Basic Greyhound Racing Handicapping

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Handicapping Basics

Greyhound’s class

Importance of a greyhound’s post position

Greyhound’s speed

Greyhound’s racing style

Greyhound’s recent form

Greyhound Kennels

Charting the race

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Handicapping Basics

Usually, there are twelve races a day at the most racing tracks. To bet money on all of them is the sure way to lose. A bettor should proceed carefully with his wagering concentrating only on those races which can offer him few wagering angles.

The outcomes of the greyhound races are extremely difficult to predict. The reasons are the short distance of the racing track and the high speeds of the hounds. The longest race is only 9/16 of a mile. Every little mistake or a problem of any kind like for ex. a bump from another dog can cause a split second delay, which will be enough to cause the loss of the race. Unlike in horse racing, the greyhounds run on their own without any guidance from the jockeys and drivers. In result they collide with each other often, introducing a random element in the race impossible to evaluate. That’s what makes it’s hard to make money at the races. The professional handicappers don’t try to beat the races. Instead, they select their spots by choosing just few individual races where they see few angles that can be exploited.

The handicapping approach to greyhound racing should be as simple as possible. When it becomes too intricate it usually turns into a losing system. The progressive systems that require the increase in bet size in order to recoup the previous losses should be avoided. The random element in the greyhound dog races is too significant to employ progressive systems. They become too expensive too fast to return a bettor the money he lost earlier in other races.

Handicapping thought process for greyhound racing includes analysis of four major points of class, speed, current form and running style of the greyhound. In addition, it requires taking into consideration a greyhound’s post position. Charting the race – the prediction of how fast the greyhound will run on every stage of the race – can also be of great help for a handicapper.

Greyhound’s class

Usually, greyhound races last two or three weeks. The dogs run every three or four days. There are few classes of dogs – A, B, C, D and sometimes E. The highest class A represents the fastest greyhounds with the best racing records. The better the dog performs, the higher the class it will be moved into. The losses lead to degrading a greyhound to a lower class. As a rule, a greyhound from a superior class A will outrun the dogs from B and C class. However, a sharp class C dog, which is in the top form, might beat a class A dog, which is at the time of the race is dull and off-form. A greyhound’s class should be paid a close attention to while handicapping a next race.

Post position

Greyhound’s starting box post position relatively to the inside rail of the racing track is an important handicapping factor to consider. It gives a slight edge to a dog, which has a closest to the rail position. Statistically, the same greyhound will win the race about 5% more often if it will start from the box 1 or 2 in comparison with the boxes 7 and 8. The most likely reason behind that statistics is the higher chance for the greyhounds starting in the middle and outside boxes to collide and get bumped. The other reason is the sharp turns of the greyhound racing tracks. The greyhounds, which run on the outside, often run too wide on the turns wasting extra time. The disadvantage of starting from the far box is not a big factor for a greyhound, which breaks fast out of the box.

Greyhound’s speed

Greyhounds are lightning fast, but do not possess stamina. They can’t run as long as horses. Their longest distance is a little bit over a half a mile. The distances greyhounds run are: sprints – 5/16 of a mile; medium distances – 3/8 of a mile; marathons – 7/16 of a mile and rare super marathons equal 9/16 of a mile. It usually takes around 32 seconds to cover sprints, about 38 seconds to run medium distances and about 45 seconds for marathons. Super marathons will take around a minute to finish.

Speed is the most important factor that goes into a greyhound racing handicapping analysis. The greyhounds that are the “frontrunners” run as fast as they can for as long as they can. The greyhounds that are the “closers” do not start the fastest right out of the box but show the best speeds at the latest stages of the race. However, all the greyhounds are closely matched and any dog can win any individual race regardless of its racing style.

Greyhound’s racing style

Greyhound racing style should be taken into account during the handicapping process. All facts considered, the frontrunners probably will be your best bet at the most distances. The reason is that the closers often get in trouble in the back of the pack colliding with and getting bumped by the other dogs. Because of the less traffic problems, the frontrunners that break out first will have a chance to stay first all the way to the end of the race. The distance is also important. A frontrunner that gets tired when running a marathon may do great if put into a sprint race. A frontrunner greyhound will be a good bet if it regularly leaves the box to get an immediate lead right after the start. If this greyhound will get out smoothly avoiding problems with other dogs, its chances to finish in the money will be among the best.

Greyhound’s recent form

A greyhound’s form characterizes a dog’s physical condition at the moment and ability to race. It is important for a handicapper to have an idea about the dog’s current form before backing it. The good indicator of a greyhound’s current form is its recent form, which it had during last few races. That information can be found on the racing program. The most useful data are the results in the last three races. If a greyhound was improving steady, it’s getting back into form and is worth betting on. If the results were inconsistent or on the decline, a dog is falling out of form and should be avoided by a handicapper.  It is a good idea to analyze the form and the class (grade) of the greyhound at the same time. The greyhounds from the higher class can be good prospects in the lower grade race, even if their form is questionable. If a high class greyhound had a bad result in its first race at a lower level because of the interference by other dogs, this dog still can be considered for a bet. Race comments on the racing program explain what has happened during the race. It is extremely important for a successful handicapping to establish a true greyhound’s form.

Greyhound Kennels

Kennels are not a crucial handicapping issue. However, it is helpful to include the evaluation of the greyhound’s kennels into your handicapping method. The best greyhounds usually come from the top kennels. Top kennels produce more winners and more in-the-money performers. The easy way to evaluate the greyhound kennels is to compare them on the basis of their win percentage and percentage of in the money finishes. Percentages are calculated as a ratio of wins to the number of starts expressed in percentage terms. You can’t bet on a greyhound just becomes it comes from of a top ranked kennel. However, if a greyhound dog shows a great form and belongs to a high class, then a good kennel is an additional plus for a handicapper.

Charting the race

A useful handicapping practice for a handicapper to employ is to try to chart out coming race in advance. To chart the race is to attempt to make a calculated guess on how the race will develop as soon as the dogs will be out of the starting boxes. The questions to answer will be: which greyhounds will most likely to be first out, which ones will be behind and which dogs will experience traffic problems. Are there any closers in the race that may outrun the frontrunners? Are there any recent form issues that may undermine the chances of the obvious contenders etc… The caller’s commentaries on the racing program are very helpful for a handicapper trying to chart out the race. The greyhounds should be bet if they are breakers with the good closing speed, have a good post position and have an edge in class. Maiden dogs that have never won yet, “green dogs” on the way up or the high class greyhounds that have been downgraded and have shown a bad form are too risky to bet on.

Copyright Progress Publishing Co. 2006

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