Alarming Horse

Picking winners is one thing; backing them correctly is another — and in Australian horse racing, staking is where a good selector hands the year back. In April 1987, writing as Statsman, one Pract...

In Australian horse racing a wide barrier draw is worth almost nothing at one track and up to two lengths at another — the same number, a different meaning at every course. In June 1986, writing as...

At one Victorian horse racing track the home straight is 461m, and at another it is 200m. The punter who always backs the horse that gets over the top of them late is making the same bet on two cou...

In Australian horse racing the four Melbourne racecourses stand out for their complete difference to each other — and the barrier draw is worth something different at every one. Statsman takes thre...

Australian horse racing runs on so many racetracks, all of varying sizes and designs, that the track itself carries a form guide of its own. Statsman spent five years on winning patterns at Randwic...

Professional gamblers call it 'deep state' handicapping: the horse racing method Bill Benter and Alan Woods used to make millions on Hong Kong racing. The average punter has no idea of the penetrat...

At the moment Australian racing should be pretty pleased with itself. Booming carnivals, record prizemoney and TAB turnover reflect a healthy portrait of a flourishing industry. One aspect ?that...

In this final article in my PPM series, I will complete the picture of the horse and put some colour into the image I've been building by stepping back a little and taking in the whole scene of th...

In the last issue (June PPM) I covered the idea of learning to "talk to the horse" when you get to the races. You'll recall I wrote about the attitude of the horse and I pointed to the fact that m...

So you study the form, listen to the radio and watch the money on the tote. Have you ever studied a horse in the mounting yard and known what to look for? The "House Full" sign would be hung at ...

One area where many punters find a problem picking winners is on rain affected tracks. The winners often come from nowhere to win at big odds. If you were to apply a little body language to your p...

Punters who understand and use horse body language as an aid to their handicapping are giving themselves an edge. They are getting a second opinion on the horse's ability, not from papers or the t...