Harness Racing Longshots Articles | Horse Betting

By: Richard Bleuze

Harness Racing Longshots

Many horse bettors think that there is little chance of making a profit in harness racing.  However, just like thoroughbred racing, harness racing has an overlay, a horse bet down below its fair odds value, there is an overlay. There are a few tips that might help you when looking for a good bet and picking a winner when placing a bet on harness racing.

The problem that many horse bettors find is that they do not know which horse or horses is an underlay even if the favorite is bet down below its reasonable price.  Below are a few simple truths in harness racing though, that should help to shed some light on this situation.

The first tip that you should take notice of, especially in races contested over a half mile track,  is post position.  Post position does play a major role in horse racing. I suggest that you know the post position statistics for the track that you are going to wagering on and use them to your advantage.  If inside posts or any post has a big advantage, that is the obvious place to look for a possible winner.

If the horses racing from those posts do not show any promise, then pass the race.  However, if the favorite is bet down below fair value odds in the horse race, and you can find a possible winner in a favorable post, you may get good odds and make some money.

If you handicap harness racing, though, you have to realize that favorites do often win.  However, if you are a svary horse bettor and are determined to make money betting on harness races, you will soon realize that the people who took the short odds will eventually lose their funds because they are slowly losing money on every winning bet.

However, if you insist on and get fair value odds for your winners you will  make money in the long run.  In order to make a ton of money in a harness race, I suggest looking for value in a race.

The first step is that you want a driver that can win.  He or she does not need to be a top driver.  In fact, in the long run you will make more money on those drivers who maintain a decent win average, but are not in the top handful of drivers at the  race track.  Unlike thoroughbred racing, the top drivers in harness racing are almost always bet down below their fair value. This then creates a great opportunity for a shrewd harness racing handicapper.

In addition to step #1 above, you want a horse that has shown some life in its last race.  The horse must have made a good run on the leader in the final quarter of its last race or to have won its last race.  Additionally, the horse should be moving up in class, even if the horse has been lightly raced.  If the horse is moving up in class, then it just shows that the trainer realizes his or her horse is improving.  The combination of a good post position and competent driver will often result in a good price if there is an over bet favorite in the race.

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