Maiden Races

I went to the track yesterday and shockingly came back with much more money than I came in with. I don't typically bet maiden races. A maiden race is for horses who have not won. They are hard to handicap because a lot of them are first time starters. Even if they aren't, how can you predict a horse who hasn't won to win? I put down an exacta box bet on a maiden race yesterday just to have rooting interest. An exacta is a bet that means the horses you bet on have to come in 1st and 2nd. I boxed the bet so they could come in any order. My bet was $2 exacta box on 1-4. So it can come in 1-4 or 4-1. It just cost me $4. Towards the end of the race, I didn't think one of my horses was going to make it. Then all of a sudden, it came flying down the stretch and my horses came in 1st and 2nd and I cashed in for $148. That was my big win that allowed me to be up a lot for the day yesterday!