Friday, August 18, 2006

Best piece of horse writing (regarding betting) I've read in a LONG time...

If the folks at ESPN feel like sueing me for re-printing "a piece" of Jay Cronely's latest article. Then, bring it, bi#^%!s.

The following is an EXCERPT from ESPN.com's Jay Cronely who has been growing on me more and more lately as an entertaining and informative read.

"Questions of value:

Q - Most times when I turn on a nationally televised race, I hear one of the expert handicappers say that he or she is searching for value. What exactly does that mean?
A - This is a valuable handicapping aid, one that should never be ignored. When you hear a TV expert find a 'value' in the upcoming race, take a black pen and run a line through the horse's name, eliminating it from consideration. I used to use Magic Markers to black-out TV 'value' picks, but the ink seeped through the Form. Horses that win and pay a price are not 'values.' Good handicappers don't know what a horse is apt to pay until it has been tabbed as a winner. A 'value' horse is a stretch, it's what you play when you're down a bundle.

Q - What, in your opinion, is a good value, anyway?
A - Anything that wins. If a 100 percent return on your investment isn't enough, and if you're betting five bucks, it probably isn't, then you're going to have to hook an undervalued winner to a Pick 3 or Pick 4 or more. Or watch a 'value' run fifth.

Q - If you like two horses the same, and one is 1-1, and the other is 10-1, shouldn't you play the one that offered the best value?
A - If you can't play them both, go home.

Q - For your information, wise guy, there are handicapping systems based on making wagers on the best values in a particular race.
A - Being alone with your thoughts is so unacceptable to some people, they try to take the instinctive and creative elements out of handicapping and reduce the game to a set of impersonal numbers.

Thing is, each race is different."


If you want the whole thing, go to ESPN.com and go the horse racing section.

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