you see a horse with giant pace numbers way ahead of the others, head to the betting window, computer, laptop or phone.
We're glad one player in the stands at Woodbine had the 46-1 longshot, but what can the rest of us learn for future use?
Hate to say 'I told you so' but ... the added-up numbers rule worked like a charm in a tough 12-horse maiden race at Woodbine on Thursday.
Here's a little math trick to sort out the field in maiden races – handy for those superfectas, triactors and Jackpot Hi-5 wagers.
One savvy bettor picked up $19,000 in Assiniboia Downs’ 20-cent Super Hi 5 jackpot pool last Monday. Here's how.
Thanks to a previous race against the great Pink Lloyd, one sharp-eyed bettor cashed a big ticket on a Woodbine longshot.
Turf races & closing fractions: Even some of the most skilled handicappers refuse to wrap their heads around this important angle.
The spoils of the wild and wacky world of the non-winners of two races condition were on offer on Thursday night at Woodbine.
Anything can happen (and often does) in a non-winners of two races condition. Here's how to work it to your advantage.
Imagine being told that you couldn't bet more than 90 cents on a triactor. Impossible? No, it happens more often than you might think to winners.
What was the key to winning the $31,000 Jackpot Hi 5? The 7f distance suited the horses who completed the five-horse 'Dagwood sandwich'.
The also-eligible Rich Strike who drew into – and won – the Kentucky Derby has a Manitoba connection that sparked a lot of excitement.
Ivan Bigg breaks down a stunning superfecta payout on Sunday at Woodbine, and offers tips on how to bet smart on Kentucky Derby day.
Tips on how to spot the most likely early speed, and why Elektronic should not have been too difficult to add to your Pick-5 ticket.
Railbird and handicapper Ivan Bigg dissects the past racing week and notes some of the patterns, surprises and big payouts.
As single sports betting is implemented in Canada, Woodbine would like the Ontario government to follow the New Jersey sports betting model.
It has been a long road to today's formulas and incentives to encourage fairness in the sport and protect the welfare of the jockeys.
Seasoned handicapper Jennifer Morrison shares her tips on trends to watch for to increase your chances of success when betting the ponies from home.
A look at takeout rates - specified percentages taken by the racecourse - which vary from track to track and wager to wager across the country.
It can be argued that horse racing's current woes, public perception, drugs and transparency have all contributed to a decline in wagering.