Understanding Form Reversals and How to Bet Horse Racing

Form reversals are very common in thoroughbred racing. Therefore, anyone who wants to learn how to bet horse racing must be aware of this concept. Every race day, one or more horses will turn in what is commonly called a "form reversal" in racing jargon. It may seem as if nothing can explain why the form of one horse improved suddenly while the form of another declined drastically from one race to another. Many horses are even fined for form reversals.

At Horse Race Handicappers, a lot of effort goes into developing tips for successfully learning how to bet on horse racing. Some of these factors can explain form reversals also. If you want to know more about thoroughbred racing or how to bet horse racing, download our Form Reversals e-book or contact us today.

Some Classic Examples of Form Reversals

If you go into a racehorse's performance as you are learning how to bet horse racing, you may find several reasons why the reversal in form occurred. Let us consider the example of the Seabiscuit, a legendary thoroughbred. Students of how to bet horse racing might know that when Seabiscuit first started, he was on a losing streak and it seemed it would never end. He lost his first seventeen races, often finishing in the back of the pack. Yet, when he did start to win, there was no stopping him. He beat War Admiral, a Triple Crown winner by four lengths even after War Admiral ran his best time. Seabiscuit eventually went on to win the American Horse of the Year for 1938, the most prestigious honor in the U.S.

Those learning how to bet horse racing, might also be interested in the case of Big Brown, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2008. The thoroughbred was a favorite when he came into the Belmont Stakes. Just one more win, and he would have won the Triple Crown. Unfortunately Big Brown couldn't even finish the Belmont Stakes and so lost his chances of scripting history.

These two horses are classic examples of form reversals in thoroughbred racing. Form reversals can happen due to a number of reasons. Most handicappers who also educate people on how to bet horse racing only analyze past performance records to select picks. Hence they fail to catch why a thoroughbred could reverse its form in a particular race.

How to Bet Horse Racing When There is a Danger of Form Reversals

In the face of form reversals, understanding how to bet horse racing can get very difficult. A horse will suddenly lose form in a race, if it is not comfortable or if it is suffering from pain. Heel problems such as heel concussions and cracks are common in racehorses. This may be due to the speed at which they run. Another cause for form reversals may be because some thoroughbreds simply have a preference for certain kinds of tracks such as dirt or turf. Changes in the track may therefore affect their performance.

Those interested in learning how to bet horse racing would be interested to know that racehorses are also affected by the weather. Some horses may not like the rain or the cold and hence may not perform in a certain race. An important weather phenomenon that could affect the performance of a racehorse is the barometric pressure. Some racehorses are not affected by the pressure. But others may behave like different horses altogether when the pressure starts falling. Any individual attempting to understand how to bet horse racing should be aware of the weather conditions around the race track.

Sometimes, everything comes together for a thoroughbred and it gives the performance of its lifetime as was seen in the case of Drosselmeyer, who won the $5 million Breeder's Cup Classic. The thoroughbred was a long shot with odds of 14-1. The favorite Game on Dude, who was carrying odds of 9-5, came second. Other factors contributing to his success could be lack of injury, weather conditions, the right jockey, the training regimen, etc. If you want to learn how to bet horse racing properly, you will have to keep abreast of all these factors.

Other than the traditional handicapping methods, Horse Race Handicappers considers a number of factors to arrive at the best selections and picks for thoroughbred racing. We have developed a special formula that allows us to calculate the best selections and tips for selecting winning horses. You will also find a lot of content on how to bet horse racing on our website. To learn more about Horse Race Handicappers or to buy our horse racing picks packages, contact us today.