It’s the time of the year once again when many bettors and horse racing fans gather to witness the next Kentucky Derby winner. The 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, or The Run for the Roses, is set on May 6, 2023.

And since we’re only a few weeks away from the date, it’s the best time to prepare for betting on the event. One of the things that you should focus on is enhancing your horse handicapping skills. Here are five tips that could help you better at handicapping the 2023 Kentucky Derby horses.

Create a Routine

To improve your handicapping skills, you must first develop a routine. Don’t just jump from one piece of information to the other without a proper system or pattern. You can create a checklist of what you should check according to their priority.

Knowing the priority of each piece of information depends on your preference. An example of a routine checklist is as follows:

• Check your favorite and their Kentucky derby odds on Fanduel to determine whether they’re weak or strong favorites. You can figure this out by looking into the horse itself, the field, and the features of the race.
  
  
• List down the speed points and running styles using a table format to set up the pace. Assess the pace of the overall field and look for the contender with a pace advantage and the contender with a critical pace.
  
  
• Assess the horse’s bloodline and human connections. Check the jockey, the trainer, and the parents of the horse. Dig deeper into their history to see useful information that you can use in handicapping the horse. It’s also the best time to look for the horse’s edge, provided the race condition.

You can follow the example routine above and customize it or create your own. Start establishing your routine as soon as possible so that you can use it for handicapping the 2023 Kentucky Derby horses.

Revisit the Fundamentals of Handicapping

It doesn’t matter whether you have been handicapping racehorses for years or for the first time. Revisiting the core of handicapping will always give you a fresh idea for your present handicapping endeavor.

By revisiting the handicapping fundamentals, you’ll relearn the basic of handicapping a racehorse which you might already overlook due to how complex your handicapping system has become over the years.

Aside from the basics of handicapping, you can also review your knowledge about other handicapping factors that can significantly impact your handicapping results. So, if you haven’t been reviewing the basics of handicapping, this is the right time to do so and get a fresh perspective on the entire idea.

Try Something That Other Handicappers Aren’t Doing

You must be open to new things and shouldn’t be afraid of trying something, although others aren’t doing it. Most handicappers do the same thing in handicapping and use the same information.

Handicappers are basically only using information that they find from past performances. When you are looking at the information on the horse’s past performances when handicapping a horse, you should think about how many handicappers are staring at the exact same information you’re seeing right now.

Therefore, you must do something that other handicappers overlook. Look for information not readily available on the common platform where handicappers get information. There is information that you can track or even purchase that other handicappers aren’t using.

It’s also ideal for digging deeper into the horses and looking for highly relevant information usually neglected by many. Be adventurous in your handicapping journey, and you’ll be surprised by how much you’ll improve.

Focus Betting Your Bankroll On Your Core Tracks

You’re in for a treat if you are familiar with the Churchill Downs race track. Betting on tracks you know very well gives you an edge over other bettors. If you have been betting on the Kentucky Derby before, then you wouldn’t have a problem as you are pretty familiar with the track and the jockeys and trainers participating in the race.

This tip doesn’t say that you shouldn’t bet on races happening on other tracks. However, limiting your bet on the unfamiliar race course can save you tons of money if everything doesn’t go as you planned.

Additionally, if you’re already familiar with the track, you’ll have more time to focus on the horse itself. It means that you will only need to check some details about the track, like the condition on the race day that could be affected by the weather. The rest of your research will be focused on the horse, so you’ll get most of the data you’ll need for handicapping properly.

Utilize Technology For Your Handicapping

Horse racing before was very different from horse racing today. Technology clearly affects the horse racing industry, like how it affects the rest of the world. For example, blockchain technology helps record and analyze racehorses’ genetics and performance, leading to better breeding and training to improve performances.

Bottomline

You can still become a better handicapper. There’s always room for improvement, especially for people who seek it. Researching how to improve your handicapping skill for the upcoming Kentucky Derby is the first and the most vital step you can take to start becoming a better handicapper.