Take special note of the uncoupled entries

Handicapping Tip of the Day – November 17, 2015

Last time I mentioned the importance of noting blinkers changes before you begin your handicapping. The second thing I do after noting the blinker changes is to find any “uncoupled entries,” which can be a gold mine awaiting the horseplayer. An uncoupled entry occurs when a trainer has two or more horses in a race but they are not coupled, such as in 1 and 1A. The uncoupled entry runs as separate betting interests. There are no notes to alert you to this situation; you got to find them yourself.

I go through every race to see if a trainer’s name appears more than once in each race, and when it does I place a higher priority on analyzing that race than others. The public is swift to dismiss the less appealing part of the entry based upon what’s in the running lines, and that is a huge mistake. Successful trainers do not put a horse in a race with losing being the sole intention. Also, many trainers make a living by cashing a well-planned ticket and the best way to elevate the price of one horse is by entering another that looks to be better on paper. The best time to play the high end of an uncoupled entry is when one of the entrants is taking a lot of money at the windows.

— Art Parker

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