If you just want to have fun at the dog track without spending a lot of time and effort on handicapping, here’s a way to do it without going broke. It’s something that works surprisingly well at times, but of course, it’s not a substitute for a real handicapping system.
I learned this method of picking winners, years ago, from a man who loved to play the dogs, but didn’t have much patience. No way was he going to spend hours going over programs or figuring out math. He just wanted to look over his program quickly, do a couple of fast calculations, and bet on a dog that had a pretty good chance of coming in.
This is how he did it, and how you can do it too. Just remember that it’s not a real handicapping system. Don’t expect to get rich with it and remember to stay within your betting budget. Of course, you should do that no matter how you pick dogs, as I’ve said many times before.
First, for each dog, look at their last four races. Now, pick the fastest two for each dog. Add them together and put that number above each dog’s name. Find the lowest number and play that dog to win. It’s as simple as that.
The only rule is that you only count real races. Ignore schooling races, races where the dog was OOP and any race that was a non-betting race. Other than that, just quickly add up the fastest two races out of the last four for each dog in the race.
It’s a simple, easy way to use speed handicapping without getting complicated about it. Of course, it’s not as effective as systems that take more time and effort. Sometimes, though, even “real” handicappers just aren’t into putting a whole lot into picking winners. Sometimes “quick and easy” is just the ticket.
