On the other hand, favorites do win a lot of harness races and that means you have to find a way to spot a reason good enough to bet against the favorite. One such situation where you will find profitable bets is in claiming races when you have done your homework. By homework I mean, watching the horses and spotting problems that can be fixed.

When you watch a harness race you should be making notes about horses who had rough trips or got a dream trip. Notes should be kept detailing any problems or abnormalities as well. One example is a horse that is rough gaited in the turns, but flattens out in the stretch. While there can be several reasons for this, it means there is probably a problem that can be corrected by a good trainer.

That is when the change of barn becomes important. If you see that horse suffer with the same problem in several races and then get claimed, you can bet a trainer has been watching the horse and figures he or she can correct that problem. So if you see the horse you’ve noted get claimed by a successful trainer, then you should figure it will improve in its next race or two.

While that isn’t exactly a hot new angle, it is better than when you see the same trainer claim a horse that doesn’t have an apparent problem. It may be more difficult to move such a pacer or trotter up when there is nothing tangible to be fixed. On the other hand, with such a glaring problem, the trainer must have something up his or her sleeve to remedy the situation.

Therefore, when trying to make money handicapping harness races, pay particular attention to horses who have an obvious problem and watch for such a horse to be claimed. This is a very good sign that it will get the problem fixed and the crowd may still lay off the horse because of its past poor performances.

One of the best things about actually going the races is that you have the chance to look at the horses before they get to race. To spot a horse that is likely to run a good race you should look for the horse with the shiniest coat. I know this sounds silly but the fact of the matter is that the healthiest of horses will end up running the fastest they can.

A shiny coat is therefore a good way of seeing whether the horse is healthy and in good form. You can bet that this horse will be running to its peak. Other clues you can look out for is whether the horse is sweating a lot before the off. If it is sweating then it means that the horse is already peaked and will not run the race to the best of its ability.

A fraction of a second does not sound like much but it could be enough to win a race. When you are at the elite level you want that little bit of extra speed and more. So if you are a swimmer on a school team, club or compete on a recreational level, you too can use the same methods the elite use to go faster.

Work on your technique, this can save you valuable time during a race. Learn to swim like your body is longer than it really is so you slide through the water more easily. Perfect the arm stroke so you can get the maximum pull with each hand to give you the best forward propulsion. Relax while you swim, don’t be tense because this will actually slow you down.

Even your mental capacity can affect how you swim. Learn to think like a winner and you can train yourself to be more positive about your abilities. Try visualization techniques to see yourself being successful at swimming. Improve your diet so you are healthier. If you are not eating healthy food you are not providing your body the best nutrition it deserves to give you the best performance.

Blinkers. These are fitted to a horse to aid its concentration during the race. The blinkers are in fact cowls fitted to a head cloth and they can be either full or half cup. The overall effect is to reduce a horses vision from 180 degrees down to a around 30 degrees.

Visors. These are similar to blinkers except that the cowl has a hole or slit in the side to allow the horse to see other horses at its side.

Some people question how genuine a horse is that needs blinkers but there is no doubt that in some cases they can bring about a much improved performance. It is not uncommon that the first time a horse races in blinkers it has the desired effect but in subsequent races they seem to have no effect.

There are three reasons why a trainer may decide to fit blinkers to a horse. The first is to help the horse to concentrate and focus on the job in hand. They can also help a horse to stay calm and be less inclined to pull in the early stages of a race and thus conserve its energy for the finish. Finally they can sometimes encourage a horse that is reluctant to race.

Cheek Pieces. In recent seasons the cheek piece, also known as French Blinkers, have become a popular form of racing headgear. The cheek piece consists of two sheepskin bands attached to the side of the horse bridle. Again the purpose is to restrict the horse side vision and to help to concentrate on the race.

The Tongue Strap. A tongue strap ids fitted over the horses tongue and this stops the tongue lifting and restricting the air flow. A trainers will normally fit this to a horse if they suspect that this has been a problem in its previous races. Although tongue straps have been used for a long time in horse racing it is only on the last ten years or so that it has been necessary to declare that a horse is wearing one.

Other headgear sometimes worn by horse include:

- Hoods are designed to cover the ears and are worn by horses that are affected by noise.
- Eye shields can be worn to give full vision but protect the horses eyes.
- Eye cover can be worn by a horse which is blind in one eye or has an eye missing.