Class on the Grass Still Prevails

The old online racebook betting fans.

Horses that have shown grass success before are usually good online bets to show it again. Horses that show up in grass races with proven grass pedigrees usually run well first time on the lawn.

What all of this adds up to is that when looking for winners in races on the grass first finding the horses with proven grass form or grass pedigrees is the way to go. As important as speed and pace are for any horse in any race, horses must like the grass before they can use their natural speed.

Horses are temperamental animals. If they are uncomfortable, getting them to run as fast as they can for as long as they can is virtually impossible to do.

Here are a few things to look for when handicapping grass races.

1. Class is more important than speed or pace - - A classy grass horse can run in any style he or she chooses. That means that classy grass horses, ala Red Rocks who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf last year, can either stick close to a slow pace or come from the clouds against a very fast pace. Successful horse betting fans understand this and will automatically “throw out” cheap horses when handicapping grass races.

2. Know the track you are making online wagers on - - You have to understand how certain grass tracks play. For instance, Del Mar can be kind to closers early in the meet and then kind to front-runners later on in the meet. Santa Anita could change from day to day.

3. Know where the rails are set each day - - Where the track superintendents set the rails changes from day to day. You need to understand where the rails are because if they are closer to the inside part of the track then the turns become tighter. This is true for every track in the United States. Tight turns means that horses on the outside will have trouble getting a good trip.

4. Betting jockeys is not a bad method on the grass - - Some jockeys, like Kent Desormeaux and Corey Nakatani, are just terrific on the grass. They have a good idea of where to place their horses to save ground, they’re patient and they know exactly what their horses are capable of doing. The reason that making horse bets based on the jockey is a good strategy is because a lot of success on grass racing has to do with the trip that the horse receives. The trip depends on the decision that the jockey makes during the race as well as post position and where the rails are set.

5. Try not to over think grass racing - - Yes, a lot of long shots win these grass races, but it’s futile to over think a race on grass. Why? Because the talent level of horses in grass races are usually higher than the talent level of horses in dirt races in the United States. The trainers and jockeys are usually the best in the business. That means that every horse in the race usually has some sort of shot. Stick with the horses that have good class pedigrees. Stick with the horses that have proven grass form. Always think about the connections, jockey, ownership and trainer, and then make your online wager based on the horses online odds.

Good Luck!