• Hi Guest Just in case you were not aware I wanted to highlight that you can now get a free 7 day trial of Horseracebase here.
    We have a lot of members who are existing users of Horseracebase so help is always available if needed, as well as dedicated section of the fourm here.
    Best Wishes
    AR

Racing info with Simon Knott.

T

tony spencer

Colt
Tony Spencer - Computer Horse Racing Form Analyst Simon Nott Zooms-In #42
During my interview with Simon Nott, I mentioned the UK Betting Forum because I think it's a real wealth of information for anyone interested in horse racing and betting.

The forum has an excellent community of knowledgeable contributors who openly share ideas, methods, ratings, databases, and analysis. Whether you're looking to improve your betting, learn more about form study, or explore different approaches to racing, there's an incredible amount of information available.

It's one of the best resources I've come across for serious racing enthusiasts, and I was pleased to point Simon in its direction during our conversation.
 
Very interesting watch T tony spencer , other than your excellent ratings what would you consider the best out there in the Subscription World ? i am due to retire soonish and want to throw my hat on a set of ratings ? I might add having tried many of them i cant quite decide which are the best for my love/ addiction to Placepots !!
 
simon boardman said:
Very interesting watch T tony spencer , other than your excellent ratings what would you consider the best out there in the Subscription World ? i am due to retire soonish and want to throw my hat on a set of ratings ? I might add having tried many of them i cant quite decide which are the best for my love/ addiction to P
simon boardman said:
Very interesting watch T tony spencer , other than your excellent ratings what would you consider the best out there in the Subscription World ? i am due to retire soonish and want to throw my hat on a set of ratings ? I might add having tried many of them i cant quite decide which are the best for my love/ addiction to Placepots !!
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Very interesting question.

Personally, I use Raceform for my main data because it's easy to export, which lets me build all of my own ratings and models. For me, the raw data is far more valuable than someone else's ratings.

Both Timeform and Raceform produce good ratings, but they're also used by a huge number of punters. That means a lot of the obvious angles are already reflected in the market, so it's much harder to find a long-term edge simply by following them.

If I was retiring and starting again, I'd spend my money on good data rather than chasing the "perfect" set of subscription ratings. Build your own figures around the data and you'll often spot things that the market misses.

One thing that often gets overlooked is the free speed ratings on this site. They're excellent, they're updated regularly, and they cost nothing. I'm sure that if you spent some time digging into them, backtesting them and combining them with a few other factors, you could find a profitable angle without spending a fortune on subscriptions.

For Placepots especially, I'd be looking beyond simple ratings. Pace, draw, race shape, trainer patterns and consistency can all be just as important as raw ability. That's where I've found the biggest edge over the years.

So my advice would be:

  • Use Raceform (or similar) for quality data.
  • Treat published ratings as a reference, not the final answer.
  • Make the most of the free speed ratings available on this site.
  • Spend time researching and testing your own ideas.
In the long run, the edge usually comes from how you use the data, not from buying the most expensive ratings.
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Thankyou for your reply T tony spencer . I have been on this site for a while and like you mention there is some amazing Judges on here . Sullybomb Sullybomb is putting up some amazing posts at the moment and Chesham Chesham is Top Class , helping out us mere mortals when ever he can.
It can be difficult to find anything worthwhile in posting when you realise how clever and knowledgable some of the people are on here .
However , thankyou for your advice on the Placepot question . Your answer is spot on , it never ceases to amaze me when following the picks in the Pool , the amount waged on the Favs in each race . That is the Edge i find , and obviously i want to win the Pot when nobody else does . I guess so many people just like to win regardless of whether the pot pays well or not ! I find meetings with the smallest amount of runners can be fruitful , the Pool is concentrated around fewer runners . I prefer the NH by far , in Flat racing there is too much uncertainty around the Stalls { Lots of Fiddling going on in there } the Draw advantage can be difficult to know before the Racing starts { thanks to the CoC watering techniques creating Golden Highways } . Like you mention Race Shapes , Trainers Intent { Is the handbrake Off } and Consistency are all key .
I have clicked your Follow Bottom if you dont mind , so i will look out for your future Posts .
 
