Handicaps are the best betting game ever invented – bar none….
Horses carry weights determined by official ratings….
…. and – in theory – every single runner can win….
It’s an ultra-competitive division of the sport….
…. with races often attracting large numbers of similarly-talented animals that are difficult to separate on bare form….
Some punters won’t touch handicaps with a barge pole….
…. arguing that such races are custom-designed to inflate bookmaker profits….
…. and best left to mug punters who think horse race betting is some kind of lottery….
I think that’s rubbish – here’s why….
I’ve specialized in top-level handicap racing for years….
I’ve written exclusively about all aspects of the division in my Against the Crowd column….
…. week-in-and-week-out….
…. over jumps and on the flat….
…. since way back in June 2007 – when I packed in my job with a leading UK bookmaker to focus on the job of handicap racing full-time….
Since then I’ve studied, analysed, and reported back to my readers on every single aspect of handicap racing….
…. the individual races….
…. the wide range of variables that affect outcomes….
…. the many useful metrics and stats that measure what the naked eye cannot….
…. the tracks…. the trainers…. the jockeys….
…. the markets…. the prices…. the bets….
…. and the most important aspect of the whole game – the individual horses and what makes them tick….
I’m much more experienced than most when it comes to big handicap races….
…. and what I know – for a FACT – is this….
#1 Handicap betting is a great game for punters who like to take on favourites & fancied horses – plus the punters who back them….
#2 It’s a great game for punters who like to bet ‘live’ contenders at tasty prices – banking proper money when it all comes together….
#3 And it’s a game you can make a decent few quid out of across the long term – my readers have banked profits of 235.6 points since the start of 2023….
Like I say, in my book handicaps are the best betting game ever invented – bar none….
Not easy – but that’s opportunity in a nutshell….
Now I’m not trying to convince you that profitable handicap betting is easy….
…. because it isn’t….
Some punters never get to grips with handicaps….
I know punters who’ve backed horses for 40+ years who are still basically guess-betting when they play in a 20-runner 6f handicap at York….
…. or a 16-runner 2m5f handicap hurdle at Kempton….
Even the bookies – with all their technology, their algorithms, experience, trading desks manned by PhDs, unlimited human resources, and all their financial muscle – find handicaps difficult….
But that’s the point….
…. that’s what I like most about handicap betting….
…. the difficulty encapsulates the opportunities….
If the bookies find handicaps hard to price up….
…. and the market – the other punters I’m ultimately betting against – find it hard to pick winners in handicaps….
…. then handicap races clearly represent a complex and difficult environment in which pricing errors will be made – regularly….
…. errors that eagle-eyed and clued-up contrarian punters like me – and my savvy Against the Crowd readers – can capitalize on….
I study handicap racing day-in-and-day-out….
…. I back myself and my methods to give me an edge over the market – a knowledge edge….
I don’t get it right all the time….
…. or anywhere near even a quarter of the time….
I get much more wrong than get I get right….
…. and that’s never going to be any different....
…. because it’s tough – that’s the nature of the handicap game….
Handicaps are difficult races to solve – the toughest puzzles on the British racing programme….
Nobody gets it right all the time….
Handicap betting is a definite long game…..
…. and some punters just aren’t cut out for that….
This is NOT for every racing punter….
I won’t tell you a lie….
My Against the Crowd service is not for every punter out there….
Plenty of punters who tried it over the years didn’t like it….
Now, don’t get me wrong….
…. that doesn’t mean you’re going to find some place on the Internet where hundreds and thousands of punters are busy slagging me off and calling me every dog under the sun….
I don’t get that kind of criticism….
I think it’s fair to say you’ll barely find a bad word written about me anywhere….
…. which is no mean achievement – given I’ve been policing the handicap beat in Against the Crowd for more than 17-years….
I think that’s because I put 100% of myself into my work – every single week of the year....
…. and I think even my strongest critics and detractors would acknowledge that fact….
