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     Handicapping Essay: Expand  Your Strengths
     Capitalize on what you do best

As is often my weekly custom for over 20 years now, I recently listened to a Saturday morning radio program on natural health called the “Holistic Healthline.” The program started in Fall River, MA over 35 years ago and is now broadcast from Rhode Island. The radio program, which allows listeners to call in with questions, has since moved to a much larger radio station and has greatly expanded its radio audience by simulcasting into other radio markets around the country, still with the original founders as hosts. From time to time they have guests who are professionals in the health field to come in to speak on a particular subject. 

Their expansion makes good sense because it is an excellent show with a lot of useful information and a history of having helped a lot of people not only through their radio program but also through their private practice in Seekonk, Massachusetts. If you have good products and services, chances are you are creating a loyal following who likely will return when they are need of the services and/or products you offer.

The folks of the Holistic Healthline certainly have shown this to be the case for themselves. As a matter of fact, I've come across many people who listen to the show, either live or on their Podcast, including a handicapper and former Rhode Islander with whom I've become friendly over the past couple of years.  

The most recent show I heard was fascinating, as most of them are to me. Dr. Jansen, the show's founder, discussed how to achieve overall success in life. He said a major key to success is to recognize your strengths. When you know where your strengths lie, you can then better tune into those strong suits, whether they be skills, know-how and/or positive behaviors so that you can put them to use in a mindful, productive and postive way.

In other words, find ways to build and capitalize upon your strengths, whether it be to help you prosper and evolve in your field of work or to help you gain greater skill in a hobby, activity or creative pursuit which brings you joy. 

While this may seem like an acute case of the obvious, it does give pause for thought. I believe we all sort of know what it is we do well and what things we do not do as well. But other than acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to carry out our chosem line of work, how often do we consciously think of how we can improve what we know we're already good at, especially after we've reached our mid-30's? Do some of us kind of lean back with a "been there-done that" attitude?

Personally, both Mary and I are not fans of that expression. In a way, you're closing off the person telling the story, and it's always interesting to hear another's perspective of an experience you may already have had.

As many a wise elder has shown us, we are never too old to stop improving and learning from the past with an eye to the future. If anything, those of us fortunate to age and grow older have a wonderful opportunity to continually enrich and develop our respective strengths and skills, especially with your x-number of years of life-experience you thus far possess. In short, one is never, ever too old to improve upon what we know, and then some. 

So how does all of this relate to handicapping? Well, as noted, I listen most Saturday mornings to the Hollistic Healthline show while I'm handicapping the day's races. As I listened on this particular morning to Dr. Jansen and his advice for achieving success, I churned it over in my mind in relation to my own handicapping, I found wisdom in his words.

The more I examine my handicapping, the more I realize what I have really known for years, and that is I have always had more success when handicapping maiden races than any other type of race. I also know that those who subscribe to our selection service, now almost at its sixth full year, like variety in the types of races from which I isolate selections and also want to turn a profit. I would imagine the more important of those two desires is to make a profit. Thus, if I take Dr. Jansen's advice, I should focus on how and why it is that I'm most tuned in to maiden races. From there I need to find a way to increase success, i.e., profits, in those races, and then, find a way to translate those skills to other types of races. 

In reviewing my most recent handicapping, our Saratoga Selection Service started nicely with 5 of the first 6 days producing a profit, with opening day being the exception to $$$ days. This trend of profit continued for most of the first two weeks, including a $20.40 winner, Wicked Trick, in Race 10 on July 14, 2019.

Sure enough, on Saturday August 3rd, another profitable day at Saratoga with our two selections for the 6th, a maiden race, finishing 2nd & 3rd: Free Enterprise paid $3.10 place & $2.60 show; while #11 Mubarnj, at over 25-1, paid $9.10 show.

The best profit on that Saturday came from consistency, as nearly every selection on the day finished in-the-money. The exacta in the 8th at Saratoga returned $52.50, with our selection of Covfefe paying $8.50 to win and Serengeti Empress paying $5.50 place and $3.30 show.  

The previous day, Friday, August 2, produced a profit at Saratoga, but it was the exacta in the 8th and final race at Penn National that was the icing on the cake: the suggested exacta with our selection of Channel Surfing with #1 Neyami came in for an excellent $48.20. Channel Surfing ran 2nd and paid $5.80 - $3.40 and Neyami won and paid $8.60 - $5 - $3.80. 

Of course it is exciting to cash a $20 or $30 winner, and certainly can help your profits skyrocket that day. But it is the consistency of the winners and the in-the-money horses repeatedly winning and finishing in-the-money at about 2-1 to 6-1 that can assure you of sustained and long term profit. 

Our best bet service, which yields 1-2 selections per day. The service is very consistent with a  “slow and steady” approach that often yields the profit.

So have I figured out yet why I have more success with maiden races than with other types of races? Not totally, but I'm working on it. And that's Dr. Jansen's point: to recognize your strengths and find ways to expand and translate them into a higher level of success. This will be an ongoing discussion as I examine my own handicapping and share examples with you, either here or in a future TIPS Report.

It's certainly exciting and inspiring to challenge yourself to increase profits. My daughter and I challenge each other weekly with tracking our steps, and it certainly works in racking up the steps. We're fairly close each week, generally about 75,000 - 85,000 steps each week. Sometimes she wins, and other time's I win. But we're each a winner in terms of getting in those steps! So let's see where my new increase-profits challenge leads. I'll keep you posted! 

While I'm thinking about Saratoga, get in on the remaining days of Saratoga - check it out.

Moreover, we have an excellent option—it is two months of the Classic Selections which automatically includes remainder of Saratoga, Belmont when that meet opens, plus an additional track for the entire two months at just $49.95.  

Now, when it comes to maiden races, which I love, many handicappers tend to avoid them. We've discussed this before. We do have spot plays that can help you achieve success with maiden races.

To encourage to take advantage of these spot plays geared for maiden races, we are running a special discount over the next week, now through August 31, 2019, include handicapping on maiden races. 

The Fitness Factor Spot Play DYNAMIC! 
many handicappers have told me how helpful this method has been in finding success with maiden races!

Show-a-Profit: A Maiden Method 
perhaps our most popular spot play method ever! PRN suggested it should have been titled Win-a-Profit rated a very strong “8

The Even Finish Spot Play 
rated an “8” by PRN
available in print & download form

Win-a-Profit Spot Play 
available in print & download  

The Super Cluster II Spot Play Method
available in print & download

The Only One II Spot Play 
rated an “8” by PRN

The Big Easy Spot Play 
rated an “8” by PRN

We have received many testimonials, a dozen written letters and over 60 phone calls & emails) about The Even Finish Spot Play, it is one of the quickest, easiest spot plays we have ever published.

Read about what one NY handicapper wrote us about his experience handicapping with the Even Finish:

-----Original Message-----

From: Joey
To: tipsreport
Sent: Wed, Jan 4, 2017 8:51 pm

Jon....purchased your Even Finish method last month. I could not be more pleased. For the month of December over 6 tracks I wagered on 87 races with 29 winners and 77% of the selections finishing in-the-money. I wagered 10-20-x on all horses going off at 4 to 1 or less and 5-10-20 if they were 9/2 or more. I cleared $1648. 77 of the selections were singles. Thanks and keep up the good work.

Faztrack Joey (from finger lakes) 


The above spot plays are currently on sale in print form or as download, if available as a download. 

As always, please call or email with questions, comments or discussion - it's always good to hear from you!

Jon Worth 
401-921-5158
tipsreport@aol.com or jonworth@worthhandicapping.com


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