1 - Be consistent. So many gamblers change what they do on a whim. All good gamblers are consistent in every way. They study hard, are methodical, stake consistently, and are almost unflappable.
2 - When studying races, it is always best to do it without distractions. Try and watch the previous days racing back in the mornings when there is no live racing to distract you and make meticulous notes, alerts, trackers, etc. Also, always be on the look out for new angles, its much easier to spot things when you can take an unbiased and calm view on races when racing is not actually on!
3 - Believe your own eyes - the media are by and large pretty poor judges, they tend to waffle on about favourites and popular jockeys while, right in front of them, very important variables are unravelling, which they have no concept of. It is mind boggling, but thankfully for good gamblers it helps out! Read the previous blog post 'knees and toes' for just one example of what I mean.
Last year's Derby trial at Lingfield is another good example too, when Dee Ex Bee raced wide of Young Rascal all the way round the tight Chester track. Professional gamblers would have all been in awe of what Dee Ex Bee had done to just get pipped, while the media and odds compilers put the lucky winner in at four times shorter than the moral winner to win the Derby (33/1 and 7/1)!
4 - Swim against the tide - It's an old cliche, but in gambling terms it is very true. Gamblers and journalists are like sheep and it's easy to assume that because everyone is standing in one place it is the right place. It isn't always and is likely to be very bad value, even when they are! For example, everyone and his dog want to be on a desperately unlucky horse on it's next run. The bookies know that and put it in the betting miles shorter than it should be and it will almost certainly start a shorter price than its chance represents. An 'obvious' selection on the eye doesn't mean automatic long term profit.
5 - Try to be an expert in a field if you are struggling with it all. It's better to home in on one area and become an expert in that field than be a jack of all trades. Try things like breeding, draw, sales data, handicaps, hidden trainer angles, all weather racing, etc., and build knowledge on a small speck, you'll be amazed how quickly you can sort wheat from chaff. Anyone can do this, a good friend of mine knows very little about horse racing but is an expert on the going and draw biases, while another is one of the best point-to-point experts in the country and doesn't watch flat racing!
Good luck MLT
Very good guidance and will certainly help me