Training to Win
Learn the ins and outs of handicapping with articles, videos, and expert guides.
What’s your Racing Experience?
Depending on your racing level, we’ve got a few tips for you!
You’re a beginner bettor looking to learn more about wagering, or maybe even making your first-ever horse racing bet while attending the track for fun or watching a major racing event, like the Kentucky Derby.
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How to Bet the Exacta
Betting the exacta requires you to pick the top two finishers of a race in the correct order. You can select as many runners in each position (first and second) as you like. You can also “box” your selections meaning the horse(s) you choose in first can finish second and the horse(s) you choose in second can finish first. However, this will cost more money and you should be cautious that you are not spending more than you can win.
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What are Morning Line Odds?
Racetracks traditionally publish morning line odds, which guesstimate how the wagering will unfold to give bettors an idea of where the final Win odds will end up. Since this is pari-mutuel wagering, the odds will change as bettors place Win wagers on different horses. Your Win wager will get the final odds at post time (when the race starts), not when you place the bet and not what the Morning Line odds are.
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How to use Past Performances to Handicap
TwinSpires offers FREE Brisnet Past Performances to players who place atleast one wager on the track downloaded on that day. These PPs will be extremely beneficial to you in finding the best horse(s) to wager with the vast amount of information available. It can be intimidating to look at without much knowledge so use this guide on how to read a PP.
You’re a knowledgeable and somewhat experienced bettor looking to improve your wagering strategies. You bet on the big races, like the Triple Crown series, and occasionally wager on weekday racing action or a particular meet as a recreational hobby.
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Use smart ticket building to make money
Smart wagering strategies that accurately reflect your opinions can be used to greatly increase profits and/or reduce ticket costs. If you feel there is a certain winner in a particular race, do not be afraid to single that horse in your multi-race wagers. Also, you can Key that horse in exotics wagers rather than boxing multiple selections. Boxing and adding multiple horses in multi-leg wagers will increase your likelihood of winning, but will greatly increase your ticket cost and take a big cut out of your profits.
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Tips for handicapping first time starters
Data provided by Brisnet can be huge factors in successful wagering in races that have first time starters. Four factors include: 1) Look for a trainer’s debut win percentage in the PPs. 2) Look at first-out win percentage from the sire in the PPs. 3) Look for the sale price of the horse if applicable in the PPs. 4) Watch the tote board and see which horses are taking in the most money.
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What are Brisnet Speed and Pace ratings?
The four types of Brisnet speed ratings are labeled E1, E2, Late Pace (LP), and Speed (SPD) in the PPs. E1 rating is a pace figure analyzing how fast a horse ran during the early portion of a race. E2 rating also measures early speed, but over a longer distance than the E1. Late Pace rating measures how strongly a horse finished in the ending portion of a race. Speed rating evaluates the final time and thus encompasses the entirety of a performance.
You’re a skilled and experienced bettor looking for an additional edge. You regularly watch and analyze horse racing, employ advanced wagering strategies, and can read and understand a racing program and past performances.
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Betting Strategies: Scully’s Superfecta Structure
Handicapper James Scully has hit the superfecta in the Kentucky Derby six of the last 10 years. In 2022, he hit for the $321,500.10 massive payout on a $1 base wager. James shares his approach to handicapping, ticket structure, and how to maximize profits with big superfectas in his chat with Kevin Kilroy here on the TwinSpires Edge.
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Find an edge in claiming conditions
A great conditions-based angle is the drop in class from an open claiming race, where any horse can enter, to a “have never won ‘X’ races” condition. The ideal scenario is one horse in a field on the drop from open claimers, with the rest a group that has struggled to get out of the race’s condition. Conditions can matter more than price in claiming races. In some cases, filling out exotic wagers with high-priced open-to-conditional droppers can lead to quality returns, even if you’re against betting them to win.
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Look for lone speed horses with Brisnet Pace Ratings
Brisnet Pace ratings can help you find superior speed horses. Early speed typically reigns supreme in dirt racing. Sometimes multiple speed horses hook up in an early duel and tire each other out, setting the stage for a stretch runner to rally and win. But when you encounter a race with only one obvious speed horse, take note—you’re likely looking at a dangerous win threat. Brisnet E1 Pace ratings provide these numbers and a big difference at the top signals a lone speed horse is likely.
