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Sunday 16 February 2020

Is There Too Much Horse Racing?


I remember meeting a friend of a friend who said they liked greyhound racing better than horse racing because there was less waiting time between each race. 

Not being nasty, but this reminded me of a potential candidate for a compulsive gambler. 

Anyway, that's another subject. But do you think there is too much horse racing? And, more importantly, would you be a better gambler with less racing? Now, I know this is unlikely to be a problem for most punters. Simply because they bet for recreation and it really makes no difference if there are a million and one races. However, for those who take their betting seriously, from a professional point of view, the number of races can bring problems. 

I follow two-year-old horse racing. 

Take a moment to look at the number of juvenile (2yo) races over the flat turf season by month. 

March: 5

April: 30

May: 80

June: 120

July: 150

August: 200

September: 210

October: 200

November: 30

So the two-year-old Flat turf season has over 1,000 races. 

For the most part, there isn't too much horse racing. As can be seen from the early season, the first three months feature less two-year-old races than the month of June alone. The peak of the season being September with 210 races. In fact, from June - October we see 880 races. This time of the year can be very busy. Why? Well, I follow each and every race, assessing the merit of each horse. It can take a lot of time. To be honest, it can feel like being stuck on a conveyor belt. Either keep up to speed or fall behind. If you fall behind you may as well give up because a lack of knowledge is sure to find you out. It is like tempting fate. 

This season I have worked even harder and haven't struggled to keep up with the vast number of races. 

It is something that needs to happen year after year. When the Flat turf season is concluded around the middle of November I can take it a little bit easier. Then my time is spent understanding the data for just about all horse trainers. This is vital to help me look in the right direction when it comes to betting. In truth, this is one part of a jigsaw puzzle built over decades of experience. 

Good luck on your betting journey.