Thanks guys, for your input. I am interested because you guys are, from what I can gather, real "traders". I have known both types of people, the traders and the analysts. Originally, when I was learning to be the latter, I blindly considered that the analyst was superior to the trader. I figured, on reading books by people like Scott, Beyer etc that the person who could be BETTER than the market was the true King of the game. Traders didn't occur to me. Then, when I was working amongst traders, I began to see that side of the game, too. On racing trading floors, a lot of money moves around between bookmakers and totes, sometimes without much input from the punters at all!

It is my firm opinion, now, that the true King of the game is the person who can master both. If you are an excellent form analyst, and an excellent trader, surely you have the world at your feet.

For example - Mark is trying to back the field at 97% at Southwell, having laid them at 105%. Nice piece of trading, you'll have a nice guaranteed profit. That's straight, pure trading.

What if, though, Mark (or Mark's split personality, let's call him Kram), had done the form for the race also. Kram said, "Mark, I've done the form. It's a three horse race, but really, it's only a two horse race. Liz Long cannot win. It's $17.50 to back at the moment, $25 to lay. Just lay it, don't waste our money, Mark, backing it also. Further, don't lay Just Mossie. Back him, but don't lay him. The fave, Home, is his right price, trade your way on him."

If, overall, Kram is a better analyst than the market, then he will improve your figures. Liz Long runs a long last, Home and Just Mossie fight it out - whoever wins it's not a worry, you have your position.

The "analyst" approach, where the punter takes the market on, and the "trader" approach, where the punter works with the market, are like Yin and Yang, they are real opposites but intertwined. The "analyst" will have big peaks and big troughs, such as he/she must when they are taking the market on, whereas the trader will have a LOT smoother ride. It really does seem to me, though, that the best method of all is to perfect them both.