I've spent decades looking at systems and a couple of my favourites have been confirmed by a recent database purchase as goers. I have however, and much to my amazement discovered a new found uncertainty, as contradictory as that may sound after telling you my database has confirmed my systems. I say again that there's a fine line between winning and losing, but I suppose systems are like that. My favourite system has three non-negotiable rules, and to my amazement, even giving any one of these rules the flick, it goes from a 90% down to less than 10% POT. I find that amazing !!

If you can get your hands on old form guides have a look at the narrative about what the horse has done, or the narrative / opinion on what are it's chances. Then have a butchers at gear changes. Then see if the gear changes are made early on in this current preparation, usually gear changes mean an excuse for a last start failure. Lighly raced horses I beleieve respond better to gear changes.

Tongue tie on first time indicates that the horse may have choked up last start, and blinkers on first time are my two favourites. Again, look at gear changes within the first few runs this time in, and with lightly raced horses < 15 sts say.

A lot of systems these days seem to be based on Ratings, and as soon as ratings are taken into account you're taking unders IMHO of course !!!

I like price as a filter, and as I've posted previously, someone once posted about Geoff Murphy, that he backed his horses as long as they were 4 / 1 or better, he'd win because of his strike rate. The late Geoff murphy was an icon of the game. A couple of my systems show a negative POT when I filter for < $4.00, and show a healthy POT when my normal $4.00 to $30.00 filter is put in.