simon boardman said:
Thankyou for your reply T tony spencer . I have been on this site for a while and like you mention there is some amazing Judges on here . Sullybomb Sullybomb is putting up some amazing posts at the moment and Chesham Chesham is Top Class , helping out us mere mortals when ever he can.
It can be difficult to find anything worthwhile in posting when you realise how clever and knowledgable some of the people are on here .
However , thankyou for your advice on the Placepot question . Your answer is spot on , it never ceases to amaze me when following the picks in the Pool , the amount waged on the Favs in each race . That is the Edge i find , and obviously i want to win the Pot when nobody else does . I guess so many people just like to win regardless of whether the pot pays well or not ! I find meetings with the smallest amount of runners can be fruitful , the Pool is concentrated around fewer runners . I prefer the NH by far , in Flat racing there is too much uncertainty around the Stalls { Lots of Fiddling going on in there } the Draw advantage can be difficult to know before the Racing starts { thanks to the CoC watering techniques creating Golden Highways } . Like you mention Race Shapes , Trainers Intent { Is the handbrake Off } and Consistency are all key .
I have clicked your Follow Bottom if you dont mind , so i will look out for your future Posts .
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Thank you for the kind reply, much appreciated.

I agree completely — there are some very sharp judges on here. Arazi is another one whose past posts are well worth reading, and Chesham has been a massive contributor over the years, always helping others and putting up proper insight. Sullybomb and Blues Brothers are also putting in a fantastic amount of time and effort, and it is greatly appreciated.

I know what you mean about sometimes wondering whether anything you post adds much when there are people on here with so much knowledge. But that is also what makes the forum worthwhile. Everyone sees racing slightly differently, and sometimes one comment or angle can spark a good debate or make you look at a race in a different way.

I tend to dip in and out, but I do enjoy trying to spark up debate where I can. That is the part I like — not pretending to know everything, just throwing a view in, testing it against other opinions, and hopefully learning something from the replies.

On the Placepot side, I think you summed it up very well. The public money does seem to concentrate far too heavily around the obvious horses, especially favourites, and that is where the edge can be. It is not just about getting through; it is about getting through with horses that others have not latched onto. Winning the pot when half the pool is still alive is not really the game.

Smaller fields can definitely be interesting, because the pool can become very concentrated and one or two vulnerable favourites can make a big difference. I also understand your preference for National Hunt. On the Flat there are so many extra variables — stalls, draw, watering, pace location — and sometimes you do not know where the golden highway is until they have already raced.

For me, race shape, trainer intent, consistency, and whether a horse is likely to get the right run are all just as important as raw ability. The hard part is putting all those pieces together without overcomplicating it.

Thanks again for the follow — very kind of you. I will keep an eye out for your posts as well, and I look forward to sharing a few thoughts along the way.
 
Hi S simon boardman

I often find when someone asks me a question on the Forum, it actually helps to lead me to explore a new angle that I had not previously thought about. “I seek not to know the answer, but to understand the question “ was a phrase used in the old Kung Fu series “Kane”

The question is often a starting point for myself on the path of discovering something that I would not have considered.
 
Just watched the video interview Tony Spencer did with Simon Nott, you really put everything into your racing don't you Tony, good to see all your hard work, effort and endeavour gets you rewards.
 
Chesham said:
Hi S simon boardman

I often find when someone asks me a question on the Forum, it actually helps to lead me to explore a new angle that I had not previously thought about. “I seek not to know the answer, but to understand the question “ was a phrase used in the old Kung Fu series “Kane”

The question is often a starting point for myself on the path of discovering something that I would not have considered.
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Loved watching that series .
 
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