I. Paper-and-Pencil Method: Horse Racing at Off-Track-Wagering (OTW)
II. Lottery-Like Strategy Applied to Horseracing Wagering
III. The Best Software to Tackle Horse Racing
IV. Analysis of Horse Racing at Real Horse-Racing Tracks in US and Canada; Payouts for To-Win, Exactas, Trifectas
V. Ion Saliu's Gambling Theory, Software Compared to Other Gambling Methods
VI. Horse Racing Links, Resources, Software, Free Betting Systems, Tips
In 1995 I entered for the first time an off-track-wagering (OTW) parlor. The facilities show horse races from across the world, although horse tracks from North America are covered most extensively. The OTW had been in the news for some time. That OTW facility in York, Pennsylvania, was opposed by a number of people, mostly religious activists, elderly, and self-proclaimed crime-stoppers. Again, the stigma placed on gambling! People were also afraid that the organized crime would invade the territory and thus the crime would turn into a real plague!
Those puritans claimed that off-track wagering (OTW) would bring addiction and high crime in their neighborhoods. The reality today is a far cry from such a fear. The OTW facilities are nice and clean. They also have good restaurants, where friends and family meet for dinner. The OTW companies actually brought the crime rate to zero in their vicinity. The places were very crowded in the beginning. Now, they are half full more often than not. The current patrons would have otherwise spent (and lost!) much more money playing the lotteries (with monstrous odds and house edge).
There is no more illegal betting on horse racing. Since it is all done in daylight, the government actually collects some extra money in taxes. Why are other forms of gambling banned? I can see no other reason but to encourage illegal gambling! And anything that's illegal increases the crime rate and addiction, to say nothing of lost billions in uncollected taxes. Big Brother should regulate, instead of banning.
So I had 6 winning horse racing trifectas on a piece of paper. I didn't want to play any of the previous numbers in the same positions. I only was careful not to play really long shots in position 1 (to win). I came up with a few combinations. One of them was the straight winning trifecta: 6-1-3. I also played #6 to-win. Good money, but it could have been a whole lot more! It happens now and then.
I remember also the reaction of disappointment from two players next to me at the bar. One of them expressed his newly found philosophy to his partner: "The horses have no minds, man! They don't read the program; they don't care about the odds! The horses are just numbers when you bet on them!"
That method was really taken from my lottery software, namely the pick-3 lottery. A loyal user of my lottery software was also a horse-racing and dog-racing enthusiast. He asked me to write specialized software for horses in the manner of the lottery game that draws three digits. It was quite easy for me to transport my pick-3 lottery software to horseracing trifectas. A trifecta represents the first three finishers in a horse race, in exact order. For example, if horse #10 wins, horse #2 places, and horse #7 shows, the trifecta is 10-2-7. The Canadians call the three-horse winning combination triactor.
How time flies! This year, 2009, I felt tired and in need to relax. Writing software and/or probability matters is not that easy, believe me! So, I went back to an off-track horse racing parlor. It was a different location than the incipient one (1995). Just for fun, not to strike it big. I applied again my very first horse racing betting system I first created in 1995 (I bet you, I remember well that year!)
I precisely record the results, as they occur, at three horse tracks (determined by the TV monitors in the facility). I will eliminate horse numbers in the same position from the recent results of the three tracks I… track. Actually, last time I could only track two tracks. It was Wednesday, and things are much slower these days.
Race #9 at Belmont Park. The result at the previous race was 7-2-3. #7 was a favorite in this race #9. I came up with two boxed trifectas: 1-4-9 and 5-7-9. The result was 4-7-1. Had I wheeled the 5 unique numbers (1,4,5,7,9), I would have played 10 boxed trifectas. 4-7-1 paid over $1000.
I still used that data plus data for the only available track remaining (Indiana). I had to wait a couple of races for more results. When waiting, it is a good idea to play the three longest shots in a race. When you hit, you get some money back. You can add to the bankroll. Anyway, the first race at Indiana (that I didn't play) had the trifecta paying over $3000.
I attracted some attention, because I only wrote down numbers. I told someone that I don't care about the horse name, or the jockey. For race #4, I came up with three boxed trifectas: 2-6-9, 7-8-9 and 6-7-11. The latter hit — after an objection delay! It wasn't big — a few hundred bucks. 2-6-9 would have been huge… it occurred for a short time in the middle of the race! I left for home immediately. People saw my cash ... and I was drinking beer...
I released a powerful upgrade to the horse-racing software in 2009. I felt nostalgic that day. My nostalgia took me back to the place where my horseracing theory started. The first result available this time was at Fort Erie. Race #6: 6-1-3! Groundhog Day: Like in 1995. It happened minutes before I entered. Fortunately, the trifecta paid little money (fifty bucks or so).
