Im all packed im ready to go, the taxi’s waiting outside the door..
Why i hear you all ask, has the missus thrown you out..!!
Well ive planned a trip a few weeks ago to visit Chester racecourse for the City Plate.
You really can’t beat attending a race course and just soaking up the atmosphere. I have to admit usually on days i attend the race course its very much a social event, i do occasionally attend them by myself but these days this is very few and far between.
Usually on race days im forced into looking at a races at one particular course which i might usually dismiss, not always but when i attend certain courses meaning i will bet in some races which i would never never usually bet on.
Attacking the full race card at any course is risky business, however it can actually work out very well especially when your at the race course and your right up close to the action. When with a group of friends, you do tend to have everyone looking at you to provide them with winning bets, usually im pretty good, well i should be right?
Problem is on the morning of the race i have maybe 30-40 mins to go through the entire card and make my selections as everyone expect a bet, and i would say that on days like this i tend to push the boundaries a little to make it more of a fun/type day. You see its easy to have criteria which needs to be matched, run the software and fire though some form reading with the races we have for a day, but when none of the criteria is met and your at a particular course then you have to get back to basics and simply work though the ratings and strike off horses and mark down ones with potential or anything else which might catch your eye close up.
Problem is on the morning of the race i have maybe 30-40 mins to go through the entire card and make my selections as everyone expect a bet, and i would say that on days like this i tend to push the boundaries a little to make it more of a fun/type day. You see its easy to have criteria which needs to be matched, run the software and fire though some form reading with the races we have for a day, but when none of the criteria is met and your at a particular course then you have to get back to basics and simply work though the ratings and strike off horses and mark down ones with potential or anything else which might catch your eye close up.
Let me give you an example of how in these situations i approach such tasks, its rushed and its certainly not precise as i may very well make last minute changes to what i see hear and feel course side however its a good guide for you to use if you get the chance to visit a local race course near you.
Quick story, My back therapist, who keeps me walking around without a cane, asked me.! (that maybe the strangest sentence i write today and maybe even this year..) Well while i was lying there flat out having her stick elbows into my shoulders and lower back while trying to pop ligaments back into the correct place, she told me she was going to a local race course at the weekend with some friends and would/could i provide her with some tips.
“Now tips is not something i really do but on special occasions i will go the extra mile for someone, it also helps if i like you”
So i said sure thing and when i woke up on the Sunday morning i thought ok 30 mins thats it.. Run the software hopefully get a few selections right off the bat and job done.
Now its strange but when you give out tips like this they need to be good for obvious reasons,
1: I don’t want people to lose money.
2: She has no clue about horse racing
3: It makes me look terrible if she doesn’t get any winners.
It’s funny but when you are the betting software guy and people ask what you do for a living, as soon as you mention im a Pro gambler which sounds really corny, or horse racing software developer, the very first thing they ask you is ‘got any tips”… When i say to them no, they usually walk away. Which is strange really as if im out and i meet people for the first time one of the last things i ever ask them is what do you do for a living, besides, if they turn around and say im a Dentist, the last thing i would say is, “can you sort a filling out for me”.
Main Approach – I don’t really approach races in the way some people do i look at whats right in front of me for today, i look at this horse/horses now compared to all the others.
Sure i follow some horses and monitor there progress, however this can be a long winded approach but i don’t worry about those i follow until the day they fit my criteria or rather more importantly their race criteria.
My racing knowledge in terms of form reading and methods and looking for new approached and angles works in a completely different way to some punters who know the winning jockey in the 1989 Grand National ( Little Polveir/Jimmy Frost) or the stable of Donald McCain and all his horses running under him. For me im more about right now, and recent race history, once today is gone it’s onto the next, I prefer this fresh racing approach it keeps me sharp where i need to be, plus i don’t get bogged down with information overload, i deal with the information and the problems i need to solve on a daily racing basis.
“So unless you catch me on days when I have made my selections, No i don’t have any tips and beside there mine”
Ok so back to my Sunday morning form reading session, I looked at the race card and it was poor. Certainly not a quick form reading card in which i had hoped it might be, more of an uphill battle, especially as i was still slightly hungover from the Saturday night before. Usually all i need to get into gear is a cup of the finest Columbian coffee from the hills of Nicaragua and im ready to go, 30 mins or so later its job done.
On top of the horses names i had to provide her with some type of safety net type of information, the best way forward for someone who has very little race experience is to play it safe. I’ve included a copy of the text message i sent her, probably the largest text message ive ever sent. Sorry if your reading this on a phone.
Ok so there you go i just wanted to share this information with you maybe it will give you some ideas moving forward. Like i mentioned in the text message people pay a lot of money for this type of information.
Heres the results by the way, and yes she did do really well 😉
Have a great weekend,
Talk soon
BSG
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