Ask the Experts

I have a question for multi-race bettors out there regarding bankroll management. I am curious to know your thoughts on how you approach situations like the following. Assume for this exercise that for the given race card, you have no particularly strong opinons you want to press and that there are not any especially troublesome races you want to avoid. If you have opinions on those situations, I would love to hear that as well, but I suspect in those instances the answers would revolve around trying to leverage your strong opinions and then trying to avoid the troublesome races.

This situation comes up on those big race days and now it seems that Saratoga is set on offering multiple P5 and P4 wagering opportunities each day. It also comes during the middle of the week for P5 bettors at tracks that have both an early and late P5 but have less than 10 races where the P5’s have common races. It was especially prevalent now at Saratoga, given they seem to have a P5 starting pretty much even odd race except when the P6 needs to start.

My question is basically this - if you are still live on a P5 ticket do you start another multi-race sequence?

For instance, let’s say you bet the early P5 at Saratoga today and hit the first winner, would you roll the same horses into a P4, our use different horses in some combination, or just pass on that wager assuming you have no new information or opinions?

Let’s say you now hit race 2, do you play the P5 starting in race 3 with the same horses you have in the last three legs of the P5 you started in the first race or perhaps throw in some different combinations or again, skip the bet and be satisfied with potentially hitting the first P5 if you connect on the last couple of races?

Any thoughts or input would be much appreciated…

Excellent question!  If alive, I never go back in same sequence.  Once out, say lag 3, I\'ll certainly play a DD on the last 2 races (pik 5).
The day when only 9 are carded that 5th race is a bitch, and carded as such in my experience.  The finale on most cards is a crapshoot (take opening day today at SAR), so for me the late 5 MUST have a single or at least two races with just 2 choices.
With the exception of Derby day, BC day, I\'ll rarely make a P5 > $144.

If I read this question correctly you are asking to use the same horses or should I hedge.
I am always of the opinion, Why did you pick those horses to begin with?

Personally I am not a hedger.
I don’t do caveman tickets or ABC tickets.

Good luck
John

Thanks for the response. The question was not so much do you hedge, but do you press your opinions in the next set of P5 races if you are already alive in the first set with a race or two to go?

I would play a P4 after the P5 starts with a winner. I\'ve done it many times.

I also have no issues putting in a P5 ticket that costs up to $240 if I felt the ticket would have a chance at a nice score

The answer should depend on how good you are. Most people shouldn\'t have bet the original P5.

If you choose to play the next pick 5 why not use your original picks?
If you’re using different horses in the next pick 5, I look at it as a hedge.
Good Luck
John

It sounds like you’re saying you don’t know who you like in a race, or races, and you don’t find any of the races to be troublesome enough to avoid. This is when I start to worry I have a gambling problem.

I think the question has evolved somewhat and has been misinterpreted. Perhaps it was confusing the way I asked it as I gave some options. The original question simply put was this:

“…if you are still live on a P5 ticket do you start another multi-race sequence?”

For instance, if you bet the P5 today at Saratoga and hit the first two races, are you going to start another P5 in race 3?

Yes,  especially if they are a \"skinny\" ticket, I play every pick3/4/5  with my selections . If you buy a race using the all button if you have no real opinion in a race,  I will not play everyone.  If you do not have to go really deep in a leg, I play them all.

“Let’s say you now hit race 2, do you play the P5 starting in race 3 with the same horses you have in the last three legs of the P5 you started in the first race or perhaps throw in some different combinations or again?”

Now you’re asking a different question.

Totally personal choice.
Based on Budget, strong opinions, etc.

Good Luck.
John