THE
TWO-HORSE RACE
Handicappers
are trapped in the era of the small field. In stakes and
featured allowances, the five- or six-horse field has become
commonplace.
Two of the horses stand apart.
The two are clearly superior to the others.
Take
the higher-priced horse.
Let the odds dictate the bet.
Usually, one horse will be an underlay, the other a low-priced
overlay. If both possibilities are underlays, pass.
If
exactas are bet, the overlay should be placed on top of the
underlay multiple times, the underlay atop the overlay only
as a saver. Do not use the underlay on top. Exacta underlays
penalize the bettors just as cruelly as do underlays in the
win pool.
A
variation of the two-horse exacta bet is even more enticing.
If the public judges the field a two-horse race, but one of
the two looks suspicious or vulnerable on fundamental handicapping,
the exacta procedure changes.
Throw
out the suspicious or vulnerable - and therefore overbet - horse,
and play the legitimate contender on top of other attractive
overlays. The small field reduces the chances of a juicy score,
but where an underlay can be tossed and a few overlays supported
on the bottom, the exactas can return profits, and handicappers
can employ the tactic.
