Spank Appeal 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...

Trainer Gary Portelli is banking on a good barrier draw to give Delago Bolt even half a chance in Saturday's Golden Slipper.While trying not to be pessimistic, Portelli says he is realistic about t...

Connections of Victorian filly Rostova will pay the $150,000 late entry fee for Saturday week's $3.5 million Golden Slipper after she handled the Sydney way of going with ease in a barrier trial at...

Trainer Peter Moody is warming to his Golden Slipper chances with in-form two-year-olds Reward For Effort and Headway.While Reward For Effort will be out to become only the fifth juvenile to comple...

Trainer Peter Moody is warming to his Golden Slipper chances with in-form two-year-olds Reward For Effort and Headway.While Reward For Effort will be out to become only the fifth juvenile to comple...

Britain's foremost racing expert Philip Alexander concludes his two-part feature on the legendary punter Phil Bull, founder of the Timeform organisation and one of the UK's greatest professional p...

In just about every sport we can name, the word "inspiration" is mentioned time after time. Just check any newspaper's sports coverage and you're likely to find some comments about players being i...