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nashy
5th November 2004, 03:19 PM
General question here but ah well, something to talk about.

What are the main things you look for when looking over the form guide?

I myself like to see a horse a few races off a spell and improving as this sometimes grabs some value

How bout you guys

Cheers

TESTAROSSA
5th November 2004, 06:50 PM
I have a small but effective technique, instead of reading the form from TAB No.1 and up, i do the opposite, and see if the next horse is better then the last.

E.g - 14 horse field - start at TAB No.14 - then TAB No.13 (if 13 is better then 14 then it becomes the top selection and so forth).

Chuck
5th November 2004, 07:00 PM
i definitely look for how they came home last start, and whether they are rising in distance...

umrum
5th November 2004, 07:12 PM
lengths beaten last start. like it to be under 2.
Track/dist form
Dist form
track form
campaign - what race they are aiming at.

nashy
5th November 2004, 08:00 PM
How do you tell what races they are setting themselves for and also how do you know how they came home last starts?

Cheers

Chuck
5th November 2004, 08:17 PM
well the easiest way to see how they came home is to just look how they were at the turn compared to where they finished...
e.g. HORSEY1 was 12th of 14 at the turn last start and finished 4th beaten 1.5 lengths over 1400m. If he was racing over 1600m next start you would like his chances...
Other than that you can check out the audio replays in the racing archives at racetab.com.au, or you could look at the video replays on tvn.com

Chuck

nashy
5th November 2004, 08:31 PM
Is tvn a free service? where do you go to get form guides with the place of the horse at the turn?

Cheers

Chuck
5th November 2004, 09:04 PM
Where do live Nashy? because i would've thought that all big city formguides have that info...Sydney Morning Herald's THE FORM certainly does for Sydney and Melbourne...not sure about the Australian, but i'm 100% you will get where horses were at the 800m and the turn for all meets on a Saturday (except NZ) in the SPORTSMAN

Chuck

nashy
5th November 2004, 09:10 PM
Naah i use internet form guides, what is the best site for form guides?

Chuck
6th November 2004, 07:05 AM
can't help you there mate, ive always thought forguides on paper are miles better than internet...

fast eddy
6th November 2004, 06:10 PM
On 2004-11-06 07:05, Chuck_3000 wrote:
can't help you there mate, ive always thought forguides on paper are miles better than internet...


Chuck I couldn't agree more! At least with paper formguides you can refer back to them and they give superior data than the 'net IMO. I don't know of any internet site that gives a comments line? If you forget to set the video, as I'm prone to sometimes then reading a brief and mostly accurate account of how the horse ran the last few races is often invaluable. It also helps filter out the 'losers' faster and allows easier comparisons, IMO. I don't know what your formguides are like in Oz, apart from the Sportsman (which I don't rate overly highly. Sorry) but we have primo ones that show the last 4-6 starts, dist, track, etc.

Paper formguides are king

stugots
7th November 2004, 03:20 PM
always looking for nags with exposed form nearing their prefered distance with a few miles in the legs.

i find recent good form is not always essential cause its all so easy for a nag to go over the top, so i would rather catch em getting ready to peak, not at it.

darkydog2002
7th November 2004, 06:06 PM
Good early speed /on pace horses .
Beaten lengths last start.
Cheers.
darky.

Chrome Prince
7th November 2004, 06:42 PM
Days since last start coupled with class and fitness is a pretty good guide if you're selective.

Imagele
7th November 2004, 09:15 PM
Nashy
Make sure you give special consideration to 10yo's racing on a hvy.track and going for their 2nd win in their past 37 starts.
Especially if it is a leg of the quaddie.
It also helps if the horse has finished further back than 10th. at it's past 3 runs.
FORM! Forget about it.

bwheatle
7th November 2004, 10:34 PM
Tell me about it Imagela. Was tipped out of an $Mil dividend by a $159 winner at Flemington some years back. It's form read 0001000 - only win was to tip me out!! Murphy's Law.

But, ultimately, even given this setback, form's the only thing we can go on. Bit like women, can't live with 'em can't live without 'em.

By the way Imagela, what was the name of this beauty?

Oaksnaf
7th November 2004, 10:42 PM
My bets are now purely on the form guide + T.V

When i have a race where i have seen no-one race on TV. I look at the distance of their last start. This distance.
* How they ran in the last three starts, eg: how they started Early 8 600:4 400: 1 and make my assumption on how they run
* Weather conditions
* Have they raced at the track
* Their competition, whether any of the races that won in their last start have gone onto win again.
* lengths of the leader
* Class factor
* Where the race is started, as in if there is a turn just after the start then barriers and racing pattern play a part.

And I make my notes on each horse, then select a top 5 regardless of odds and box them in a quinella. But usually the races were on spring carnival and had 16 horses in them

Imagele
8th November 2004, 12:01 AM
Bwheatle
The horse's name was Another Neptune,114 starts,10 wins, 22 places.
Cranbourne, Nov. 7th. $26000-00 open hcp., 1400m.
In fairness though,If Snappa Cane was not to win this race, then it was open for anything.
Trouble is, when it comes to form study, my brain is like a computer firewall.
It has been programmed not to let 10yo's in.
(isn't it about the equivalent of 50 yrs. in human terms.)
Vetinary science seems to be working wonders these days keeping these geriatrics on the tracks.

Squirter
8th November 2004, 06:14 AM
Nah mate, 70 years, like us ole fellas jumping inta bed with an 18 year old, get the distance OK but it would take us a while ta get there, wot a beautiful way ta die.

bwheatle
8th November 2004, 10:05 PM
Well Imagela, if it's any consolation, I'd never have found this winner. Not that I mind backing older horses per se. It would have been the 114 starts that would have had it running without my funds. Maybe not such a relevant factor on a heavy track?

As they say in the classics.....sh*t happens!