If your goal in going to a horse race is to win money, you must know how to understand race horse handicapping. Those people who go to the track ocassionally or go to have brunch while horse racing is going on in the backround, don't really need to know how to read a racing program. They usually bet on colors, names, post positions, number combination (birthday, phone area code, etc). Or, after parking their car at the track, some guy named Joe approached them and sold them a $3.00 tip sheet with 6 guaranteed winning picks.

But for those serious players, handicapping is a skill which has to be honed constantly. When people are making their picks and are handicapping the race, they are looking at the horse's performance under prior racing conditions that most matches the conditions of the track and race that day. This information is in the program in harness races but a thoroughbred racing program often doesn't supply all the information you'll need. The Daily Racing Form is usually offered for sale at the track and will provide all of the past performance information, as well as articles, analysis, and handicapper picks and tips.

There's an incredible amount of information that has to be entered into a small space, so abbreviations are used, and columns are used. It's not as confusing as you would think. Once you're familiar with reading racing results properly, it becomes a form of sleuthing. You are looking for clues to predict the winner of the race.

Going to the track can be quite a social event. It's not unusual for people to ask, "Who do you like in this race?" If you have designated seats, you'll be sitting fairly close to the person next to you. As the day progresses, the chatter will increase. These group conversations may supply you with points to be taken into consideration that you may have missed.

Handicapping is taking all of the available information, combining it all, and analyzing what deductions can be made about the horse. The more information you utilize in your picks, the better your chances of having winning tickets. It is, of course, not guaranteed that you'll always have the winner, you're dealing only with probabilities and possibilities.

If possible, buy a program or a "Daily Racing Form and do a little practicing. There is a lot of information to absorb on those pages. Knowing where to look for specific information is key to making your picks. The information is listed horizontally starting with the date of the race and reading across the page.

As people become more and more adept at reading the past performances, they begin to pick out information that they think is most important. You're looking for patterns in the horse's behavior in a race under particular conditions.

• Does the horse like to shoot right out of the gate and take the early lead or does he like to stay in the back and make a quick final stride?

• How long is the race? Is it longer or shorter than its previous races?

• How is the weather and what are the track conditions. Is it a fast track, muddy, sloppy?

If the races that you betting are on a sloppy or muddy track, look at the past performances for indications as to how the horse reacts to that type of track condition. Some horses react badly to mud, while others do as well or better in bad weather. A sloppy track can really affect the outcome of races and long shots should be considered.

• Is the horse running with the same class of horses as his prior races?

If he is moving up or down in class check the reason for the change. Moving up in class usually indicates that the horse has been doing well and is ready to compete for better or more experienced horses. Moving down usually means that the horse has not done well and should be moved down in the competition ranks.

• As your looking at the past performances, at the end of the line will be short comments regarding that race. Pay attention to these especially if the horse's performance was affected somehow.

• Check the post positions and the horse's placement during the previous races and his post position for the day that you're handicapping.

• Check the jockey statistics. Has he ever ridden the horse before?

• Make note of any changes in the preparation of the horse. Is he taking a medication for the first time? Is he racing without a medication? Is the horse wearing blinders for the first time?

• When was the horse's last race? Compare the horse's performances based on the length of time between races. Does it do well after a long break or does it do better with less time?

• Look at the horse's speed rating and the track rating.http://pregame.com/forums/blogs/johnny-detroit/archive/2010/04/26/kentucky-derby-how-to-read-a-horse-racing-program.aspx

• Look at the odds.

• Has the horse ever raced at that track before? Some horses react differently to tracks. Some horses will particularly like or dislike a specific track.http://www.turfway.com/howtoread.asp

There are so many things to take into consideration. Handicappers have their own systems that they use to make their picks. Check the various systems used by prominent handicappers and incorporate that into your own system but don't put all of your faith into their picks. Keep in mind that they still have to maintain a regular job!

All of the most important information is contained in the past performances. As you become more comfortable with handicapping and reading the program, your eyes will immediately search for those statistics that you think are important. The programs and the Daily Racing Form are basically universal in format, so if you can read a program in California, you can read one in New York.

Trust your instincts and your choices. With all of the information you have to find and apply in a short period of time, it's easy to be swayed to bet on a different horse by listening to other people's opinions or by looking at the tote board. If you don't understand why a certain horse is getting a lot of activity in the betting pools, recheck the horse's data to see if there was something you missed.

You're not betting against the track, you're actually betting against the other people making bets. Wagering on horse racing is a personal endeavor, requiring attention to details and being able to correctly analyze the data. Although luck plays a part in your success at the track, good handicapping skills can give you an edge at cashing a ticket.http://pregame.com/forums/blogs/johnny-detroit/archive/2010/04/26/kentucky-derby-how-to-read-a-horse-racing-program.aspx

Going to the track without having a program prior adds more intensity to the process of handicapping. The time between races is only about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. This doesn't give you much time to address all of the information, make your choices, and actually make the bet prior to the start of the race. A highlighter comes in handy when checking past performances so that pertinent facts can be seen easily while making your picks. Using a different colored pen, other than black or blue can also help you to return to information quickly.

Once you have accessed all the information and have narrowed your picks down, take a look at the tote-board for the horses' odds. If the horse that you picked to come in first has really short odds, like 1-2, or 1-1, it's hardly worth putting your money across the board (a win, place, and show bet) for such a small return, unless of course you're playing with a large bankroll. Otherwise, it would be more advantageous to pick a longer shot to place.

For exotic bets, exactas, trifectas, etc., check the tote board and the TV monitors for probable payouts. This information will let you know how many other people are betting on those particular results and how much money is the different pools. To properly choose the right type of bet you need to know how to make exacta bet in horse racing, or a How to place a horse racing trifecta bet. There are a number of variations on these types of bets and some will be more lucrative than others under certain circumstances.<ref>http://www.dmtc.com/handicapping/beginners.php