Rising media star Sara Elbadwi from Horse Racing Nation is this week’s The Player’s Edge guest. In our Q&A, Sara shares her story of how she got into horse racing, how see looks at the races and the pluses and minus of Horse Racing Twitter.
She’ll also put her handicapping skills to work, along with Terry, Tom, Shawn and Rich for the biggest stakes races this weekend at Oaklawn Park, including:
Race 5: Apple Blossom Handicap
Race 8: Oaklawn Stakes
Race 11: Oaklawn Handicap
Make sure you follow Sara on twitter: https://twitter.com/OutrunTheOdds
Q&A with Sara Elbadwi
HRT: Tell us about the family friend’s parties that introduced you to horse racing?
Sara Elbadwi of Horse Racing Nation
Sara Elbadwi: Our family friend Esther was one of my favorite people growing up; kind of like a second grandmother. She loved racing (and gambling) so every Derby there would be a big gathering. One that I really remember well was Giacomo in 2005 (I was 9 at the time) because everyone was so shocked at the huge upset.
HRT: What is it about the atmosphere at the big race parties that sticks with you today?
Sara Elbadwi: It’s really about how it felt. To quote Maya Angelou “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” So, these parties were so important and so memorable to me because of the passion, the excitement, the anticipation, and most importantly the connection. Most events you go to everybody’s kind of doing their own thing or talking with a small group they already know, rarely are groups of 20-30 people all glued to the same thing and sharing the same moment in time. But each year for those two minutes and the few hours leading up to it, everybody was fixated on what was about to happen. And I just needed to know more about something that could stop time like that.
HRT: Since your family really didn’t have a background in horse racing, walk us through how you learned to handicap races?
Sara Elbadwi: I started taking horseback riding lessons at a young age and completely fell in love with being around them, and other animals. I didn’t have the best childhood, as many don’t, so being around animals brought a sense of peace – not having to talk to adults or answer their questions, not having to put on a brave face, really just being able to be myself and not have the weight of any expectations. So, understanding nonverbal communication was actually easier and I just picked up on things about the horses that, as I got older, translated in visual handicapping. All I did for years was watch replays. No form, no figures, no data – just replays and memory. Of course, I have a different approach now, but that’s how it started.
HRT: You were 15 years old when you won your first bet, describe how that felt?
Sara Elbadwi Selfie
Sara Elbadwi: Aside from feeling like a kid who’s doing something they know they aren’t supposed to be doing, validating. Like I had tuned in to what was going on with the horse and predicted an outcome correctly. It always feels rewarding to be right.
HRT: You said the possibility of winning money was your hook, so to speak, into horse racing. What would you suggest horse racing do to attract younger fans?
Sara Elbadwi: You know, it was and it wasn’t. The profits made me feel as though I could actually turn this into more than a hobby at some point in my life and help me support myself financially, and certainly winning wagers is all a part of the fun and reward in racing.
There’s something in racing for everyone, and to some people, that may be the only thing or one of the major things that entices them – and that’s fine! But I think in order to build a lasting fan it needs to be about so much more than that, because everybody loses money at some point in this game. When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to get discouraged too.
Winning money is great, but as I said earlier, it’s about how racing makes you feel – at least to me. There are races I’ve never bet on that are incredibly moving because of the horses themselves – whether its qualities like tenacity, devastating speed or closing kick, overcoming adversities, etc and that’s why I’m so addicted to it. The horses.
HRT: In an interview, you were asked how you would tell a beginner what to look at when betting. Your answer was dependent on if the person is left (visual) /right (analytical) brained. Expand on that for us?
Sara Elbadwi: Everybody learns differently, and some methods are easier for people to pick up quickly than others depending on how you learn. I’m much more left brained so, honestly, a lot of the analysis and handicapping I do for my job, is not how I naturally think. But I want to be better, of course, and always be learning, so I think it’s important for me to be proficient in multiple methods of coming up with the same answer.
It’s like math in a way, or how some people can read music easily while others can just hear a song and play it. I think handicapping races is about learning what works best for you at first, then gradually expanding.
