Greyhound Handicap: Should I Bet on This Dog or Not?

If a dog has the fastest time of all dogs in a race, should you bet on that dog? What if a dog has the highest class in a breed or has the highest winning percentage? What if he’s out of the kennel that’s at the top of the leaderboard as of this week? What if he’s in the best post position or the fastest breaker in the race? And if he has all of these things going for him, would you bet on it then?

Of course you would. Unfortunately, so would everyone else on the track and the odds would be so low that you would have to pay back if you won. Or almost, anyway. What I mean is that most dogs have something going for them, but very few have everything going for them. This is where good handicap, research, time and effort come into play.

It is the handicappers who are willing to go beyond the handicap based on a single factor who are most successful. It is impossible to know if a dog is going to win, judging only by how fast he stops, how fast he runs, or how many races he has won in the past. There are seven other dogs in that race who have their minds set on catching the lure and will do anything they can to beat the other dogs.

This is why rate limiting doesn’t work. That’s why even my favorite ploy, playing spot plays, doesn’t work unless you do a little handicap along with it. Just because a dog has a good reason to win doesn’t mean he’s going to win. It just means you have an advantage over dogs that don’t get a good win or don’t lag behind in class or don’t do any of the other things that give a dog a reason to be a contender.

Anything that gives a dog that extra “oomph” is good, but by itself it’s not enough. Unfortunately, the crowd seems to zero in on these one-trick wonders and bet them for nothing. But maybe that’s not so unfortunate if you’re smart enough to figure out what’s going on and find another dog that has more than one thing going for it.

Look past the surface of breeds where one dog is the overwhelming favorite because of one thing that sets it apart from other dogs. Look for dogs that have several factors in their favor and find one or two to play to win or in a pool or trifecta box. Don’t rely on dogs who only have speed, post position, or something else going for them. Dogs, like people, need as many things going for them as possible to win.