UNPREDICTABLE RACES

All things considered, no horse figures. The race is awful. The race is unpredictable. Therefore the race is unreliable.

No play. Fair enough.

Some races defy analysis. By all that is fundamental to effective handicapping, by any standard that counts, the race remains indecipherable.

Because unpredictable races are so unreliable, forget the fundamentals. Unpredictable races are the province of handicapping angles. Angles consist of clusters of factors that tie together in statistically infrequent combinations. Positive angles have worked well in the past for the individual, well enough to toss profits at least occasionally.

Uncommon trainer patterns are favorite angles of many casual handicappers. Puzzling races are absolutely the appropriate repository of trainer angles. Probe for them.

Other productive angles involve biases, early speed, and long shots noticeably sharp on body language

A circumstance that must always accompany handicapping angles is generous odds, maybe high odds. Angles represent low probability outcomes. Low odds nullifies any substantive edge an angle allows.