Greyhound Handicapping - Should You Play Route Races?

In my opinion, route races can give you the best return for your handicapping buck. While there aren't as many of them as there are sprint races, this isn't necessarily a disadvantage. Most bettors tend to treat them the same way as sprints, and handicap them that way. While there are some bettors who just skip them and turn the page to the next 5/16ths distance race.

I love the longer races. From 3/8ths all the way up to the marathon length races, I've found value galore. Of course, there are a few things that you have to keep in mind when you're handicapping this length race. For one thing, early speed, while it is still important, isn't the huge factor that it is in shorter races. There's more time for closers to get in at the wire. There's more room for dogs to maneuver and get the position they need to win, and this can mean that dogs that get into trouble in sprints, manage to avoid it and hit the board in longer races.

Another reason that I love sprints is that, because there ARE fewer of them, it's easier to follow the dogs who are true routers. At some points in my handicapping life, I've actually saved every 3/8ths mile race page, stapled them together and referred to them when I handicap each program. It's pretty easy to see who's moving up or down in grade, and who can beat who. After all, many of the same dogs compete against each other, race after race.

Of course, there are some dogs, although not that many, who seem to be able to move between short and long races with no problem. These are the dogs you should keep a list of, because people forget that these dogs are multi-talented. They see that a dog has been running in sprints and now it's in a route and they can't see that it's ever won at the longer distance, so they don't play it.

But if you've done your homework, and know that this dog has won at this distance in the past, you're way ahead of the casual player, who only knows what the last six races in the program tell him. This is why it's good to make notes about the dogs and review them every so often. Things change and you have to keep reviewing the results and the dogs that are in different stages of their careers so that you're on top of the changes.

So, if you've never been a fan of the distance races, maybe you should take a second look. Consider following them for a while and see how you do. Look at the top dogs for this type of race in the stats and also notice which kennels have the best dogs for them. Some kennels seem to specialize in dogs who can win at the longer distances. After all, anything that can give you an edge over the crowd is a plus, and specializing in one type of race to the point where you know it in-depth gives you a huge advantage over the people who don't even try to figure it out.

Greyhound Handicapping - Weather and Track Condition Tips

Handicapping is an art, not a science. Never is this more obvious than when the weather affects the track and we have to figure out how it will affect the dogs we like. When the weather is sunny and warm and there's been enough rain in the last few days, the track will most probably be rated as "Fast" and its surface condition won't affect the running of the race that much.

But when it rains, or when it's snowy, dry or very windy - what then? Rain is tricky. If it just rains a little - like it does in Florida's afternoon showers - it might speed up the times a little, but have little effect otherwise. But when it rains heavily over a period of days, or when there's a very heavy shower before or during racing, it's a different story.

On most tracks, heavy rain really affects dogs that run the rail, because that's where the water pools up. That's when I look at mid-track runners. And if it's really, really pouring down, I even look at dogs that run wide and outside, because that's sometimes the fastest part of the track in these conditions. I also like dogs that get out early, because they aren't getting spattered with mud from the other greyhounds.

In colder weather though, I like closers, especially if there's a cold rain and a lot of wind. Breakers tend to fade in weather like this, while the closers, who have more stamina, can hang in there to close at the wire. When times are slow, watch for the dogs who have stamina but lack early speed to finally have enough time to jockey for position and do better than they do when the pace of the race is too fast for them.

When you're playing simulcast races, don't forget to watch the first race and pay attention to both the weather forecast and to what you can see of the track. Note the time of the first race and compare it to recent times for that grade at that track. If it's faster or slower than normal, keep that in mind when you handicap. Faster times favor early speed and slower times usually favor closers, in my experience. Paying close attention to the weather and to the current conditions at the track you're playing is one way to improve your chances of making money at the dog track.