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There are two groups of punters who invariably go to the races, or their TAB agencies, with the percentages piled high against them. They are the backers of favourites and longshots. No matter wh...
There are many problems associated with beating the trifecta. Punters probably don’t realise the task they are taking on when they tackle this bet. Question 1: Can you predict the 1-2-3 finishin...
Greyhound racing is probably the best system under which a punter in Australia can risk - or rather, invest - his hard earned dough. To my way of thinking there is nothing so good as a standout "...
You would like to back a winner every two selections? That’s a 50 per cent win strike. Some dream! But maybe it’s not so crazy. After all, picking two horses a race and making a ‘book’ by savin...
PPM reader Kerrin Brown has been enjoying success as a “lay” operator on Betfair. In this article he relates his personal story, and how he makes money from his operation. The first time I w...
The late Don Scott once wrote that the best form of exotic betting is the trifecta. I think he was right. Don said picking a trifecta winning bet was a test of skill rather than a game of chance. ...
The shortest way home is always on or near the inside rail. Well, that's technically true, as we all know, but we also know that many times it doesn't find you the winner of a race. Especially whe...
I’ve spent years trying to beat the TAB and bookies and I’ve lost my bank more times than I can remember. There have been a few big wins; as many as a man with only three fingers could count on ...
It doesn't matter if you are an intellectual or a fifth-form dropout, a form guide can bring you together on equal footing. Because form is the great leveller in racing. Each man can make of it...
Fitness plays such an important role in horse racing, and so few punters really know much about how to assess it, that we assigned Statsman to set out in detail his own expert views on this import...
When we look at statistics in horseracing, we are really looking at what the 'past' has created - a set of figures based on many years' racing, which are so levelled out as to be considered a real...
Any punter taking an in-depth look at the form for a race will usually be taking into account how long it has been since a horse had its last start. It's generally accepted that the longer the pe...
Many punters rely to a great extent on the 'vital statistics' of racing to guide them into their choice of horse for any particular race. In other words, they are swayed by history into trying to ...
Statistics can be meaningful helpmates when looking at racing. They also can lead you into a minefield of miscalculations! The fact is, statistics can be twisted around to suit any case that's bei...
Roman Koz provided us with a fascinating look at stats about favourites on pages 18-19 in the November PPM. It really is a good way to start thinking about a structured manner of attacking your be...
Here's an experiment: For the next 100 races, simply try to pick the winner. Don't worry about price. Just go for the maximum number of winners, but you can't skip any races. I'll bet that no mat...
The ode that accompanies this article may be sung to Beethoven's Choral Symphony or the lesser - known Elegy in F Minor by Poulenc, Though a requiem would be more appropriate, a requiem to the enj...
In this article I am going to continue the analysis of last-start winners that formed the basis of last month's article. In particular we will look at last-start winners strike rates for coming se...
In his fine book The Key Factor Is Fitness, Queensland racing analyst Barry Blakemore provides some classic examples of how the power of the form book can guide you to winners. The Chester Manifo...
Statistics can play a vital role in the way we assess races. But how can you use statistics to help your betting and your selection process? In this article, Martin Dowling examines the work of De...