Going Rogue

This time last year, I knew nothing about horse racing. Seriously nothing. On a scale from 1-10, I would’ve given myself a 3… and that’s generous. In fact, I only gave myself a 3 because I knew a grand total of three things about the sport.

1. A rider is called a “jockey”. This shouldn’t even really count as a piece of my horse racing knowledge considering this is common sense.
2. The Kentucky Derby is like the Superbowl of horse racing and comes around once a year…. and this is only about a half a fact considering I knew about the “Kentucky Derby” but honestly didn’t even know what “The Triple Crown” was until this year (when American Pharaoh won the coveted title and I read all about it). The Kentucky Derby is just one of three races, in addition to the Belmont Stakes and Peakness Stakes, and if you win all three, you join the rank of horse racing legends…. now I would count that as a complete fact.
3. Picking your horses based on their names isn’t the most reliable way to win. While this has worked for me in the past, I learned quickly that was just beginner’s luck. I struck out quickly the rest of the time and realized there was quite a bit more that went into the sport.

After attending a race at the track and going home a loser, I decided I wanted to figure out what the secret was to betting on horses. I saw there were some odds that could guide you on your bets, but what did it all mean? How did you know whether to go with the safe bet or take a risk? And if you were to risk it, what’s a good gamble? Luckily for me (and now lucky for you) I found Rogue Ratings, tried it once, and the rest is history.

After finding Rogue Ratings, I went from knowing about a half of a fact to placing in the top 25 at a handicapping contest! A contest means you are watching multiple tracks at once, competing against people over the course of two days… yeah that’s right, it’s crazy extreme horse betting for the best players out there. You don’t just pick one horse and cross your fingers for a lucky run around the track. Instead you place 10 bets per day (over the course of two days) in order to score the most amount of points. These points are based on odds, and in order to get these odds, complicated calculations are made based on the horse’s record history and past performances. It’s extremely overwhelming for a newbie to figure out and almost impossible to compete if you don’t know what you’re doing. That is, until Rogue Ratings came along.

That’s me… #22 Staples 🙂

So if you’re wondering how I went from knowing about a half a fact, to placing in 22nd place in a handicapping contest my first time amongst the pros, I think you’re going to want to read more about my experience and the brilliance behind Rogue Ratings.

Now that brings me to my next post… what is handicapping?

For most of us, when we hear Kentucky Derby, visions of oversized hats and fast, fit horses race into our minds. One of the biggest days in horse racing, and all eyes turn to the track as we pick our pony and as we place our bets. Maybe you saddle up with your pick based on the most creative name. Do you take a risk on the underdog or just go with a safe bet on the horse with the hype? For me, I never even cared to gamble my $2, because I knew little to nothing about the sport and figured my $2 would be better spent towards a mint julep come race day.

This time last year, I didn’t know much about horse racing. My first experience at the track was for a sorority event. We all got dressed up in our darling derby dresses, made our way to the main event, but after placing our picks, we didn’t really invest much more time or attention to what was going on. That was the problem… we never went to the track and played to win; it was a social event, not a sporting event. Following horse racing as a sport seemed old and outdated. I didn’t understand the rundown, the rules, the lingo, and as a result there were pros who would kick our butts in the bets every time. How could anyone go to the track and actually pick the winning horse? To me, it seemed like nothing more than a lucky guess.

Well this year was the first year I not only watched the derby, but I was invested. Yes, I placed a bet, but I also finally had a shot at winning. I knew all of the horses names, not just for creativity points (although, I would say Danzing Moon and Ocho Ocho Ocho were my favorites), but I had an idea about velocity and speed comparisons and how they might rank when stacked up against each other. So what could take a girl whose horse experience was little more than some trots around the desert at horse camp, to one who not only played to win, but watched a rooted for Dortmund to pull ahead? The answer is Rogue Ratings… and as you follow my experience from newbie to new face in the game, I am excited to share with all of you how you can go rogue and go home a winner!

Welcome to my blog, GOING ROGUE. Follow me on Twitter @KaylaGoesRogue and Instagram and Facebook @GoingRogue to see how I went Rogue and never looked back.

Rogue Ratings, what does it mean? If we are starting at the beginning, let’s start there… check out my next blog post to learn the lingo of horse racing 101.