I was not in gear to gamble. Just for a couple of cold beers to quench my nostalgia. I wrote down the results of a few races running closely to one another in time.
6-1-3
11-1-6
9-2-8
1-8-3
3-1-6
I decided that 4, 5, 7 were to be played to-win. None of the numbers had appeared in the 1st position — or other positions. It was six dollars per race, three races in total. The first two had two of the 3 numbers in the trifectas. The final results were: 4-1-7 and 4-5-9 (after a dispute). The third had 5 as the winner! Not very big to-win payouts: $17, 6, 22. Deduct $18 and buy a cold carryout! Some races go sometimes to 50-1 winning long-shots! One must be patient, if one affords time and money (bankroll).
One problem at the horse racing facilities (I go to off-track wagering OTW) — I attract attention. Most bettors around see me using numbers only. They ask me horse names and I don't know any — because I don't care about horse names, or jockeys, or the morning lines, or the current odds for the favorite… I take the lottery approach. The horses are numbers, like in lottery. The path of randomness is the best way to bet. It is mathematics. Meanwhile, other people get angry. I rarely saw a winner at any OTW. Whenever I go to horseracing, I only see and hear bettors cursing, even crying! They do rely too heavily on so-called favorites. I wouldn't like to mess with losers too often (especially if I carry a laptop)!
This is the simplest and easiest-to-apply strategy for horse racing. It can be done by the pencil-and-paper method. Very few powerful lottery-gambling strategies can be devised as pencil-and-paper methods. It is not guaranteed that this method works every day. The bettor could miss a couple of days in a row. Equivalently, the betting method can strike multiple times during the same day.
So, I recorded the results of all races from the previous day. I would go to equibase.com. I had no choice but record all the results by horse track. It is mission impossible to write the results in sequential order.
I record data for several days. I get thousands of real results. I also have a simulated data file (randomly generated trifectas). I only look for races with at least 9 horses. The payouts are far better. I care only about trifectas that have not come out in a long time. All trifectas will come out in a reasonable time. But I only care to play trifectas that pay big. So, long-shots have to be part of the trifectas I play.
This type of betting does not take into consideration the latest results in any particular horse track. I play my trifectas in any horse race of the day in U.S. and Canada. Sometimes it takes several days until this strategy hits a huge trifecta. In other situations, this strategy hits multiple high-paying trifectas in one day.
The trifectas used to be much bigger before I wrote about this strategy in newsgroups. This horse racing betting method requires computer analysis and a sizable bankroll (to withstand losing days). The payouts can be big, however. I heard a gentleman on the radio, after I made this strategy public, who proved he was making an average profit of $100,000 a week. The profits are lower now because a number of horseracing bettors play that way.
This high-roller method can be only applicable by running my horse racing software. There is no way around it. The pencil-and-paper system is useless. Please be sure to read the chapters dedicated to lottery and my lottery software. My horseracing software very much works like my lottery software. The key concept is filtering. A filter is simply a restriction. Certain groups of numbers or patterns are eliminated or forcibly generated based on the Fundamental Formula of Gambling and statistical criteria.
Let's not forget the most comprehensive gambling and lottery software: MDIEditor Lotto. It has two programs specialized in horse racing, for both trifectas and superfectas. A superfecta represents the top four finishers in a horse race. The horseracing function is in the Digit menu; then Horse 3 for trifectas or Horse 4 for superfectas.
I list here the most significant horse racing software titles that you can easily obtain from my website.
• LotWonH, integrated horse racing software (consists of several programs). This package represents my oldest attempt at horseracing software. You should not run it — you should only read the tutorial. It is a good presentation of the mathematical foundation of horseracing software.
• PickH32, integrated horse racing software, the 32-bit upgrade to LotWonH.
• BrightH3 is, indeed, high-powered integrated horseracing trifecta software. This software package is far more powerful even than PickH32. This is the most powerful trifectas software package.
• SoftwareHorses3: Special horseracing utility software for trifectas (triactors) and exactas (exactors). This is the latest in horseracing software and strategy.
• SkipSystem: Software to automatically create horse racing, lotto, lottery, gambling systems derived from skips and based on the FFG median.
• FrequencyRank: Software to generate frequency reports, including straight and boxed trifectas.
Total trifectas (triactors): 236
Total amount paid for trifectas (triactors): $170,396.35
AVERAGE trifecta (triactor) payout: $722
Minimum trifecta (triactor) payoff: $17.80
Median trifecta (triactor) payoff: $221
Maximum trifecta (triactor) payoff: $26,914 (Belmont Park).
