Actually going to the racecourse, rather than watching it on television (enjoyable though it is), can give you some advantages when it comes to betting because you get to see the horses up close and ‘in the flesh’.
Being able to assess the horse, how it looks in the parade ring, and how it moves down to post can be invaluable for eliminating potential betting selections from the shortlist and whittling it down to one (or two).
The following advice is taken from Richard Dunwoody’s Dunwoody on racing column in The Mirror (Get out of the bar.. get on parade for spotting winners, 22 November 2008).
• “Looking at horses in the parade ring is a vital part of finding winners.”
• “One of the best indicators of a horse’s wellbeing is its coat… if its coat is shining, a horse is usually in good health and in peak condition.”
• “It is a good rule of thumb to find a trainer whose horses are always in peak condition and compare the other runners to them.”
• “In the parade ring a horse should be alert but not over excited or fretful.”
• “But be careful not to write off horses who seem half asleep…as soon as the jockey mounts, they know they have a job to do and come alive.”
• “You can usually tell if a horse is fit by looking at its stomach. Study them enough and in time you will be able to spot what’s known in the trade as a ‘fitness line’. This runs almost parallel to, and is just above, the bottom of the belly.”
• “Paddock-watching is a very inexact science and … the knowledge only comes with experience.”
