Greyhound Dog Racing Tips.
My first track rat was Woody. I never knew his last name - if he had one. Sometimes I think Woody just sprang up one day at Lincoln Greyhound Park just before the first race went off. He'd been coming to the track since it was a horse track, but it was dog racing he loved.
He's the guy who taught me the first spot play I ever made money on. He's also the guy who told me that a famous dog was going to be stiffed in a stakes race, so I didn't bet it. It romped home at 3-1, probably because Woody had told a lot of people that it wasn't going to come in, so they didn't bet it.
It wasn't until later that I figured out that some of Woody's "advice" was what he was paid to tell as many people as possible, by a high roller who wanted a better price on his win ticket or exotic wheel. Once I learned how to sort out the genuine information from the tout, I did a lot better at cashing tickets.
Track rats - people who just about live at the dog track - know a lot about the dogs, the trainers and the people who bet the dogs. They're always there, just kind of mooching around, so that people forget they're there. This is how they pick up inside information.
If you're lucky enough to know a track rat and buy them a coffee or stake them to a bet once in awhile, you can find out things that most bettors don't know. Which dog just got wormed. Which trainer fell off the wagon and hasn't been doing a good job with his dogs lately. This is stuff that can make a difference to the outcome of a race.
Dog men, on the other hand, are the owners and trainers who usually sit together, usually near the finish line, so they can watch the end of the races. If you sit near them, like I used to do at Lincoln, you'll hear a lot of talk about what's going on with the dogs and the people who handle them.
Of course, you can't take everything they say as gospel. You have to sift through what they say and separate fact from opinion. But when it comes to picking winners at the dog track, the more info you have, the better. Just don't forget that the most important information you can have is what you learn from a good greyhound handicapping system.
Greyhound Dog Racing.