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.

How to Bet the Superfecta

Betting the Superfecta requires you to pick the top four finishers of a race in the correct order. You can select as many runners in each position (first, second, third, and fourth) as you like. You can also “box” your selections meaning the horses you select can finish in any order as long as they all finish in the top four. However, this will cost more money and you should be cautious that you are not spending more than you can win.

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.

The Best Way to Decide and Create a Win Bet

There are a couple of ways to choose a viable win bet. The first is to handicap the race, decide which horse you believe is most likely to win, and bet on that horse without regard to the odds. A better strategy is to take the odds into consideration, which—at the most sophisticated level—requires creating a fair odds line. If you believe your top choice has a 33% chance at winning a race, this means if the race were run three times, you would expect the horse to lose twice and win once. That’s two losses to one win, or 2-1. The horse you’ve chosen is worth a win bet at odds of 2-1 or higher. If the odds are lower than 2-1, the potential payoff isn’t high enough to warrant the risk.

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.

Betting Strategies: Finding Value When a Race has Two Heavy Favorites

When two big favorites exist in the same race (both less than 2-1), it doesn’t take a big stand against one of these, or both, in order to find value. Most importantly, we want to keep our eyes on the exacta pools with situations like this when two favorites will be heavily bet together, creating an underlay we can exploit. Assuming we like both favorites equally, all we need is a positive opinion about another horse in the field that we want to put our money behind.

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The TwinSpires Jury – Episode #12 – September 28, 2023

This week, Ashley Anderson is back in the saddle as host on The TwinSpires Jury, and she's joined by James Scully and Darin Zoccali to discuss the upcoming racing events taking place this weekend. All three experts will dive into their best bets and favorites to fade at Churchill Downs, Belmont at the Big A , and more! Don't forget to explore our offers at TwinSpires. Make sure to catch Episode #12 of The Jury on TwinSpires Edge and mark your calendar for Tuesday when our Racing Roundtable returns to hear our handicappers' weekend recap.

TwinSpires Racing Roundtable – Episode #12 – September 26, 2023

This week's Racing Roundtable shares everything that was learned from PA Derby Day at Parx. Darin Zoccali, Vance Hanson and James Scully also share their thoughts on who was the most impressive on Saturday's Downs After Dark card along with what other competitive runners caught their eye.

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.

Training to Win – Brisnet PPs and Insider Picks & Power Plays

Expert Handicapper James Scully explains how to read and use two Free with Bet handicapping products on TwinSpires courtesy of Brisnet. First is Ultimate Past Performances with Comments and second is Insider Picks & Power Plays.

The Basic Tab

Ashley Anderson explains what the Basic tab on the TwinSpries app contains for you to make a more intelligent wager with TwinSpires.

The Speed Tab

Learn more about what the Speed tab contains for your wagering strategy from Ashley Anderson.

The Class Tab

Learn the how to access the Speed Ratings of horses that are offered in each race with the TwinSpires Class Tab.

The Pace Tab

Learn more from TwinSpires’ Ashley Anderson about the helpful handicapping tool available in TwinSpires app, the Brisnet Pace tab.

The Angles Tab

Find out more about the Angles tab that is available in the TwinSpires wagering platform. Ashley Anderson shares how to utilize the Angles tab to help you make a more informed wager with TwinSpires.

Training to Win – Exotic Wagers

Ashley Anderson explains different wager types that you can bet on TwinSpires known as Exotic Wagers. There are single race exotics like Exactas and Trifectas and multi-race exotics like a Pick 4.

Training to Win – Race Classification

Race classifications can help you identify the quality or experience of horses running in a particular event. Ashley Anderson explains how to find it in the TwinSpires app.

Training to Win – Multi-Race Ticket Structure

Expert handicapper James Scully explains some major tips you should follow when building a “Pick N” ticket in horse racing. Leverage your strongest opinions and fade vulnerable favorites.

Training to Win – Graded Stakes Race Analysis

Expert handicapper James Scully is here to provide you with some key tips to follow when analyzing a graded stakes race. Follow these tips to find the best value and Bet with #TwinSpires!

TwinSpires Inside Track on Brisnet Past Performances

Expert handicappers James Scully, Scott Shapiro, and Ashley Anderson join TwinSpires host Andrew Brown for the first installment of the Inside Track video series. They discuss the ins and outs of Brisnet Past Performances and how they use the wealth of information provided in them to make smart wagering decisions. Learn from the best and take their strategies to win by betting with #TwinSpires.

Training to Win – Watching Replays

Expert handicapper James Scully shares his top tips to consider when watching replays for your handicapping. TwinSpires offers historical replays for over 300 tracks worldwide.

Training to Win – When to Toss Speed Ratings

TwinSpires expert handicapper James Scully discusses different scenarios in which you should toss out a horse’s speed ratings in the past performances. Handicap with the best using these tips!

TwinSpires Stable Alerts Desktop Video

Learn all of the features and how to use the NEW Stable Alerts on TwinSpires desktop! Keep track of all of your favorites and Bet with #TwinSpires!

Power Box Modifier Feature on TwinSpires

Learn how to use this powerful bet modifier on your single race exotic wagers.

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.

