Monday, August 31, 2020

It's Kentucky Derby Week

 Utilizing Pro Insights in your Handicapping


Source : Richard Hurt / Full House.


A most unusual Kentucky Derby will go off this Saturday (9/5). It promises to be one of the most heart-stirring Derby's in recent memory, sans the fans. The entire card will be full of exciting races and tantalizing wagering opportunities.

The touts will be out in full-force. The wise-guys will find their Derby horse. The sharps will fire a buck, a nickel, or dime on what they perceive as best value in the race. And most importantly, the expert handicappers for various platforms and tracks will offer up their analysis and opinions for KD 146.

Who should you listen to?  Well, first you should handicap the race yourself and come to a strong opinion. Trust in your own handicapping ability. Use the pros for additional information, analysis and advice.

Speaking of the pros. Just for shites and giggles, We looked at the selections of a number of the professional handicappers to see how they performed last Friday (8/28). For this anecdotal survey of top handicappers we examined the Daily Racing Form's Playbook (drf.com) for that day and jotted down the selections of the pros from Ralph Siraco's Race Day Las Vegas radio program (racedaylasvegas.com).

Both of which have some of the best horse racing handicappers in the country.

We looked at the results from two perspectives, Wins. Who picked winners on this delightful Friday and what price did they pay? Second, how did the dividend play perform. A dividend play is merely a $2.00 show bet on each selection laid out.

Not everyone is capable of handicapping every race at every track on a given day. Sometimes it is fruitful to lean on favored pros in an attempt to build some revenue in your "dividend bank". It also helps you to determine which pros are in the zone and which are slumping. Granted this example is only anecdotal as it covers only one day. Most of these handicappers are superb horse players.

Results of Selections for Friday (10/28/2020)

The DRF team of handicapping aficionados garnerd three winners ($7 / $8 / $3.20) out of thirteen selections for a strike rate of 23%. They combined for a total of $12.80 in the dividend bank which produced a loss of ($13.20).

The Ralph Siraco stable of handicappers only provided one winner ($7.60) out of seven selections for a strike rate of 14%. They provided $8.70 for the dividend bank making a loss of ($5.30).

Which handicappers performed admirably? 

DRF Writer/handicapper, Brad Free, outperformed the entire group of pro handicappers. He selected two winners, going two for two on his Del Mar picks. Free is the author of Handicapping 101, a book that should be on every horse players book shelf. He put $5.90 in the dividend bank. Dan Illman had one winner, but two of three of his selections hit the board at Laurel, tossing in $5.60 in the dividend bank. Mike Beer, dropped $5.80 in the dividend bank as two of three of his selections at Saratoga hit the board.

Marty McGee went 0 for 2 in his Gulfstream selections. Ron Gierkink got flattened at Woodbine with his only selection. Kenny Peck goose egged at Monmouth, though one of his picks was scratched.

The Siraco group (Race Day Las Vegas) fared on par with DRF handicappers. Woodbine handicapper, Ernie Perini scored the only winner shoveling $4.50 into the dividend bank. Richard Eng, handicapper and author of the book, Horse Racing for Dummies, provided another $2.10 for the dividend bank. While ace handicapper, Jerry Jackowitz dropped $2.10 into the dividend bank.

Bomber Brad, Trip Note Pro's, and Southern California handicapper, John Lindo, all came up empty with their selections.

Takeaway

Have good confidence in your own handicapping ability. Use the pros and experts for high quality guidance and analysis that you may have missed. There are a number of great handicappers out there. Use them as a resource as you handicap future cards.

Best of luck on your KD 146 handicapping and picks.

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