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.

Video Library

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The TwinSpires Jury - Episode #21 - November 30, 2023

Coming off his win with 8-1 shot Honor Marie in the Kentucky Jockey Club, James Scully gives his best bet in the Remsen Stakes while Darin Zoccali and Ashley Anderson talk Fair Grounds' Claiming Crown card and Turfway's opening weekend.

TwinSpires Racing Roundtable – Episode #19 – November 28, 2023

This week's TwinSpires Racing Roundtable discusses their takeaways from this year's Kentucky Jockey Club race at Churchill Downs, the potential strength of Intricate being a 2024 Kentucky Oaks contender and who else caught their eye over the holiday weekend domestically and abroad.

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 #21 - November 30, 2023

Coming off his win with 8-1 shot Honor Marie in the Kentucky Jockey Club, James Scully gives his best bet in the Remsen Stakes while Darin Zoccali and Ashley Anderson talk Fair Grounds' Claiming Crown card and Turfway's opening weekend.

TwinSpires Racing Roundtable – Episode #19 – November 28, 2023

This week's TwinSpires Racing Roundtable discusses their takeaways from this year's Kentucky Jockey Club race at Churchill Downs, the potential strength of Intricate being a 2024 Kentucky Oaks contender and who else caught their eye over the holiday weekend domestically and abroad.

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!

When juveniles finish slowly in sprints, be careful betting them in routes

Wed Dec 06 2023J. Keeler Johnson

How can you predict whether a lightly raced juvenile will thrive or struggle while tackling route distances of one mile or longer? Pedigrees, coupled with how fast they finish in sprints, can provide clues.

Like father, like son doesn’t always apply in horse racing

Wed Nov 29 2023J. Keeler Johnson

It’s tempting to simplify pedigree handicapping down to “Sire X thrived under Y conditions; therefore his foals will also appreciate Y conditions.” But reality is often more complicated.

Whitmore winning the 2020 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Keeneland (Photo by Coady Photography)
When a horse suddenly improves, is it a new normal?

Wed Nov 22 2023J. Keeler Johnson

When an experienced horse steps up and runs a race far better than any they’ve previously run, it’s fair to wonder if it was a one-time fluke. But if the improvement coincided with an obvious change, it might be a new normal.

The Science of Horse Racing: It's All About Time

Thu Nov 16 2023Jennifer Kelly

From stopwatches to GPS tracking, the methods racetracks have employed over the last three centuries have sought to capture race times accurately for posterity and for punters.

How field sizes can affect win percentages

Wed Nov 15 2023J. Keeler Johnson

Many factors can influence the win percentages recorded by jockeys and trainers, both overall and in specific types of races. Ability and opportunity are two of the biggest factors, but another is field size—the number of horses entered in a race.

Jason Beem Podcast
Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast: Nov. 8, 2023

Wed Nov 08 2023Jason Beem

Jason opens the show discussing some thoughts on horse racing in larger media and racing films. Then he discusses some thoughts on racing at Delta Downs as well as post positions and handicapping. 

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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