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    Horse Racing Tips Without Betting: Fan's View

    In the world of horse racing, pro fans do not need to read an article about horse racing tips. They know what they are and how to use them. But what about beginners that want to learn about horse racing and know how to pick a winning horse -- without gambing? After all, seeing if your predictions are correct about the outcome of a sporting event is an excitement that spans several types of sports and not just horse racing.

    Unfortunately, many websites that discuss horse racing tips only seem to focus on betting. If you are not a gambler, but love horse racing anyway, this article is for you.

    Betting tips versus horse racing advice for beginners

    Everyone knows that some people will not gamble despite their love for horse racing. Reasons for not choosing to place bets range from addiction issues in the family, religious preferences, or simply not having money to spend. In addition, there are non-wagering options with horse racing that allow you to win prizes instead of spending money. A good example is the Kentucky Derby Road to the Roses Fantasy Game.

    Unfortunately, many websites need to pay bills and so they focus on the betting aspect of horse racing tips. While you may be looking for a focus on the process of what it takes to pick a winning horse -- this is not what they gear towards. Finding a guide to picking the winning horse without expecting the reader to engage in placing a bet is almost next to none.

    This can cause problems because these websites usually steer readers toward tipsters and handicappers that want to sell you gambling advice that predicts the best bets instead of educating you about how to do this yourself.

    How horse racing predictions are formed

    Are you curious about a day in the life of a person that predicts a winning horse for a living? Methods used to figure out which horse is a winner is called handicapping. This varies from an oddsmaker because they are the ones that actually set the morning line boards at racetracks for betting. To simplify it, you can see that a handicapper represents the bettor and the oddsmaker is associated with the place where gamblers wager. To make the odds, the oddsmaker must also be a handicapper.

    When a handicapper sits down to do their work, they will start by reviewing various streams of data. Some of these include; watching videos of horse races to see how a horse performs (with other horses, jockeys, and on turf versus polytrack surfaces), reviewing morning workouts, horse trainers' history, and checking a horse's breeding history.

    Other evaluation methods are highly guarded secrets, but an amateur handicapper can get started by using these basic data sources.

    Horse racing resources for amateur 'cappers

    If you are trying to do your own homework for horse racing, most people will start with videos from the track or a horse racing television channel. Digging a little deeper means figuring out the history of the horse and their trainers -- and that is easy to do. Going beyond that can be a little more confusing when it should not be.

    For sharpening your skills, the best place to do it is at horse racing forums. Two good places for community are TVG and HorseRacingTalk.com. There, you will find new friends and all the helpful horse racing tips you need to steer you toward reputable resources for continuing your horse racing education.

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    Maryam Louise is a longtime resident of the Bluegrass State and has lived in the shadows of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky over the past two decades. In addition to being a fan of horse racing, she has also had a chance to get to know jockeys, horse groomers, and betting clerks as an ESL instructor. Currently, she writes for KentuckyDerby.org and relies on her friends in the multiple facets of the equine industry for writing inspiration.

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