"It's all about following the money, not the horse. So I put it to you all, that focusing on the horse for the ultimate racing/wagering system is just a waste of time. "

First of all I'll will agree with your other quote "A horse doesnt know what price it is"

"Following the money" is full of traps. A crazed punter ,with more money than sense, backs the bjeezes out of a selection on a whim, or a parlay bet, or a catch up on past losses...the list goes on....

I like to consider prices that I think the connections would be happy about. Generally, the bigger the price the better, although with some horses entered in some races, the connections dont care about the starting price..they are looking for the prizemoney or breeding stats for future earnings...in this scenario they dont really give a damn about starting price..

Generally speaking though, a horse stating at long odds is a more attractive proposition for connections and that's why I never set a maximum starting price when making selections...because, as you state "the horse doesnt know what price it is"..it isnt going to try harder or give up because of price..short or long.

The temptation for connections to get the best price is to wait for another day, if todays price is too short....and they can achieve this more easily if the horse turns in an ordinary effort today...a short-priced horse may not be what the connections want..the horse doesnt know this yet, but external factors may come into play in the running...

I will go as far as to state that a short priced horse is often a far riskier proposition than a longer priced horse. A short priced horse may encounter problems in running that a longer priced horse just isnt going to find. The longer priced horse usually be counted upon to put in an honest effort, and when they dont, there is something wrong.....owners connections and bookies all want the longer horses to win. I cant say the same thing about shorter priced horses.

Following the money may work, but you will have a lot of factors going against you...and, to me, punting is all about putting as many factors in your favour as possible...Getting "overs" on a horse's rated chances of winning is not perfect, and it isnt the ONLY way to make money in the long term, but it is ONE time proven method, and it is pretty easy to work.

Yesterday, Brindabella was a 41.00 avail odds selection that gave me great run and went around at a price that the owners and connections would have been happy with. This horse was rated second on the QLD tab ratings, (all about the horse) , being only one point less than the top selection and it was not mentioned in the top four selections as per NSW tab selections and late mail.. The price on offer, (according to those ratings) was way way over the odds and it came up in two of my plans. Ok, it deadheated for first, halving my return...big deal The prizemoney and Group 3 status were also probably attractive to connections... following the money..in this case, would have been a waste of money...

Rather than argue too hard about the actual existence of "smart money", I'll state that it would be very very difficult for most punters to be able to make a living using "smart money" as their foundation. I wont say its impossible..just because I personally do not know of anyone who can make it work doesnt mean that nobody can... If you can make it work, you will certainly have an edge and I will take my hat off to you. You will have mastered the seemingly impossible..

all the best