I n days of yore the serious punter could gain a much-needed edge by specializing. Example: For many years your scribe did well by keeping detailed records and  concentrating on the unique abilities that specific trainers appeared to possess  i.e.,  some excelled in routes. Others were primarily turf  specialists, and still others usually meant business when one of their charges was dropped into a claimer off an allowance.

Unfortunately this type approach,  that emphasized specialized knowledge, is no longer valid. For the past decade the betting public has been inundated  with handicapping information via books, seminars, the ubiquitous "talking heads" ( that hold forth at most racetracks),  and the highly detailed information published by companies such as BRIS.

Never before has so much handicapping knowledge been made available to so many. This situation should serve to alter the serious handicapper. s perspective.

What proved successful in the past probably no longer applies simply because what was formerly "inside information"  now falls well within the public. s domain. The  fact is that this broadly dispensed  knowledge is not helpful when employed in the orthodox manner.. One cannot gain a much-needed edge by knowing and doing what most others know and do. A differentapproach is a prime requisite for anyone seeking to profit from  betting on thoroughbred horses.

The question then arises, how does one find a "different approach"? One answer would be to concentrate more on the betting aspect, and less on such accepted factors as speed, weight, etc.

    The public's interest and concentration on exotic betting produces more opportunities than ever before for the astute punter to  find true overlays. This is due to the fact that most exotic wagering  emphasizes the cashing of bets, per se  rather than the cashing of PROFITABLE bets.  In other words the public and many big bettors concentrate on  "the spread."

The spread implies the combining  of many likely and not-so-likely combinations in order to help insure that a bet will be cashed. The hope, of course, is that  the cashed bet will return an amount sufficient to produce an overall profit.

This type approach on the general public. s part provides loads of opportunity for the intelligent player.  This is due to the unwarranted play that the not-so-likely combinations get, and which in turn creates genuine overlays on the more likely combinations.

Permit me to clarify the point. It is very difficult to produce a profit from straight wagering due to fact that the public now seems to know all the angles. However, the informed individual can still use his handicapping knowledge to create logical combinations (exacta play), and avoid the mistake of resorting to the spread. This approach alone will give the controlled player a marked advantage over the betting public.