I think using ratings in conjunction with extensive punting knowledge is a powerful combination.

Entwine these tools with patience and you're on a winner.

I use ratings which I have followed over many years now and know at which tracks they do particularly well and which tracks they do not.

I focus on horses that have performed at the distance, in the conditions and work from there.

An example at Eagle Farm on Saturday was Willy Jimmy and St Germaine. By my ratings they had virtually identical top ratings at the distance, yet Willy Jimmy opened at $6 and St Germaine $3.50. The market corrected a little before start time, however a nice collect was made.

It's not an exact science, however any hardened punter knows that this game is almost never predictable in the short-term, that's why we love it!!

For finding value, I recommend 'betting like a christian'... forgive your horses misgivings for one run, look for unlucky last start runs and don't expect horses to be robots. Some are warhorses, with the class to win when they are unfit, however the vast majority peak once during a prep, then need a few more runs to recover and peak again. Some only peak the once in a prep. EASY. Ha ha

I don't agree that all ratings are the same, however you can bet that if the majority of ratings services all have a certain horse top rated, there will generally be no value in backing them.

If nothing else marksto2 you've created some healthy heated debate, so well done.

Final thought: Bookies are people, they also make mistakes.

The Schmile