More FREE handicapping information is generated for racing fans to use on the Internet each day than from any other single source. This sounds great to most players, but there are two factors that shouldn't be overlooked. 

First, the idea that because there's so much information availble, using the Internet to handicap races must be easy-there must be a simple way to pick winners without thinking because so much computerized information is available. 

Sorry. As far as handicapping in cyberspace goes, it's just like real life: handicapping is an art, not a science. The Net can provide you with all the information you need, but the picking of winners has to ultimately come from good old subjective human decision-making. 

Second, the "gift mentality" of the Internet (meaning: gimme for free) creates the illusion that a player shouldn't have to pay for any handicapping information. Whether it's horseracing or any other type of information, you always "pay" for it, sometimes if by nothing more than visiting a site which offers genuinely valuable information at no charge, to add to that site's count of visitors, which can be used by the site's owners to sell advertising to related, non-competing businesses. 

The handicappping information available on the Internet can be quite valuable, but you have to keep the use of it simple, and I am amazed that so many people find this hard to do. The problem is a lack of organization by the horesplayer. 

Using handicapping information on the Internet can be informative and confusing at the same time. Your mind handles and processes a limited number of sets of information at a time. When you present it with more than one or two sets (especially when those sets all contain very similar information), it's easy to forget what makes one set of information different from the other, what applies and what can be discarded when making separate decisions, such as what horse or horses to bet, and how to bet them in a given race. 

Here are several websites to visit that are excellent examples of what I mean. A regular visit to them, whether you're a newcomer or a veteran player, will help you to keep what you need in focus and balance to make the most of handicapping information on the Internet. 

The Internet sites of the two most well-known racing information providers offer MANY data-oriented features and "reading" features as well as products for sale. They are the classic illustration of the two points I'm talking about. 

BRISnet
TSNhorse.com

Divisions of Bloodstock Resarch Information Services of  Lexington,  Kentucky, these sites will offer entries and results, the daily on-line racing newsletter The Edge (which has an almost always surprisingly good amount of unique and valuable time-sensitive handicapping information),  and many free and pay services. 
 

About.com (Horseracing page)

This incredible list of racing links to virtually everything and every place on the Internet that has to do with horseracing is a great resource for the handicapper who enjoys research and maybe digging for information not found in the mainstream. 
 

The Thoroughbred Times

The Thoroughbred Times online edition offers news, commentary, and a variety of articles about many aspects of racing. 
 

The Bloodhorse Online

With a history of information concentrating on breeding and sales, the online edition of this niche magazine also features basic, useful information for players. 

I suggest you plan a visit to these sites when you are not pressed to do immediate handicapping. You'll come away with a better recollection of what each site offers, and not be overwhelmed by the amount of information on some of them.