If you’ve been in the horse racing scene for a while, then you likely know that there is no shortage of ways to handicap a horse to try to predict the ultimate outcome of a race.

One such technique is coming to the track early so you can watch the horses with your own eyes before you decide on your bets. While there are certainly many great advantages that online horse racing has to offer, one marked disadvantage is the inability to observe the track and the horses in person. What this means to you is that you must learn a new set of techniques to make the right horse racing bets.

The first technique that you can use to improve the odds when it comes to online horse racing is to gather as much information as possible about the horses you would like to bet on. Make sure to look at the information on upcoming races ahead of time to allow enough time to learn about the outcomes of the horse’s prior races.

While a horse’s racing history certainly doesn’t guarantee whether or not he’ll win in the future, it’s certainly a good idea to consider this factor.

Second, when you have the necessary information, don’t bet on horses that haven’t raced in the past 6 weeks or so.

It’s not entirely unheard of that a horse that has been away from racing for this length of time might have a satisfactory performance, but the chances are not good. You should typically not choose horses that haven’t placed in their prior three races. Also, many people avoid betting on a horse being raced by a jockey who’s displayed a low win percentage in the most recent year.

Finally, from the list of remaining horses, you’ll want to research their maximum speeds during the previous three races. The fastest of these horses are likely to be good candidates for placing in an upcoming race. If you find that three or more of them are viable contenders, make your bets on the horses that pay the most based on the posted odds.

If you’d prefer to combine bets, then it makes the most sense to bet on the highest performing horse to win, and then place alternate bets for the other contenders. There are never any guarantees when it comes to horse racing, but these three techniques will ensure that you make the best possible horse racing picks so that you have the highest chance of winning.

Simon M Skinner has worked in the online gambling industry since 2000. He has worked for some of the premier online sportsbooks and now runs internet marketing for BetAmerica - the premier online US horse racing betting website.