Total exactas (exactors): 275
Total amount paid for exactas (exactors): $24,706
AVERAGE exacta (exactor) payout: $96.13
Minimum exacta (exactor) payoff: $3.80
Median exacta (exactor) payoff: $221
Maximum exacta (exactor) payoff: $3,826 (Belmont Park)
Total to win races: 272
Total amount paid for to win: $3,076.3
AVERAGE to win payout: $11.31
Minimum to win payoff: $2.30
Median to win payoff: $8
Maximum to win payoff: $69.30.
Interesting statistics for the favorite horses, as in the betting choice. The favorites won 103 horse races out of 272 or 37.87% of the time. Most wins of the favorite horses come in small races (6 or fewer horses). The payouts were significantly lower.
Total to win races with the favorites winning: 103
Total amount paid for to win with the favorites winning: $475.70
AVERAGE to win payout with the favorites winning: $4.62
Minimum to win payoff with the favorite winning: $2.30
Median to win payoff with the favorite winning: $5
Maximum to win payoff with the favorite winning: $8.40.
The non-favorites won 169 horse races out of 272 or 62.13% of the time. The payouts were significantly higher.
Total to win races with the non-favorites winning: 169
Total amount paid for to win with the non-favorites winning: $2,600.60
AVERAGE to win payout with the non-favorites winning: $15.39
Minimum to win payoff with the non-favorite winning: $4.20
Median to win payoff with the non-favorite winning: $11
Maximum to win payoff with the non-favorite winning: $69.30.
The morale? Randomness is Almighty; handicapping is variety (show, that is)!
More proof of randomness? How about the killer payouts at the Kentucky Derby 2005? 
TV Sports, Ratings, Drama, Tragedy - even at Kentucky Derby 2005.
In all honesty, I don't see anything out there that offers better ways to winning at gambling or horse racing, in particular. I wish there was something easier and more efficient than my approach. Nothing to be found, honestly. IF my casino gambling methodology doesn't win the — there is absolutely nothing to accomplish such daunting tasks.
Horse racing gambling has its advantages as well. In the end, it's all about streaks and skips, no matter what the phenomenon is. The skips (misses) are shorter and the streaks are longer if the probability is higher; and vice versa.
The rest of the horse racing gambling theory is nothing more than gut feeling. I have a hunch that that horse is going to win! I got also insider information… Rigged, you know… So, right now, I cannot see any horse betting approach better than mine. That's the only way, like my gambling theory and software do: Track the winning and the losing streaks and their corresponding skips (misses). There are some no-playing moments (or play the minimum bet); other situations demand a higher bet. It is hard work, but nothing else works better.
~ To calculate the odds: use the online calculator & combination-number generator.
~ Use also PermuteCombine, the complete generator of any type of sets (numbers, or words/names); download it from the free FTP downloads site. The option applicable to horses is Arrangements {N * (N-1) * (N-2) * (N-M + 1)}. The program shows first the total number of possible combinations for the two horse-racing parameters. For example, superfectas for 10 horses: total possible combinations = 5040; the program then generates the superfectas (1-2-3-4; 1-2-4-3, etc.).
~ To generate horse racing combinations, from one winner (to-win), two winners (exactas, exactors), top-three finishers (trifectas, triactors), to superfectas (top four finishers), to any number of horses per combination: use PermuteCombine (the Arrangements option).
~ To generate horse-racing combinations, inside the FFG median bell, use BellCurveGenerator (the Horse Racing option). The program had three hits in a single day in test drive in horseracing tracks across USA and Canada. The sports betting option also had the winning combinations from inside the FFG median bell 7 times out the first nine weeks in the NFL.
A web site with excellent horse racing information is Equibase: www.equibase.com.
Said Tabaki Paravicius, netizen extraordinaire:
"You ain't heard nothing quite like it, Barban! The loser without a win is like the wagon without a horse: The clouds will shade, the sun will blade, the rain will degrade, the snow will fade — out."
Read Ion Saliu's first book in print: 
Probability Theory, Live!
~ Founded on valuable mathematical discoveries with a wide range of scientific applications, including probability theory applied to horse racing, software, gambling, real winning systems at the race track.
Resources in Horseracing: Theory, Software, Systems, Trifectas
Lists the main pages on the subject of horse racing, software (trifectas), and systems.
• Horse Racing Software.
This category comprises a wide variety of software working with horse racing. Horse-racing is treated as a form of lottery, more specifically pick-3 lottery (trifectas). The software performs statistical analyses, generates the filter reports, then it generates optimized trifecta combinations. The software known as LotWon and MDIEditor Lotto WE does a whole lot more. The horse racing programs have embedded instructions, plus specialized help facilities.
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