What Is Horse Race Handicapping?
Anyone who has an interest in the horse racing world will have heard the term handicapping being thrown around. But what exactly is handicapping, why is it important, and how does it work?
First of all, horse race handicapping is not at all as harsh as it might sound. Handicapping is simply a method used in order to ensure that horse races are fair, balanced, and entertaining. Let’s take a closer look at how it works, and what it means for the average horse racing bet maker.
How Handicapping Works
In the world or horse racing, it is simply a matter fact that some horses are going to be faster than others. Based on breeding, bloodline, and genetics, there are going to be champion horses that drastically outpace the others. But, in the world of horse racing, where betting is involved, this poses a huge problem. Namely; if one horse is always faster than the others, how can betting ever be fair? Wouldn’t everyone simply always place a bet on the fastest horse?
The answer to this problem is to ensure that all the horses in a race are running on more or less equal grounds. How is this done? Simply by weighing down the fastest horses, which reduces their speed, and brings them down to the pace of some of the other horses. In this way the fastest horse are less likely to win consistently, so making betting again viable, and entertaining.
Handicapping is achieved by placing simple weights in a horse’s saddle. It’s as straightforward as the rules of real money slots Canada have to offer, and the theory and principle is as simple.
What Does Handicapping Mean For Betting?
Nothing much changes in the world of horse racing as it stands, since virtually all races that betting is allowed on are already handicapped. This means that if you’ve placed a bet on a horse race, there was likely at least one horse in that race that was handicapped. It is the standard method by which most racing events are balanced.
In broader terms, however, handicapping should be kept in mind when looking at a horse’s history and reputation. If a winning horse is spotted, it should be kept in mind that the horse will likely be handicapped in any race, which makes that horse less likely to outshine all the other horses. Just because a horse is handicapped, however, it doesn’t mean that that horse is not still going to put in a great performance.
Keep Track Of Handicaps
One important aspect to keep in mind, though, is that horses may not always be handicapped, or that a handicap may be introduced at a later stage in a horse’s life. If following a winning horse, always take note as to whether that horse is with or without a handicap in a particular race. Spotting such an important detail can easily mean the difference between a major win, and more money in the pocket.
Note that betting websites will always give more information on a horse, if clicking on that horse’s name, or the information icon.