It’s Your Opinion!

By Chris Rossi, Hello Race Fans Contributing Editor

I find handicapping to be fantastic cerebral gymnastics. The thinking one does for fun, as hobby, at the races can keep one’s mind sharp for other activities whether they be at work or school. They have certainly helped my creative juices over the years.

The best piece of advice I can give to anyone interested in learning about handicapping horse racing is to be your own leaf in the stream.

You will be advised to read this book or that book, listen to this person or that person but the best part about the participatory nature of wagering is that it is you alone who will be saddled with having an opinion and making a decision.

Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that your decision is bad. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that your opinion is ill informed. All you need to do is learn for yourself, keep in mind what failed and what worked last time, keep your eyes open to digest what you see and read that what interests you.

Having an opinion, being opinionated is the central theme of handicapping. If we all listened to each others opinions, we would all wind up playing the same short priced horses over and over again. Being your own leaf in the stream can lead you down tributaries that others will not get to let alone see and that’s just fine, that’s where you want to be when you’re playing horses.

Chris Rossi
Contributing Editor, Hello Race Fans
Twitter: @o_crunk