tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post113626927897381973..comments2024-03-05T05:38:22.024-05:00Comments on Left at the Gate: First Post of 2006Alan Mannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1136331376078274422006-01-03T18:36:00.000-05:002006-01-03T18:36:00.000-05:00I've written before about the idea of keeping deta...I've written before about the idea of keeping detailed records which would include how you do on specific types of races. And if maiden claimers turn out to be the most profitable, then what's wrong with that? Personally, they're not for me, as I often waste time wondering exactly what the connections' motives are, particularly with first-time starters, or horses with nice pedigrees and/or good workout reports via Walter. But there are no right or wrong races to bet on - only what's right for you.Alan Mannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12570505944559196118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711985.post-1136326886189608712006-01-03T17:21:00.000-05:002006-01-03T17:21:00.000-05:00...there's nothing wrong with betting maiden-claim......there's nothing wrong with betting maiden-claiming races, T-Man...as my mentor told me a long time ago, "money you win on a maiden claiming race spends just as well as money you win on the Kentucky Derby"...truer words have never been spoken...it doesn't matter HOW you win, just so long as you win...that's the bottom line...myself, i'm a big believer in specialization, which is why i concentrate on the SoCal circuit almost exclusively...and a large percentage of my play is directed at maiden races, specifically first-time starters...i just feel that's where most of the value lies...once a horse has run a few times, anyone can look at the Racing Form have a pretty good idea what to expect...you don't really have an edge on the crowd, in the majority of cases...but with unraced horses, you have a definite edge if you do your homework, and you can often find great value on prime contenders...even before i started subscribing to my workout reports, i would follow the worktab meticulously, and often could find unraced horses that had been working together (their names would show up together on the same day/distance repeatedly, with similar clockings)...you can generally figure out who's better than who, or if they're evenly matched...then when the first one turns up in a race, you watch him closely, and based on his results you have a pretty good idea what the second one is gonna do...or perhaps your unraced horse has been working with a name you recognize, and that'll give you a good read on him...also, in a couple of months they'll start having the big 2yo's-in-training sales (Ocala, Barretts, and Fasig-Tipton)...just keep tabs on which horses were the fastest workers at the under-tack shows, then wait for them to turn up on the racetrack a few months down the line (you can identify them by the mother's name)...you can often find generous prices on horses you KNOW to be fast...they don't always win, but they almost ALWAYS show speed, and believe me, they win more than their fair share...a good number of them even turn out to be stakes horses...i also had some success following the training races @ Fair Grounds, though the party-poopers @ Churchill Downs Inc. cancelled them last year when they took over the track...i was hoping they'd resume this year, but of course Hurricane Katrina took care of that...i'm still hopeful they'll return someday...anyway, to make a long story short (too late), there's absolutely nothing wrong with betting maiden races...go for what you know!...<BR/><BR/>...as for "luck", i'm a firm believer that luck evens out in the long run...besides, it's like my mom always told me, "there's no sense getting upset over something you can't control"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com