They say a change is as good as a rest and that is certainly true when it comes to horses. They require stimulation like any other living being. Horse racing handicapping is all about finding the horse that will surprise the crowd with a better than expected performance. So the obvious place to find a winner is any horse that has just had a change.

This is especially true in the claiming ranks. A good tip to find a winner is to look for a horse racing for a new trainer. Some horse breeders have trained a horse and lost it in a race only to claim it again somewhere down the line. If you want to make money betting on claiming races, keep track of which horses are racing for a new barn and find out if the trainer ever had the horse before.

That trainer may have figured some things out about a thoroughbred horse, like which feed it likes the best, or perhaps which workout routine suits it. Another change is the groom who is caring for the horse. Perhaps that horse has a favorite groom and maybe the groom likes the horse. It isn't always the company the horse is keeping, though.

The horse may improve, take a new interest in racing, just because it is in a different stall, eating a different feed, or perhaps being handled by different people. The secret of winning with claiming horses isn't so difficult to understand. When you claim a horse, treat it well and make a big deal of it. Give it extra attention, more grooming (only if it is one that likes it and most do) and good food.

The horse will usually perk up and show a renewed interest in winning. That is why some people think certain trainers are geniuses when it comes to claiming and winning with a horse. The horse trainer knows that horses will respond to a change, especially the old campaigners who have been grinding it out in the claiming ranks.

Your job as a handicapper looking to make some money betting on those races is to keep track of which horses are racing for a new barn and to look the horse over carefully in the saddling ring and paddock. If the horse looks like it is sharp, then it has responded to the owner's efforts and may improve from its last race.