How do i go about reading the form guide looking for the likely contenders for a race? What should i look for.

Any help would be most welcome.

benny

wow Benny you have alot to learn....i'm still learning

Look at a horse who's won at the track and distance ...who's been improving and fit or good first up...decent jockey and trainer..
check the class the horse has been running in and times..
barrier draw and the barrier position at the track...

just for starters

I will add to mavs advice.

Look at whether the horse fond trouble during the race. Ie. blocked for a run. I find that it is helpful to look mainly at horses who find trouble/interference in the closing stages rather than at the start of the race. Unless the horse completely misses the start most early errors can be corrected throughout the running of the race (depending on jockey skill).

One thing that i find most important though in reards to interference is to look at whether such interference is likely to be repeated in future races. This is not easy. But some horses, mainly backmarkers, have a knack of finding trouble.

Could go on but i won;t.

Benny,

That is arguably the crux of our hobby/passion. It is very contentious and will no doubt be hotly debated. I am but a novice, but I look for:
1) "Been there, done that"...at least proven at the distance, I am a bit lenient on proven at the course but will heavily back a horse I like if it is proven at Doomben or Moonee Valley.
2) Good Last couple of runs...preferably placed but if not, was there merit in them...being able to watch video replays helps
3) Class ....hmmm... this is difficult but is important when comparing a horse's last run to the one it is faced with. A form guide like the sportsman will give you a rough idea but it doesn't take into account changes in "field strength" which is difficult to quantify.
4) There are only a few jockeys I take note of. Most of the others are just "monkeys"but I do look for a jockey who has made a special effort to be somewhere for a ride....eg, a jockey who leaves Brisbane after race 5 to get To Toowoomba to ride a horse in their twilight meeting. They are after all just trying to earn a living and if they can guarantee a winner they will be sure to take it.
5) I have similar views with trainers...e.g. why did Victorian trainer Quinton Scott come to Syndey for the first time in 15years with Diamond Rain on Wednesday?"
6) And then it comes down to value. I think a 2-1 winner whose form I cannot fault and is a "dead cert"by my standards is a good bet beacuse doubling my money is always acceptable. You, and many others however, may not agree. It is a personal thing.

No help to you at all I am sure Benny but form study is very individual. The best thing I have done lately is review my performance. this hurts a lot when you have eaten dirt all Saturday but if you can force yourself to look back at the form of the winner, remind youself why you tipped against it and then look for something you may have missed. An example for me was race 7 at Rosehill, Rightly or wrongly, I was keen on Lilly O'Reilly. I had dismissed zumanity (her half sister) as a contender based on her last run. I failed to register the fact she had run third in a group 3 5 starts back at MV. Class over ******** any day a mate of mine used to say.

So just find the class and learn from your mistakes and you will be right.

Cheers and good luck

Tubbs

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