by Derek Simon I have often noted that, outside of the odds, few single factors are as predictive as speed figures when it comes to determining the winner of a thoroughbred horse race. The problem is,...
by Derek Simon In his master work, “Winning at the Races: Computer Discoveries in Thoroughbred Handicapping,” William Quirin called early speed the “universal bias”. And although its importanc...
I hate excuses. In fact, one of the things that makes playing the races so appealing to me is that bad luck is irrelevant. Sure, one can whine and complain that their horse missed the break, that they...
Saying that people love wagering on the Super Bowl is like saying that Charlie Sheen kinda-sorta enjoys a night out on the town. Last year, it was estimated that $4.7 billion was bet legally and illeg...
by Derek Simon Note: I wrote the following article several years ago, but received a request to post it again. It pertains to making a fair odds line and includes a link to an Excel program that I cre...
If there’s one thing that gets my pulse racing more than anything else it’s watching a horse I wagered on win at juicy odds. Some bettors — just a handful judging by the price — probably exper...
Apparently there’s a debate raging in regard to who should be named Horse of the Year — Justify or Accelerate. Proponents of the former point to the colt’s undefeated record and Triple Crown swe...
Several years ago, I revisited and revamped the work of one of my early handicapping heroes, William L. Scott. And the results were… well, awful. However, I still believe that Scott’s seminal work...
Newcomers to thoroughbred horse racing are often overwhelmed by the vast amounts of information thrown at them like an Aroldis Chapman fastball. Class, weight, lengths, prices — and that’s just bu...
Recently, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won practically every big race imaginable, including the Kentucky Derby four times, weighed in on the future of horse racing. While I agreed with...