Video Library
TwinSpires Oaklawn Park Pick 3 – 03/18/23
TwinSpires Expert handicapper Ashley Anderson shares her Pick 3 ticket at Oaklawn Park on Saturday March 18 that includes both the Whitmore Stakes and Essex Handicap.
TwinSpires Australian Rosehill Picks – 03/17/23
Resident TwinSpires Aussie Andrew Brown is here to give you some of his top selections for Friday night’s Rosehill racing action from Sydney. Also, opt in to our Australian Racing Autumn Carnival promo for a chance to win a trip to the races in Sydney!
Training To Win – Win, Place, Show Betting
TwinSpires analyst Ashley Anderson explains how you can place the simple wager types of Win, Place, or Show on the TwinSpires app and what those wagers mean.
Training To Win – Expert Picks
To help you find a winner, TwinSpires has a stable of professional handicappers, offering their thoughts on each race and their Expert Picks selections are available to view on the race page within the TwinSpires app.
Understanding the Odds
TwinSpires racing analyst Ashley Anderson walks novice bettors through the basics of horse racing wagering, from the concept of pari-mutuel betting, to reading and understanding the odds, and how to calculate payouts.
Understanding the Race Program
To help you make more informed wagering decisions, a race book is available directly from the race field page on the TwinSpires app. Get detailed information and stats on horses, jockeys, and trainers right at your fingertips.
How to Use Bet Share with TwinSpires
Create group tickets with ease using Bet Share on TwinSpires. Let us handle all of the money collecting and splitting of payouts as you can focus on handicapping and creating a winning ticket!
Quick Bet Feature for Android
Looking to quickly place a bet close to post time? Quickly build bets using our expert’s guidance! We are now offering the ability to click on expert picks which automatically constructs an exacta box wager leveraging our expert’s guidance.
Betting with TwinSpires
Finding a winner is simplified when you have the right tools.
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Handicapping – Obtain runner data and past performances
With TwinSpires, you get a wealth of handicapping information right on your screen with just a simple click. You can click on any North American horse’s name in the program to open loads of data pulled directly from Brisnet. You can also view that horse’s race replays and add that horse to your Stable to get notified of the next time it runs directly from this view!
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Betting – Choosing the Right Wager for You
Use the drop down menu above the list of runners to choose your wager type and amount. Then start building your wager by selecting your horses using the blue circles between the jockey silks and odds. There is even an “All” button at the top of the list of runners!
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Placing Your Bet – Bet Now, Save for Later, and BetShare
Once your wager is built, you have three options.
- You can click “Submit” and place the wager right away.
- You can click “Save Bet” to save for later if you just wanted to build a base and wait for more information or changes. This bet can be accessed by hitting the “Saved” icon at the top right of the screen. Then you can either edit, submit, or delete that wager when you are ready.
- You can select “Advanced Options” and then choose “Share Bet.” This will allow you to split up your wager into portions that other players can buy with your unique link that is created!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I turn off Expert Picks and more?
- To turn off certain features in the TwinSpires program, navigate to your account settings and look for Preferences.
- How can I save a bet?
- To save a bet, first select the runners you would like in your bet. Then, located on the bet slip, there will be an option called SAVE BET.
TWINSPIRES HORSE RACING BETTING, ODDS AND LIVE VIDEO
Have you ever considered placing a win bet on a Kentucky Derby runner? Or thought, ‘I should have bet that horse, but unsure how and I don’t want to forget to place a bet on that horse in their next race?’
Then the legal wagering destination of TwinSpires is here to help you learn, understand and practice the best handicapping principles on the planet. Our horse racing experts at TwinSpires hold authority as some of the most respected analysts in the racing industry.
The premier online betting experience of TwinSpires caters to several levels of horse players by offering beginner, casual and advanced concepts. We also offer both mobile apps and easy-to-use desktop experiences that present exclusive data, ratings and information to aid handicapping.
This support for racing fans of all levels keeps TwinSpires advancing in benefits for bettors with data-driven insights and rich offerings of educational content, handicapping, picks, analysis editorial, and strategies through all platforms.