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Golden Oldies

System ideas from the past

Damien Whitchurch

 

Can plans created for overseas racing translate to the Australian racing world? Sometimes the answer is no. But many systems and approaches are easily adapted to our racing set up.

I've drawn up three plans that come from overseas. Two are from Britain, the other from the United States. Let's look at the UK pair first.

THE DAYS FACTOR PLAN

This plan is a most interesting approach, and it was first revealed in the UK some 50 years ago.

(1) Choose one meeting on which to operate (city, country or provincial).

(2) Write down the names of the first six horses in the pre-post betting market.

(3) Then, beside each name, write down the number of days since its last start.

(4) Now, add together the totals of the first two horses in the betting and write down the figure beside their combined names. Do the same with the third and fourth horses in the betting, and then the fifth and sixth horses in the betting.

(5) The qualifying selections are the two horses whose combined total is the LOWEST figure.

(6) Analyse every race in this manner.

(7) Now, take the THREE races whose qualifying selections' figure total the least number of days.

(8) Back them in cross doubles (all-ups).

(9) You can link the other races' selections in all-ups if you desire a full day's action.

The second UK plan goes back some 60 years. I have found it a useful tool for finding horses to include in my doubles and trifectas.

THE SECOND FAVS PLAN

(1) Concentrate only on the first three races of the day.

(2) Tick off the horses which are listed as second favourites in those three races.

(3) Now, check each horse's last three starts and allocate points in the following manner:
- LAST START: Win 9 pts; 2nd 6 pts; 3rd 3 pts.
- SECOND LAST START: Win 6pts; 2nd 4pts; 3rd 2pts.
- THIRD LAST START: Win 3pts; 2nd 2pts; 3rd 1pt.

(4) After writing down each horse's points tally for the last three starts, you then check the tipsters' panel and count up each time a horse is mentioned in the panel (irrespective of whether mentioned as first pick, second pick or third pick).

(5) Add together the points from both rules and the horse with the highest total is the day's best bet.

This, I think, is a neat way to find a sound bet. You are betting on a well-fancied runner who has shown good form and is freely mentioned in the tips of the newspaper formguide experts.

Because you are concentrating on second favs, there is every likelihood that a decent price will be available on the day's ultimate 'best bet' selection. What you are doing, in reality, is bringing a number of sound form factors in play to produce one good bet for the day.

Finally, the plan I have chosen from the United States. It was first published some 45 years ago and comes from the pen of William J. Manchester, who operated around the New York tracks at the turn of the century.

THE GRAND TOTALS PLAN

(1) Bet on any meetings you like, and any races.

(2) All horses in a race must have had at least three starts.

(3) Eliminate any runner which has not raced within the last three weeks (21 days inclusive).

(4) Eliminate any horse whose handicapped weight is rising 3kg or more on its last race.

(5) Now, with the remaining runners: Add together each horse's finish positions at its last three starts. Divide that total into the total number of runners at the horse's last three starts. As an example, if the horse's last three finishes totalled nine and the total number of runners in its last three races was 36 - you divide nine into 36 and you get a rating of four. Or, say, a horse's last three finishes totalled five and the total number of runners in its last three races was 48 - you divide five into 48 for a rating of 9.6.

(6) The horse with the highest rating is the selection.

Here is a plan that latches onto horses which have had the benefit of a recent run and which have not gone up too much in weight.

It then takes into account their most recent three starts and then locks in the number of runners they met in those races. Obviously, it gives more 'power' to those horses who have performed well in large fields.

An interesting approach and one that seems to have stood the test of time very well indeed.

 

Practical Punting - April 1997

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