The Bottom Line
Maiden races can be a frustrating sight for any horseplayer. Daily Racing Form handicapper Dan Illman demystifies these very common races, allowing you to profit on races many people pass on or bet incorrectly. This book belongs on the bookshelf of any regular visitor to the track.
Pros
- Easy to understand techniques on how to handicap maiden events
- Very useful lists of sires and trainers of first time starters, essential for 2-year-old races
- Lessons learned can be applied immediately by veterans and novices alike
Cons
- The chapter on the Breeders' Cup could have been elaborated further
Description
- Illman begins by listing which sires are most effective at producing debut winners.
- Each sire is given a letter grade, A+ being the best at siring first time winners.
- Certain trainers saddle a disproportionate number of debut winners. Illman lists and grades them too
- He then shows how to pick a winner from a field of lifetime losers.
- Any one of a number of angles can be used, including speed figures, early pace, workouts, appearance
- When a maiden race is split, the faster division is often a key race, producing next-out winners.
- He touches on turf racing, a whole different dimension with a separate list of trainers and sires
- Finally, he shows how to bet the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies.
- The fillies are more formful, while longshots can be found in the male event.
Guide Review - Review - Betting Maidens & 2-Year-Olds
To many horseplayers, the maiden race is the most difficult event to master. Faced with fields full of precocious, nervous, 2-year-old first time starters or older horses who always find an excuse to lose, very often the "obvious" favorite is found wanting and an overlooked horse finds the winner's circle. In his first book, New York based handicapper and Daily Racing Form writer Dan Illman shows us why, contrary to most, maiden races are his favorite to play. Any horseplayer, veteran or novice can quickly apply Illman's techniques to narrow down the contenders of a maiden race, and hopefully begin to show a profit when betting these events.
