Betfair.net

One of the pleasures Europeans have enjoyed over the past decade on Betfair, which may be foreign to the North American market, is the ability to bet on horse racing while the race is being run. Betfair will be offering in run betting on every Breeder's Cup race from Santa Anita Park on Friday and Saturday, which will give Canadians the opportunity to experience a unique betting experience. To appreciate it fully, bettors must first be aware of the following:

1) Any unmatched bets placed prior to the race being turned in play are canceled unless "keep at in play" is checked
2) There is an 8 second delay from the time a bet is placed until it is put on the market for all bets in play
3) Odds will change much faster than in other sports
4) If a horse drops back and looks out of contention, the odds will usually move to 1000 on the back. Consequently, any back bets that are still pending on the back will likely be matched before they can be canceled

With all that in mind, here are several proven strategies to make money betting in run at Betfair:

1) Wagering based on the early to mid running positions

One of the reasons successful horse handicappers win is their ability to predict how a race will be run. People who watch horse racing on TV are well aware of this. A handicapper will determine from past experience which horses will lead, which will be mid pack and which will come from behind. They can also determine approximately at what point back markers will make their move.

Generally speaking, the race as laid out by these handicappers will occur. What handicappers can't always tell, however, is how fast the pace will be and more importantly which horses will suffer bad racing luck or great trips. How many times have you heard handicappers state after the race 'had I known the pace would be that fast I would never have taken the horse?'

If you bet a closer expecting a fast pace and the first quarter is run in 23 seconds or the half in 48 seconds, chances are the closer won't be able to make up the slow pace. With that knowledge, a bettor can usually spot value by backing horses that are running close to the lead who they know will be challenging at the end or better yet laying the closers who likely won't be able to overcome the pace.

Most bettors at Betfair are watching the positions but paying little attention to the pace. If a horse is second last 12 lengths back at the halfway point as the +130 favorite, he still probably would be available to lay at less than +200 regardless of the fractions. Spotting this slow pace could yield a great return and if the horse is clearly too far back the bettor may even consider laying the place bet (top 3 finish) at tremendously low odds.

Furthermore, handicappers can tell when a horse is boxed in or is just having a bad trip. If it's clear the horse will need a miracle to get out at the end to take the win, laying the horse early in the run before it becomes evident to all can yield great returns. And, of course, the opposite is true for a horse that is having a dream trip and will almost certainly be challenging for the win at the end. In fact, if the odds are high enough and you know the horse will be a factor, backing him early at high odds and laying him at much lower odds later on yields a profit regardless of the finishing position of that horse.

2) Hedging a pre race bet during the race

Often bettors will place wagers before the race starts and then wish they could lay it off when it appears the horse is running a perfect race, just in case he falters at the end. This is possible at Betfair. In fact, bettors don't even need to delve into their accounts to lay the bet if they are showing a profit on that horse.

For example, if you bet a horse at +800 for $100 before the race starts (for a potential $800 profit) and the horse drops to +200 during the race, you could lay up to $400 on that horse without affecting the money in your account. Laying $100 at +200 would actually release the $100 potential loss on the horse that was wagered back into your account but would still generate $600 if the horse wins. In that instance, the $100 would reappear in your account and the horse you backed would show $600 in green (profit) while the rest of the field would show $0 or no liability.

One of the successful strategies in that instance is to place the lay wager as soon as the race goes off or to place it prior to the race but click "keep at in play", which will guarantee if the price is met at any time during the race the bet will be matched.

3) Betting on an objection

This clearly takes a keen eye but some observant horse players can assess when possible interference occurs during a race. There could also be some hints such as a jockey standing up in the stirrups. If this occurs and it appears the winner was involved it's worth laying the winner at -10000 or -5000 prior to the finish. Once it's evident which horse will win, the odds being asked on that horse will drop to -10000. In most cases objections are disallowed but here's a big advantage of betting at Betfair: if the winner has a claim of foul lodged against him by the jockey or stewards, Betfair reopens the market.

The odds for the winning horse once turned back in play will reflect the likelihood of disqualification based on video replays but even if the horse is being offered at -500, it doesn't take a math whiz to see that laying a horse at -10000 for $1000 and buying him back at -500 for $500 nets a profit of $100 if the objection is disallowed and $500 if the horse is disqualified. And best of all, even if the objection never occurs, laying $1,000 at -10000 only costs $10.

4) Laying the heavy favorite early and buying back when the odds are right

The great thing about Breeder's Cup races is the parity of the horses. Consequently, at some point, every horse will look to be in trouble. Studies have shown that if a horse is laid at the start of a race at odds less than evens, that horse will rise to +200 at some point in over 80% of the races. The horse may come back to win but at some point the horse's odds will drift.

Given the parity in the Breeder's Cup, it may be worthwhile looking at laying horses like Ventura, Zensational, Looking at Lucky, and Mastercraftsman, who will all certainly be less than +150 before the race but may drift to over +200 at some point during the race. And don't forget you can place the order for the odds you want as soon as the race goes off and it will be matched if the odds reach that point at any time during the race.

Here are some pre-race betting tips for the Breeder's Cup:

Marathon: Lay Mastery. The Irish Derby winner ran only one race on polytrack at Kempton Park where he was out of the money. According to many observers, the horse didn't like the surface and Santa Anita's polytrack is even less like turf than that at Kempton Park. Laying him to place at odds of about -333 is also worth considering. If he trails badly as expected consider buying him back at large odds during the race.

Lady's Classic: Watch the pace. Careless Jewel could steal the race on the front end if she sets a slow pace. It's clear there isn't a lot of other speed in the race so if she sets ridiculously slow fractions, consider backing her. If the pace is decent or if she is challenged on the lead, back Cocoa Beach. Careless Jewel and Music Note are the class of the field but Cocoa Beach was second to Zenyatta in this race last year beating Music Note and she also charged and almost beat Zenyatta in her last race despite a troubled run.

Sprint: Lay Zensational. The horse is the logical choice with 3 consecutive G1 wins but has shown she can tire if the pace is too fast. Furthermore, the rail post position will hurt. Generally speaking, sprint races are won on polytrack by outside horses and also by closers. At the low odds he is definitely a good horse to bet against.

Mile (Turf): Lay Goldlikova. Last year's winner of this race has been in good form in France this year but certainly hasn't looked as good as she did prior to last year's race. Furthermore, she's facing much tougher competition in the likes of two other European runners: Zacinto and Delegator. Horses rarely win the same Breeder's Cup race in consecutive years.

Turf: Back Dar Re Mi. Conduit is the favorite and rightly so but Dar Re Mi looked almost as good in the Arc de Triomphe, has a running style that suits this race, and has Franco Dettori aboard who is arguably the best turf jockey in the world. At the odds, he's worth a shot.

Classic: Lay Zenyatta. It's hard to pass on a horse that is 11 for 11 but this is her first race against the boys. She is up against the likes of Rip Van Winkle, Summer Bird and Colonel John and has never run the 1 1/4 mile distance. With so many factors against her, the lay is the obvious play.

Good luck to all.