It’s not what I produce that some punters don’t get on with – it’s more about how they’re not such a good fit for the realities of the handicap betting game….
Punters who best suit the Against the Crowd service – and how I play the handicap game – tend to be genuinely contrarian in nature and are not just kidding themselves, striking a pose, or playing at it….
…. they tend to have prior knowledge of the racing – especially handicap racing – and realistic expectations about what betting on handicaps can and will deliver….
…. and they tend to have an element of stoicism in their temperaments – so they deal with all the unavoidable ups and downs of handicap betting with a true sense of equanimity….
Nappy fillers…. dummy spitters…. hand-wringers….
…. people who lose their minds when things don’t go right every time….
…. they don’t tend to get Against the Crowd – nor do they enjoy it….
No problem. Each to his own. It takes all sorts to make a world….
…. but if you’re one of those punters who likes to back a 4/11 shot in a conditions race….
…. and you expect to hit the payout window at least five times on a Saturday afternoon….
…. and if that doesn’t happen you think you might fall to the ground clutching your chest….
…. Against the Crowd is NOT for you. Take my word for it. I’ve seen all this before – time and again….
This is a racing advisory service for free-wheeling and free-booting punters who like betting at prices – often BIG prices – and who have both the nous and the temperament to wait for the BIG rewards to land….
If that sounds like you, my advice is to take out a membership to my Against the Crowd service….
…. which will qualify you for a steady flow of big-race selections that have produced a fully-verifiable betting profit of 235.6 points since the start of 2023….
Here’s what you can expect….
I target multiple big races every weekend & at all the big midweek Festivals….
I highlight exactly where my contrarian money is going – and all the detailed thinking behind each & every bet….
I deliver my thoughts & selections into your email box the day before racing – so you can get to work early-doors bagging the best prices….
My objective is always to highlight well-treated horses at value prices….
I always oppose favourites & heavily-fancied horses in favour of ‘live’ contenders up at prices that underestimate their true chances....
Handicap events are the primary focus – but I also play in some of the Open-age Grade 1 races….
But it’s not all about ‘tips’….
My ATC service is published up to five times a week….
…. and when I’m not putting up value-driven selections in the most valuable and most competitive handicap races on the British programme….
…. I furnish you with insight, analysis and advice that enables you to construct informed opinions and dig out your own winning bets….
In addition to ‘tips’, ATC delivers an informative, colourful, and entertaining mix of….
Big race pointers – that highlight ‘live’ contenders and good bets in the biggest races….
Betting angles – with a proven track record of producing winning bets and bottom-line profit – year on year….
Forensic post-race examination – that helps you tune your big-race radar, read between the lines, and see what casual race-watchers miss….
Well-handicapped horses to follow – handicappers primed, weighted, and ready to produce betting profit in the weeks ahead….
Unique data and analysis – information you won’t see in the mainstream media (delivering a massive knowledge edge in the racing markets)….
Playbook advice – where I share details of how I play the handicap-betting game, what I do, and exactly why I do it….
There are a million racing advisory services out there on the market….
…. not many specialize in the big-field handicaps – the toughest puzzles on the British racing programme….
…. and not many racing services have been around for the best part of two decades….
ATC was first published all the way back in 2007….
…. and has been published – without interruption – ever since….
Many ATC readers have been with the service for years….
…. and they can point to hundreds – that’s no exaggeration – of winning bets over the lifespan of the service….
…. a good proportion of those winners put up at WHOPPING prices….
If you enjoy big-field handicap races….
…. if you like a punt at a price….
…. if you’re looking to improve your handicap-betting game….
…. and if you fancy making a few quid out of the job to boot….
…. get a membership to my Against the Crowd service….
Win, lose, or draw – it’s going to be a blast….
…. and we’ll learn plenty about the game – and become better players – as we go….
See you inside….
Nick Pullen
Against the Crowd