The TwinSpires Jury – Episode #12 – September 28, 2023

This week, Ashley Anderson is back in the saddle as host on The TwinSpires Jury, and she's joined by James Scully and Darin Zoccali to discuss the upcoming racing events taking place this weekend. All three experts will dive into their best bets and favorites to fade at Churchill Downs, Belmont at the Big A , and more! Don't forget to explore our offers at TwinSpires. Make sure to catch Episode #12 of The Jury on TwinSpires Edge and mark your calendar for Tuesday when our Racing Roundtable returns to hear our handicappers' weekend recap.

TwinSpires Racing Roundtable – Episode #12 – September 26, 2023

This week's Racing Roundtable shares everything that was learned from PA Derby Day at Parx. Darin Zoccali, Vance Hanson and James Scully also share their thoughts on who was the most impressive on Saturday's Downs After Dark card along with what other competitive runners caught their eye.

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.

Training to Win – Brisnet PPs and Insider Picks & Power Plays

Expert Handicapper James Scully explains how to read and use two Free with Bet handicapping products on TwinSpires courtesy of Brisnet. First is Ultimate Past Performances with Comments and second is Insider Picks & Power Plays.

The Basic Tab

Ashley Anderson explains what the Basic tab on the TwinSpries app contains for you to make a more intelligent wager with TwinSpires.

The Speed Tab

Learn more about what the Speed tab contains for your wagering strategy from Ashley Anderson.

The Class Tab

Learn the how to access the Speed Ratings of horses that are offered in each race with the TwinSpires Class Tab.

The Pace Tab

Learn more from TwinSpires’ Ashley Anderson about the helpful handicapping tool available in TwinSpires app, the Brisnet Pace tab.

The Angles Tab

Find out more about the Angles tab that is available in the TwinSpires wagering platform. Ashley Anderson shares how to utilize the Angles tab to help you make a more informed wager with TwinSpires.

Training to Win – Exotic Wagers

Ashley Anderson explains different wager types that you can bet on TwinSpires known as Exotic Wagers. There are single race exotics like Exactas and Trifectas and multi-race exotics like a Pick 4.

Training to Win – Race Classification

Race classifications can help you identify the quality or experience of horses running in a particular event. Ashley Anderson explains how to find it in the TwinSpires app.

Training to Win – Multi-Race Ticket Structure

Expert handicapper James Scully explains some major tips you should follow when building a “Pick N” ticket in horse racing. Leverage your strongest opinions and fade vulnerable favorites.

Training to Win – Graded Stakes Race Analysis

Expert handicapper James Scully is here to provide you with some key tips to follow when analyzing a graded stakes race. Follow these tips to find the best value and Bet with #TwinSpires!

TwinSpires Inside Track on Brisnet Past Performances

Expert handicappers James Scully, Scott Shapiro, and Ashley Anderson join TwinSpires host Andrew Brown for the first installment of the Inside Track video series. They discuss the ins and outs of Brisnet Past Performances and how they use the wealth of information provided in them to make smart wagering decisions. Learn from the best and take their strategies to win by betting with #TwinSpires.

Training to Win – Watching Replays

Expert handicapper James Scully shares his top tips to consider when watching replays for your handicapping. TwinSpires offers historical replays for over 300 tracks worldwide.

Training to Win – When to Toss Speed Ratings

TwinSpires expert handicapper James Scully discusses different scenarios in which you should toss out a horse’s speed ratings in the past performances. Handicap with the best using these tips!

TwinSpires Stable Alerts Desktop Video

Learn all of the features and how to use the NEW Stable Alerts on TwinSpires desktop! Keep track of all of your favorites and Bet with #TwinSpires!

Power Box Modifier Feature on TwinSpires

Learn how to use this powerful bet modifier on your single race exotic wagers.

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.

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!

Betting Strategies: Building tickets with the market in mind

Fri Sep 29 2023Kevin Kilroy

In terms of building multi-race tickets, we are betting into the races blindly, meaning we do not have any tote information about where the money is going and who might be underlays or overlays. Therefore, a lot of horseplayers end up writing tickets that simply reflect their opinions of who could win, forgetting about the notion of value.

Identifying versatile sires can lead to lucrative payoffs

Tue Sep 26 2023J. Keeler Johnson

When a male racehorse enjoys success racing over a particular surface (dirt, turf, or synthetic), it’s easy to assume his progeny will follow suit. But sometimes they prove more versatile than expected.

V V's Dream winning the Pocahontas (G3) at Churchill Downs (Photo by Coady Photography)
When betting lightly raced juveniles, analyze the horses they’ve run against

Tue Sep 19 2023J. Keeler Johnson

When handicapping lightly raced juveniles who have only run one or two times, it’s helpful to examine the quality of horses they’ve competed against to get a feel for which runners are coming out of high-quality races.

Betting Strategy: Pursuing Opinions Worth Betting

Fri Sep 15 2023Kevin Kilroy

Kevin Kilroy discusses a unique take on betting strategy and the questions you may want to ask yourself before placing that winning bet.

The Science of Horse Racing: Bits

Fri Sep 15 2023Jennifer Kelly

From a simple snaffle to a Norton, the right bit is just as important as the saddle and the blinkers you see on your favorite Thoroughbred.

Lessons learned in Handicapping Contests

Thu Feb 18 2016Dick Powell

If the definition of insanity is “Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” what is the definition of preaching one thing and then doing something else?

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.

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