Its that time of year again. The flat racing season is about to start and a plethora of new services and guides will be hitting your in tray over the next few weeks. And here we take an initial look at one of them which has been put together by John Burke for The Race Advisor.
If you watch the video on the marketing page there is no need to read it as well as it merely repeats the same text. We have words such as “sensational” “huge wins” “going to smash it” and “astonishing” which might lead you to conclude that there is no firm data on which to base the claims. Of course there cannot really be much because of the nature of the flat racing scene so what is on offer is an assessment of the potential of a number of 4 categories of horses which should be racing this season. An aide to support your personal form reading or system picks although it does assert that use of the guide will allow you to “tap into profits no matter who you are”. There seems to have been a late change to the number of horses covered as both the marketing and guide itself refer to 20 horses at some point despite the headline 25 quoted – the final figure is 21 though.
At just under £10 (plus VAT where applicable) it is hardly a great outlay and so the chance to find out the views of other punters is beckoning. On paying your fee you will immediately be given access to a 23 page PDF document which can be saved on your device and accessed when convenient. As well as covering the specific horses there are sections on Jockeys and Trainers plus some micro angles on them. (A bonus guide to the forthcoming Craven meeting is included in the price but we have not seen this at the time of writing)
After a general introduction the author explains that he is trying to find both expected and unexposed horses that can do well in certain circumstances and also comments on a few of the older handicappers prospects. There is also advice on placing bets which are recommended as wins where the odds are 6/1 or less and consideration should be given to each way staking above that level. It is recommended that you should not stake at more than 1% of your bankroll for any selection made using the guide.
The specific horses advice is split into sections – classic contenders (6), 3 year olds under the radar (5), 3 year old maidens(5) and the older horses (5). Each horse is examined in detail and specific advice given on when to back them – an example of this follows:
ADVICE: Soft ground is not ideal for this runner, and he should only be considered on good-soft or
firmer. Seven furlongs also proved to be a bit short, so watch out for his entry into a race where the
ground is firmer and the distance is one mile and he’ll be the one to beat.
The assessments are well written and interesting to read. I would have thought that it would be suggested that the subjects be placed in your trackers so that you can receive notification when they are running rather than have to check yourselves.
We then move on to some micro systems covering 3 jockeys and 2 trainers which are simply set out and easy to follow. If the historic performance continues then there will be useful profits available.
And finally further jockey and trainer analysis advising of tracks and specific distances where the subject has returned at least a 10% ROI betting at industry SP.
The guide is well put together and will appeal to a range of punters. I am not sure it will make you a fortune on its own but as a back up to your personal research/system it could well be giving you that bit of confidence you need.
With the nominal cost involved I am happy to give the guide a positive rating and will be interested to hear members thoughts on the doubtless wide variety of angles that will be considered.