An interesting exercise to carry out , is to look at say the first & second TAB favs of say 150 races , allocate the figures to reflect wind barrier & inside barrier of the 2 said TAB Favs .
What one will find , is those 2 combined will have a SR of approx 44%
you will also see that the 2 columns will have almost the identical SR as one another , what one will also see ,is that the wider barrier of the 2 will end up with stronger dividends e.g. the dollar returns will be higher than the inside barrier of the 2 which tells us, that the general public overbet the inside barriers to actual chance.

Final conclusion, barriers make very little difference ,especially within 1-12 barrier positions,
but it could be a way of seeking value if one is confronted with a situation of 2 horses of equal ability , then back the wider barrier of the 2 for the sake of value especially on fast, good, tracks.

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Cheers.