Meet Handicapper Gary Quill, Wasabi Ventures’ Co-Owner Club Member, Part 2
Maryland-based handicapper Gary Quill’s passion for the sport of horse racing began in 1964 at the age of six when his dad and grandfather took him to Timonium Race Track. Since then, his handicapping prowess has been on display as “The GQ Approach” at TheRacingBiz.com, providing selections and analysis for every race day at Maryland tracks.
In Part 1 of our interview with Gary, he discussed what attracted him to the Sport of Kings, and the issues in the horse racing partnership industry that he’d like to see addressed.
Gary has always been drawn to the excitement of trying to determine the winner, and learning the different angles involved in the sport. He has also become interested in having the thrill that every owner, whether they have 1% or 100% ownership, has when they see their horse cross the finish line and they go down to the winner’s circle.
Now, in Part 2, we discuss with Gary what factors drew him to the Wasabi Ventures Stables Co-Owner Club and the methods he uses to handicap races.
Why did you join the Wasabi Ventures Stables Co-Owner Club?
I was attracted to the fact that 1% ownership is not a lot, but this is great for anyone who may not even know anything about horse racing, have some interest in it, and would like to have some type of avenue for entertainment. For what it costs for 1% of a horse with Wasabi Ventures Stables, the cost is the same for a game at a professional sporting event, a decent meal, or doing any other type of recreational activity. Once you do those activities, they’re gone. However, if a horse is owned by Wasabi Ventures Stables and goes to the track a few times and even runs prior to being claimed or retired, the entertainment value keeps coming back to you. It’s reoccurring.
On top that, Wasabi Ventures Stables takes on all the risk. A 1% owner is only going to have to put out one percent. Most horse racing partnerships keep increasing their minority owners’ costs, nickel-and-diming them with daily expenses, which the average person doesn’t understand. Since Wasabi Ventures Stables retains 50% ownership, the company takes on all the risk of the normal, daily care of a horse, not to mention the care that may come about if the horse needs some additional attention.
Therefore, I think it’s a slam-dunk for anyone who has considered getting into a horse racing partnership to give Wasabi Ventures Stables a shot. Your liability is limited to your original investment. And that’s it.
It seemed to be a no-brainer to me that my liability is limited. If it works out, great. If it’s not what I thought it was going to be, then it’s no great loss. The risk/reward ratio is much better than other partnerships. People need to understand that what they’re getting into has entertainment value, not investment value.
Wasabi Ventures Stables’ majority owners obviously want to make wise decisions. They’re going to have trainers and look to people who know whether the horse they’re interested in claiming or purchasing can run on the track and give immediate satisfaction. That’s what the entertainment value is: to claim a horse that you don’t have to wait a month or longer to put back on the track, so your Co-Owners can get the thrill of seeing their horses run.
The Wasabi Ventures Stables Co-Owner Club could also be a great networking possibility. Networking with other Co-Owners from all walks of life could result in great networking opportunities for the club’s members.
What do you look for when handicapping horses?
My handicapping style is all about trying to find value.
Horses that get my attention as a handicapper are ones that have back class. These are horses that have proven that they’re good race horses, but for reasons that I don’t know about have been, as they say, off form, maybe because of a health situation. As that horse continues to drop down in class, I look for the first time he or she shows some sign of regaining that form. When I see that reversal in a race, I think, “Next time they run him or her, I might be interested in playing that horse”.
I also have a bias on trainers. Just like everything in life, there are good ones and there are bad ones, and then there are ones whose practices you question. I ask myself, “What is his or her history with horses?” He or she just might not know the craft good enough to read a horse.
I have faith in Wasabi Ventures Stables to have and work with trainers who are the type of horse people that recognize a horse’s strengths, ailments, etc., and make them a better race horse than they were in a previous stable.
You can follow Gary on Twitter at @HorseRacingNut.
Would you like to learn more about the Wasabi Ventures Stables Co-Owner Club? Sign up for the webinar on January 4, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. ET: http://bit.ly/2gFlSyF.
