Every day, millions of people around the world watch and bet on horse races to make a profit. That is the truth. We love it as a spectator sport, the thrill of watching the ups and downs of great horses like Big Brown and Curlin, but we also love the fact that if we do it right, we can make money betting on the sport of kings.

But like many things in life it takes a systematic approach. A good horse racing system can pay for itself many times over, once you've customized it a little to suit your taste and style. But there are so many kinds of systems out there, how do you know which one is right for you?

Let's break it down into two categories and two kinds of bets. Of course this is a very simplistic approach but I am going to use it to demonstrate the right thought process that you can use to find the right system from the thousands that are available.

The two major categories are...

1. Medium to short priced contenders
2. Long shots

The two major kinds of systems are...

1. Situational
2. Fundamental

Categories...
Using a system to find short to medium priced horses will give you lots of action because there are contenders in this group in almost any race. It will also usually mean shorter losing streaks because those horses win more often.

Long shots are fewer and farther between because if they are a long shot, there is usually a very good reason, however, there are still some good long shot bets to be found.

Kinds...
Situational systems help you to find a particular situation in a race and then to bet the horse(s) who fills the conditions of the situation. They are often called spot plays and easily found with very little judgment or thought other than whether they meet the requirements of the system.

Fundamental systems give you the basics to compare all runners and then make decisions based on the properties that each contender exhibits. They require more independent thought and judgment on the pat of the user and therefore are more subject to error, but also more flexible and allow you to develop your own style.

Conclusions...
Given the basic criteria above, and I realize this is very simplistic, it is up to you to decide which kind of handicapping system you can work with. Do you require a lot of action? Do you want something to be automatic or do you want to be able to develop your own decision making skills? It really comes down to your own personality and knowing yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. The rest is just a matter of looking at the systems that are available and picking a good one.