HRT: You’ve said that the flat win bet is one of your favorites, what are your three go to handicapping angles when trying to predict a winner?
Sara Elbadwi: What’s changing? Ie drop in class, blinkers on, first off the claim, first time gelding, off a layoff, change in distance/surface, etc.
-Speed figures. I look at Beyer pars and see how the field compares to each other through that lens.
-Visual. Always most important though not available for multis, but how they look/act is my most reliable angle, even if it’s a process of elimination sometimes.
HRT: You came into horse racing media in a non-traditional way through your twitter account. What do you like most about horse racing twitter?
Sara Elbadwi: I guess it’s that everybody has an opportunity to interact with each other as equals. Where else can you tag someone you’ve seen on tv in a question and have them answer it?
HRT: And of course, the other side of the question, what do you like least about horse racing twitter?
Sara Elbadwi: The negativity can be draining, as can the inappropriate private messages. I keep my inbox open because I do like interacting with other fans of racing and hearing other people’s points of view, but obviously people can be ridiculous.
HRT: In your opinion, how should the horse racing industry utilize social media to promote the sport?
Sara Elbadwi: This is something that’s a part of my job, so I definitely don’t have all the answers, but content of the actual horses and transparency goes a long way. The public perception of horse racing has reasons why it is the way it is, and horse racing keeps giving it more. Instead of blame shifting and pretending like its somebody else’s problem, or saying the public just won’t ever understand, we could be more open and honest about what’s going on in the industry as a whole and actually do something about it.
HRT: What are a couple must follow accounts on twitter for horseplayers of all skill levels and why?
Sara Elbadwi: Some of my favorite handicappers to follow include Matthew (@Failedtomenance) – he hosted a podcast called The Win Place Show for a while and gives out great analysis, he’s one of the first people to that gave me an opportunity on camera to get my name out there and I’m forever grateful for that, plus he’s also just an amazing person that’s in horse racing for the right reasons.
Jeff (@infochartingho1) has a unique approach to handicapping with his charts, I’ve never seen anything like it and its incredible – he’s one of the sharpest handicappers I follow, and he also found me pretty early on and offered to have me on a video with him, another great guy in the game.
And then Ryan (@ChildishGamino7) has literally every horse I don’t for the mandatory payout days on Pick 6s, so I’ve had to pick his brain a few times and just got to do a video with him as well.
HRT: Who were some of your favorite Horse Racing Media personalities before being part of the media?
I was pretty glued to the NYRA circuit and Talking Horses was as much of an everyday type of thing as eating breakfast, so Andy Serling’s someone I spent a lot of time listening to. People have some pretty polarizing feelings about him and everybody’s welcome to their opinions, but I learned a lot from his analysis.
Of course, people like Maggie, Acacia, and Gabby were all incredibly influential as well, not only for their handicapping opinions which are phenomenal but also to look up to in terms of women in the industry – there’s a lot of mansplaining and condescending skepticism that women have to deal with regularly in this field and seeing their successful example helps make that a bit more bearable.
HRT: Tell us a little about your role at Horse Racing Nation.
Sara Elbadwi: As content coordinator, I help come up with ideas for showcasing our handicapping – whether that’s articles, videos, social media, livestreams, etc. and then execute them. Ed and I work together to expand Horse Racing Nation’s presence as a handicapping platform.
HRT: How nervous were you the first time you did a live audience event for HRN?
Sara Elbadwi: Livestreams and videos with other people don’t really make me nervous, it just feels like having a conversation. Oddly enough, the only thing I struggle with still is when I have to film myself just talking at my computer. It feels awkward and I end up doing several takes.
HRT: For many, a day at the races is their getaway from the grind. What do you do for fun on your time off?
Sara Elbadwi: Time off? What’s that? Racing has really just become such a big part of my life and my routine that I feel lost without it. Watching just to watch is still fun for me and pretty relaxing, I still try to spend some time every week not handicapping and just looking at horses. That way there’s no pressure or expectation and I can still enjoy that getaway aspect.
