Our perspective on horse race handicapping and wagering

Gulfstream Guy — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 01:53:51 GMT

What do people do for “entertainment?” Go out to eat, attend ballgames and concerts, take vacations or day trips, buy a boat or a nice car, a motorcycle, or a touring bike. They join golf and tennis clubs, and play pickleball.

And for some, there’s no better form of entertainment than spending days at the racetrack, outdoors, soaking in the energy, enjoying the pace of the day, analyzing the races before they happen, and throwing a few bucks on some horses. And depending on where you watch the races from, the food and drink is quite nice!

As many industry pros have told us, the best way to enjoy the horse racing industry is to see it as a form of entertainment…period. We never forget that, and we hope you won’t, either.

For some people, the most thrilling part is betting on the races to "up the ante" on their entertainment. While sports betting has spiked in popularity in recent years, especially in the US as it has been legalized in many states, betting on horse racing goes back a long way. Those from the New York area and others will remember the old "Off Track Betting" (OTB) stores, filled with people yelling at TV screens and throwing losing tickets all over the place.
For those whose fantasy is to go back to that time, don't worry, you can still do that! However, for many, analyzing a race to try to pick winning horses and bet on the outcome is, called "handicapping" and "wagering." This section includes a series of posts from us and others about how this all works, and how to find your groove as a horse player.

Importantly, HorseRacePlace.com is NOT primarily about sports betting. It is part of the sport, and when done responsibly, it can be a lot of fun. But our site is not where to go to “gamble” with more than fun-money.

There are PLENTY of sites aimed at attracting and profit from sports gamblers. Not here.

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Gulfstream Guy, our site's founder, refers to his own wagering style as "big hat, no cattle." He handicaps and bets on races several days a week, at Gulfstream Park and elsewhere. But other than the pure joy of winning, his only goal is to see how long he can make $100 last. Typically that takes several weeks...then he refills his account with another $100.

In other words, while we'll offer up plenty of perspective on how to have fun with horse handicapping and wagering. Gulfstream Guy spent more than 3 decades in professional investment management, so analyzing numbers, identifying trends and managing risk to pursue gains is in his DNA. But this is not professional money management, it is a fun side hobby for Gulfstream Guy. The goal of this site when it comes to handicapping and wagering: keep it that way.

If your goal is to turn gambling into a serious hobby or even a career, this is not the place to do it.

What we WILL do here (on handicapping and wagering)

Link to services that offer mobile betting and ways to customize handicapping strategies, so folks can have fun responsibly
Link to some handicapping services we believe are credible and helpful
Provide Gulfstream Guy’s "just for fun" racing picks, as a social activity

Horse Race Place: Gulfstream Picks

To help you pick 'em

The Rules

The Tools

We welcome any suggestions to add to this list!

Our perspective on horse race handicapping and wagering

As many industry pros have told us, the best way to enjoy the horse racing industry is to see it as a form of entertainment…period. We never forget that, and we hope you won’t, either.

There are PLENTY of sites aimed at attracting and profit from sports gamblers. Not here.

If your goal is to turn gambling into a serious hobby or even a career, this is not the place to do it.

What we WILL do here (on handicapping and wagering)