I am going to Arlington on Friday. I have not been to the track since I have been of legal betting age (parents used to take us to Maywood after trips to Kiddieland lol) and have no idea about betting.

What do I do?

Should I bet the favorites or longshots?

What types of bets are best?

Do I bet the gray horse?

Halp!

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Pick up the Daily Racing Form at a newsstand before you go. If nothing else, it has the Beyer speed ratings in it, which will help you sort through some of the clatter.

My strategy (depending upon how much money I'm playing around with) is to have three bets going every race. My main bet is to hit the winner, or at least hit the horse whose odds are most favorable compared to what I think his chances of winning are. So, for example, if horse 5 is 2-1 and horse 8 is 15-1, but I think that horse 8 should actually be something like 6-1 and horse 5 should be 4-1, I'm probably betting hore 8, even if I think that horse five will win.

My second bet is to have a daily double/pick three/pick four going. There are parlays where you have to pick the horses in 2 or three or four consecutive races. Even the minimum bets ($1 or $2, depending on the bet) have big payouts (usually in the $50 range for daily doubles, $150 range for pick threes and $600 or so for pick fours)

My third bet is an exacta or trifecta. An exacta is where you need two horses to come in first and second in a particular order. Trifecta is three horses. You can box those as well, meaning that they can come in different orders so long as the horses come in first, second, and third, but I don't usually as they cost more money and the chances are slim anyway.

That way, in every race, you have a chance to win enough money to more than break even if you pick the winner, and you have something to cheer for that will win you big money as well.

General tips for Arlington: I think that turf horses have been having a tremendous go of it on the new polytrack surface, so if you see a horse going from the grass to the track, you may want to take a second look at him. Closers have also been favored on the polytrack, though why this is is not clear to me. Also, some of the cashiers are jagoffs, especially the two-faced guy at the $10 minimum booth (you'll know him if you see him) and the big pasty tub of goo who processes bets at the rate of about three per race who usually sits in the middle. My preferene is to go to the old women, because they at least pretend to be happy for you when you win (the two-faced guy once called me a punk for collecting on a $280 bet at his booth and celebrating with my friend... asshole.)

Guys like Hawkeye Vince and Retard know a lot more than me, so if anything they say contradicts me, listen to them. Have fun!

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Fire Phil Emery

Irish Boy is dead on with the thought that turf horses love the Polytrack. For those that don't know, Polytrack is a synthetic surface that is comprised of sand, recycled rubber and synthetic fibers. The reason they moved to this is because of the 20+ horse deaths last year.

Anyway, some general thoughts:
1. Turf horses like the Poly
2. Look for horses that have raced over the surface before and had success. Tracks like Keeneland and Turfway have went to this surface in the last 2 years and some of those horses are making the trip to Arlington.
3. So far in the meet, stalkers and closers are doing well. Horses on the front have been having trouble winning races. This can change day by day so be ready for a speed favoring track.
4. Calabrese/Catalano combination is tough to beat, especially if they are dropping a horse in class.
5. Lastly, if you are not a regular player, just figure out what you want to bet for the day and try and divide by race so you have someone to cheer for. Don't overthink things and have a good time. It's always fun to cash tickets.
6. There are many other angles I use when I handicap that will just confuse the new bettor

Thank you, gentlemen. This is the kind of advice I was hoping for.

Is there anyway to find out today who is running tomorrow (for free)?

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You can get the entries off of arlingtonpark.com. You can register at equibase.com and get the program for 2 bucks I think. It will give you a PDF.

One more question.

Is it too late to cash in a ticket from the Derby?

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No, but is it from Arlington? You usually have until the end of the meet to cash tickets and you can mail them in for up to a year.

Yeah it is from Arlington. My buddy was there day before the derby and I had him place a couple bets for me. Still havent even gotten the ticket from him lol.

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Here's what the Tribune uses http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com ... .htmlstory

If any of you are going to be up there, make sure to say hi. I look like the guy in the checkered shirt:



I may or may not be hanging out with a guy who looks like Kyle Orton, as well.

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I won $0.40!

They eyepatch guy was nice to us.

Arlington is really nice. Haven't been there since I was but a wee lad.

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Yeah, the eyepatch guy is usually pretty cool.

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Fire Phil Emery