Bill Less

Bill Less

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My grandfather was quite a horseman and would never bet on a gray. His prejudice left me reluctant to bet on grays as well. I don't know exactly why he wouldn't bet a gray, but I do know that he was a pretty successful horseplayer. Horse racing handicapping is now considered a science by some and an art by others. Not betting on a horse based on the color of the horse may not be scientific, or is it?

Since the color of the horse is inherited, maybe it is a way of insuring that you bet on horses whose ancestors were faster runners. Picking winners for profit is no accident for many people, though on any given race day you will still find people cashing tickets on horses who were "pretty," or had a "nice name."

My mother would look at a horse and bet it according to how it looked and also by its name. She had her race track successes as well. I don't know of any definitive studies that show grays win more or less than their share of races. I do know that 60 bays have won and only 6 grays have won the Kentucky Derby. What I wonder though is how many bays have been entered and how many grays have been entered. There are more bay horses in horse racing than grays so it makes sense that more bays have won.

We are now facing the possibility of a triple crown winner in the United States and his name, of all things, is "Big Brown." Grandfather would have pointed that out in his continued efforts to convince me that grays must be avoided in order to make a profit as a horse racing handicapper.

There is one thing about grays that makes some people prefer to bet on them. An older gray is lighter in color than most other horses and therefore, easier to see in a race. I know of people who always bet a gray for that reason alone. Unfortunately for them, I don't think they are consistent winners. So, though the color of a horse may indicate good breeding, I think I will stick with the horse racing systems that consistently make me money and leave the color of the horse out of the equation.

Longshots are the best bets when you know how to rate them with Bill's Longshot Rater Bill Peterson has been around Horse racing for 50 years and knows how to spot a good bet and loves to teach others. He is a former horse race owner and professional handicapper. He comes from a horse race handicapping family and as he puts it, "Horse Racing is in my blood." To see all Bill's horse racing material go to Bill's handicapping store.

Kris and Bill - More of You, Less of Me