Greyhound Dog Racing Tips.
Some greyhound players won't even handicap a route race. They stick with sprints, because they say route races are too hard to predict. I like routes, but I also play sprints, because there are more of them on the program.
If there was a track that only ran route races, I'd probably play it rather than any other track. I happen to think that route races are easier to handicap, not harder, because the dogs have more time to jockey for position and run truer to form.
That said, I understand why sprints are the favorite of more people at the dog track. There are many, many more sprints on a program, so a lot of bettors are more used to handicapping them. Sprints start on a straightaway, while routes, at least the 3/8ths routes, start on a turn.
It's harder to figure out what's going to happen at the break when the dogs break into a turn. It's also harder to predict which dog will still have enough stamina at the end of the race to close. Bettors prefer breakers to closers, it seems.
But when it comes to payoffs, which is more profitable? Well, because there are so many more sprints on any given program, sprints pay more, because you can play more. Routes, although they may have more longshot payoffs, only yield a payout once or twice on most programs. So, if you only play routes, it will take you much longer to see a profit.
So, should you just ignore routes? I wouldn't. I don't have the statistics to back it up, but I get the impression that there's more money to be made on dogs at higher odds in routes than there is in sprints. I know I've cashed some hefty tickets on dogs that weren't favorites with the crowd in long races, but they came in.
If you'd like to get good at handicapping routes, go back over the old programs at your track and handicap as many long races as you can. This will give you the practice that you need to get good at it. Then, take your knowledge to the live races and see if routes make you more money than sprints do, race for race.
Every skill you add to your handicapping tool chest helps you make more money.
Greyhound Dog Racing.