From PowerPoint presentations to graphs, charts, and other visual aids, everybody is looking for a fast way to make comparisons in life.



Why should it be any different at the race track where quick decisions in the heat of battle have serious financial consequences? It is real money you're betting and you are trying to make money and show a profit on the horse races with your decisions.









When you are in the pressure cooker and have to make that quick decision, wouldn't it be nice to have a quick and easy and clearly spelled out way to make the comparisons and decide if you are looking at a good bet?



The problem is that the factors in handicapping are weighted. Some are more important than others and you must decide how much of a factor each one plays. First of all, let me say this, if you aren't using a good system to compare the horses and consistently looking at the same factors, then you don't have a prayer of winning money at the race track. It is that simple.



Ask yourself this? Is there anything else you can do in life without having a d good system or method that will be consistently successful? Of course not. One of the secrets to happiness in life is learning that there is a right way to do things and when you find something that works, stick with it. If you could go to the race track day after day and win money doing the same thing, would you do it?



There are a few people who are thinking to themselves, that sounds boring. Well which is more boring, winning consistently or losing consistently? Obviously, winning consistently is a lot more fun than losing.



So you must have a system that you use to compare the runners in a race. The next thing is that you must be able to compare those runners of the odds on the tote board and make some pretty fast and accurate decisions based on their chances of winning as compared to the expected payouts. That is where the "Ladder" a new visual aid, comes in handy.



After you have used whatever system you use to compare the runners, draw a ladder. I like to use graph paper, a fresh sheet for each race so I have plenty of room for notes that I will look at after the race or at the end of the day. Next, draw a regular ladder on the sheet of paper and give it lots of rungs. Now take your absolute worse horse and put it at the bottom of the ladder. Next, take the second worse and put it up the ladder. It doesn't have to be on the very next rung. Look at the handicapping factors from your system and then decide how much better that horse is than the one below it. Do this for each horse until you have all the runners on their proper places on the ladder. I always work in pencil so I can erase and make changes as there are scratches and I spot different things, like a horse that is overheated or looks real dull in the post parade, etc.



Now give yourself enough time to look at the odds and your ladder and decide which horse(s) based on its place on the ladder and the rungs between it and the others, is really a good bet. I guarantee this simple visual aid will amaze you and your handicapping will move up to a much higher level, not to mention that fact that you will improve the more you use the ladder. All it requires is a consistent system and practice.

By: Bill Peterson

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Bill Peterson has been in horse racing for 50 years. "Horse Racing is in my blood." Learn how an insider handicaps horse races by visiting Bill's website Horse Racing Handicapping with Willie's. To see the systems Bill uses, go to Bill's Handicapping Store or True Handicapping