Maybe you're tired of all the information you have to sift through to handicap Thoroughbreds. Maybe you're getting stale at handicapping the greyhounds and would like to try something a little different.

If harness racing has caught your interest, you're not alone. While interest in greyhound and thoroughbred racing is declining, harness tracks are attracting a bigger crowd than they have in years.

Whether you go to the fairs or OTB or even one of the big New York tracks, harness racing can give you a big bang for your buck. Maybe it's because the horses are tougher and more consistent than the high-strung Kentucky Derby breed.

Maybe it's because they're able to run in all kinds of weather for up to 10 years without breaking down or suffering the health problems some other breeds do. After all, standardbreds have been pulling wagons and carriages and even carrying riders for hundreds of years throughout the US.

Or maybe it's because their drivers are a different breed from jockeys. They're much more likely to own and train their own horses, which gives them a bigger stake in winning. When you have to pay for feed and a stall for your horse, you have a real incentive to drive as well as you can.

Many people have noticed that harness races seem to turn out the way it seems like they should. In other words, favorites win a lot at the harness races. This makes it a little harder to make money in one way, but easier in another.

While favorites at the harness track might not usually pay as much as they do at the thoroughbred track, because they come in a lot, it might be easier to handicap the harness races.

No matter how much the winner pays, if you don't pick it, it doesn't pay YOU anything. So, if you'd like to try your hand at picking some winners at the harness track, either with a free harness handicapping system or your own ideas, give it a whirl. What do you have to lose?