Horse Betting Tip of the Day – Playing with Bugs

Bug boys, so named because of the asterisk denoted in racing programs on track, also known as apprentices, often must be given a long look by horse bettors because when they get hot, everybody all of a sudden puts them on live horses.

Apprentice translates to a rider who has not ridden a specified amount of winners during a particular time frame. A weight allowance is allowed based on the number of winners an apprentice has been involved with and the allowance changes.

They get 10 pounds until the 5th winner, 7 pounds until the 35th happy ending and 5 pounds for a year after that 5th winner.

Bug boys come in all shapes and sizes but generally they are young, green, aggressive, friendly, and full of energy.

I once had a female friend that didn’t know much about handicapping but she cashed a ton of tickets because she had savvy. She knew that when the money was down, in the big allowance races or stakes that bug riders would not thrive because those were the events where the journeymen riders on the circuit would be most focused.

In claiming races, she loved to play bug boys and she was very successful.

In the claim game, where most of the horses are very competitive and hold their form for just a short period of time, any kind of an edge could put a runner over the top and that’s why many trainers take a shot at an apprentice rider and put that rider on live stock.

By isolating main plays with bug boys in the cheaper races, online horse racing bettors can give themselves the best chance at getting paid.

Once a bug boy gets hot, and starts gaining attention, his popularity can pick up steam much like a snowball rolling down the mountain.

There is nothing like winning that cures any kind of bias.

It also helps to have some history in your favor and that’s where apprentice Brandon Meier comes into play.

The Arlington Park based rider is the son of long-time local rider Randall Meier and he kicked off his career by winning his very first race.

It also helps that Kid Meier has the most potent owner on the circuit in his corner. Owner Frank Calabrese wins races because he puts horses where they belong and if that means dropping a horse 4 floors, so be it.

Astute horse bettors know that most bug boys are good from the gate and Meier is no different as he has a very good handle on young horses.

Meier is currently 6th in the standings in Chicago and although he is in no danger of winning the meet as top rider, bettors can still get value on him.

Another from Chicago that must be followed is Inez Karlsson. The former boxer has had a multiple win day at the meet and she has been the bettor’s friend with a solid return on investment on her over 200 mounts.

Unlike Meier, Karlsson has shown a keen ability to come from behind and horse bettors should not hesitate on using her on deep closers.