JennyK
Gelding
"Obviously, there are things the trainer knows that the punter doesn't."
Very true, but the reverse may at times be true as well. The trainer may know a horse inside out, be sure it is as fit as possible, and really trying in a given race. But other trainers may well feel much the the same about their runners in the same race and, just maybe, sometimes the independent analyst may be better able to sort out the eventual winner than any of the trainers could, because he or she uses data more effectively.