It is human nature to want to back the winning side, the side that seems strongest and most likely to be able to do what it takes to win. This applies to both greyhound racing and team sports. That’s why so many favorites, dogs that seem “can’t lose,” have such low odds.

We know that playing favorites is a losing proposition. On average, they win only a third of the time. That means two-thirds of the time, a dog with higher odds wins. That’s the dog you want to play, but how do you know which of the underdogs is likely to beat the dog with the lowest odds?

One approach is something that has worked for me many times in singles careers. Find a dog with early speed on his first two calls, first and second preferably, but didn’t hit the board last. A dog that finished fourth or worse is ideal. It doesn’t matter if he was 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th or how many lengths behind the winner he was.

As long as the dog has been close to the lead or in the lead for two calls, there is more than a chance that he will show that early speed in his next race and, if the conditions are right, can use it to win the race. race. However, there are some other conditions.

You don’t want a dog that is a perpetual “flash and fade” runner. I like to keep my plays with these types of dogs to their first three breeds. Very often, they click on the second or third run. After that, I assume they just can’t keep up with their initial pace and backing them won’t make me any money.

I also prefer to play this type of early sprinter in sprints, although I have had a few wins in long-distance races. It is a judgment call. If there is very little speed early in a race then they might be a good bet on a road. In that case, I’d play a pool with a good closer and the fast dog early. There aren’t many singles races anyway.

I don’t like these dogs in very short sprints, dashes. In fact, I don’t play scripts at all. Like quarter horse racing, I think it’s just a matter of which horse comes out first in that type of racing. But in maiden sprints, find a dog that shows early speed for two calls and has good odds on his second or third run and give him a chance to give you a nice reward that other bettors miss.