What day do you go to the track? If you’re like many people, you go on a Friday night or on the weekend. If you work, it’s hard to get away for a weekday matinee. Evening programs end too late for many working people.
This means that there’s a bigger crowd at the track on weekends and Friday night than there is on weekdays. What does that mean to your bankroll? Well, it means that weekends might be a better time to pick winners.
The weekend crowd is made up of many people who are just there to have a good time. They eat, they drink, they play their lucky numbers and have fun, whether they win or lose. If you, on the other hand, are serious about handicapping, this crowd makes it easier.
Also, the track management knows that they’re more likely to get a crowd on the weekend, so they often schedule the better races then. It’s easier to handicap the better races, because the dogs are more consistent.
A smart handicapper can still make money during the week. I did it all the time when I was laid off during the previous recession in the 80′s. It was tougher though, because the crowds were smaller and there were more dedicated handicappers than fun-seekers there during the week.
If you want to stack the odds in your favor, I recommend that you give the past programs a good going over for both weekends and weekdays. See if, like most tracks, your track follows the practice of putting the best races on the weekend cards. If they do, that might be the best time to go.
