Manny, the Fox & Notorious R.E.D.

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: Feel free to stop reading whenever you wish. : Stumbled across this article at the Brisnet site, which puts out a nice Past Performances Product. : Sometimes you just have to shake your head when you see things like this. : In summary Manny is a handicapping guru who waits until 5 minutes to post to pick his winners. When he determines the winner he informs "the Fox" who runs the selection to Manny's clients, who in turn rush to the windows to bet with both hands. No phones or publications for the reknowned Manny, just a group of bettors in the clubhouse he keeps the green pouring in for. : Now Red on the other hand is so crafty that the track has apparently barred him from entering. Maybe he laid down enough minus pool bets to break the track's back. My guess is he was supplementing his "winnings" by working the phones to take off site bets. (which was once illegal...maybe still is). : It starts with the figure. Theres a little art in between, but when its over, it ends with the figure as well. : The nonsense follows: : LOOKING INTO THE WIZARD'S CRYSTAL BALL : Handicapping Lessons -- Part 1 : By Michael Kipness, A.K.A. "The Wizard" : I have never written a book on handicapping and doubt I ever will. Each day I publish handicapping lessons in my products and offer wagering strategies. There are several excellent handicapping books on the market. : I learned a lot when I was younger from reading Tom Ainslie. I loved to fiddle with different pace and class calculations. I've also read books from fine handicappers like William Quirin, Andy Beyer, Steve Davidowitz, Tom Brohamer, Dave Litfin and others. In recent years, I have not read much literature from other sources as my interests lie more in the daily art of handicapping and trying to fine tune my own work. : My greatest education growing up came with a couple of relationships I developed a long time ago with handicappers that few knew but were considered the best around. : Both individuals were horrible betters, but they could pick winners at huge prices. The one I respected most was called "Red." Red had a few clients, one being my father. Their relationship lasted many years until Red passed away in the mid-eighties. : As a child I use to go to the track with my father and Red, but for some reason Red was not permitted into the racetrack. He sat outside the gates near the rail at the top of the stretch. Before each race we would get his horses, speaking to him from between the barbed wire fences. : Even though speed figures were only used by a handful of people at the time (mid 60's, seventies and into the eighties), Red had an uncanny feel for pace and how it related to final time. He had his own set of charts and would do calculations. He would then analyze a race using his instincts. There were no published statistics back then on trainers, pedigrees, etc., so a handicapper utilizing these tools would land on some real gems. And Red did all the time. : I also remember that the circle of people Red catered to were mostly lousy betters as well, so they did not maximize their profits, especially when exotic wagering came to the forefront as the choice bet of people. : And then came my education with the great handicapper Manny Kalish. Kalish had a stable of some of the biggest betters in the country. My father was part of his circle of clientele, but not because of the amount of money he bet (he might wager $300-$500 a race, a pittance to what others bet), but because he was friendly with Kalish's runner, Henry "The Fox." : The "Fox" was as thin as a ruler, weighing in at no more than 100 pounds, but he toted a lot of weight as Kalish's trigger man. The "Fox" was the only one allowed to sit next to Kalish. With no more than 5 minutes to go in a race Kalish wanted to bet, the pick would be whispered to the "Fox," who would then leave and head up to the clubhouse floor where all the clients were waiting. : The "Fox" would eyeball the clientele making sure there was no one there who did not belong. The "Fox" would then release the play and everyone would rush to the windows. I always took up my position at a bench close by with the Racing Form in one hand and a program in the other waiting for the "Fox" to appear. Once the pick was released I would look for my father and in a very subtle way ask him who the pick was. : He would always tell me, not knowing I would rush down the stairs to find someone who would bet a few dollars on it for me, or, if I could, wager myself (sometimes a teller would not ask me my age). Like "Red," Kalish would come up with some dandies. : Unlike Red, I never really got to speak with Kalish in all those years, but from talking with several of his clientele, Kalish was an astute handicapper who placed great emphasis on what horses wore on their feet such as mud caulks and bend shoes. This information is revealed at most racetracks now, but back then it was never announced. : There was a shoe board by the paddock, but for the real information you would have to hook up with somebody who knew what horses were wearing when they came into the paddock. : Kalish was very conservative when it came to releasing his bets. On a typical card, he might have up to three action bets and maybe one, or at best two, "Prime" bets that were his best of the day. Most of these prime wagers came on the grass, or on wet tracks, where the type of shoes the horses wore played an important role. : At the time, you could wear turndowns on the grass, which are shoes that act like cleats, giving horses better traction on the turf. Tracks have since banned these types of shoes on the turf because they tear up the grass and are dangerous due to how sharp the points are. : Kalish would key in on horses equipped with mud caulks on a wet track for the first time or turndowns on the grass. And many of these horses would run huge at big prices. Unlike today, when several trainers will use these types of shoes in a given race, it was not so prevalent back then. : Because of Kalish's success, I've kept records of horses in New York who are wearing mud caulks or turndowns for the first time and when horses take them off. To this day, it still proves to be a successful handicapping angle that I learned from the great Manny Kalish. : Both Red and Kalish proved to be important studies for me into the art of handicapping, but what proved to be the greatest lesson for me, and a lesson to impart to you the reader, is the psychological aspect of the game and, just importantly, how and when to wager. Many handicappers are their worst enemy, defeating themselves with poor judgment, greed, lack of patience and a lack of confidence in themselves. : Obviously, you need good handicapping skills, but with these skills must come an understanding of your own psyche and a killer instinct. You must realize when it is time to strike and when it is time to pass. : In Part Two next week, I'll list my Top 10 Rules that players need to move to a higher level in the art of handicapping. I'll give an explanation of each in order for you to become a more successful and winning player. : These rules deal with the psychological aspect of the game. If you want to learn how to pick winners, buy a book published by one of the authors mentioned at the beginning of the article. : These 10 rules need to be etched into your mind everyday you handicap. But if only one of these rules is successfully implemented on any given day, you've succeeded in improving your game. : These rules are ones they won't teach you in books. So look for Part Two next Thursday in the Handicappers Edge. : The Pick Of The Day I publish daily continues to reap rewards for followers of this new product. I am truly enjoying the challenge of finding that one solid play each day from any track I deem fit around the country. Some plays come from tracks that I am already covering but many do not. What I love so much about this product is that on any given day, I can have a score that a small bettor wagering maybe $20 can hit for big money. : Since I publish this product seven days a week, I have priced it at $6 so a customer can afford to use it everyday. I love the idea of staying sharp each day with one key selection, and finding the Pick Of The Day really gets my handicapping fluids going. You also don't have to wager big because I'm searching for value. This makes it much easier to remain within a comfort level in your wagering. : By playing each day, you can you feel part of the game and learn. I don't win everyday and my picks don't score everyday, but when they do hit, the winning can carry you a long way. : The month of May has been very successful for the Pick Of The Day. Just last Friday I beat the even money favorite at Pimlico, giving out a successful win bet, exacta, trifecta and a superfecta, all in the same race. Then one day later on Saturday, followers of the Pick Of The Day cleaned up with an $18.20 winner at Hollywood as well as a prime exacta wager returning $62.60 and a trifecta worth $304.60. This is what I mean by someone betting small money to win big. : Beginning this Friday June 1st, for the third year in a row, I will be publishing The Wizard's Challenge Analysis for the $25,000 Brisnet Online Handicapping Challenge, a qualifier for the big Las Vegas Handicapping tournament in January. :

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