I think the Handicappers of today are far better than the Handicappers of 35 years ago. As a group that is. And the biggest reason is the data is better and its nearly everywhere. But the problem there is if the data has made everyone better the competition which are the ofher Handicappers are better. So its a wash

Also as you mentioned the menu of wagers available has grown exponentially. Churchill used to have an Early Double. A late Double and that was it. Walk into the Track at 1:35 and you were liable to see 5 people walking out. They took their swing at the Early Double, busted out, and now time to go home. There might be 30-50 races I am staring at on a Saturday and I may play 10. Each race has 4-6 different ways to bet it. And that isnt counting WPS.

Patience and discipline are the best recipes for me to avoid long losing streaks. There is a reason the Rainbow 6 or something similar keeps carrying over. They are hard to hit. Which means you lose over and over again.

If I bet $500 a week for 52 weeks that is north of $25,000 a year. If I het double that then its $50,000 a year. If the latter is the amount (and that is certainly high. I bet bigger on some days and some weekends, not all. If I churned out a 20% Profit I will take it all day every day. Winning a $75K score on a Pick 6 and losing the other 51 weeks doesn't work for me. I dont pkay Belterra or Canterbury or Maiden $12 5K races. I look for consistency and those returns can grind along. And so do the losses