haveadip,
I only ever use a mechanical system on the races, never form analysis. I just don't seem to be able to get the hang of it. There must be something I just can't see. Even when I look at the form for a race after the event, the winner is never obvious to me. So I put my faith in trying to find a magic formula and the older I get the further away that seems too.
However, the search for the system rather than the betting, (which I usually don't do anyway) or the race watching (which I never do), is the continuing fascination for me. I spend hours devising systems and then testing them out against old Winning Posts. Finding the repeated pattern is the thrill. Unfortunately, every system seems to work for a short while then peter out (and I've seen that complaint aired by others on this same forum.) When I do have a dip on a system selection I would be petrified of trying to second guess it by applying my paltry form analysis techniques and I know what would happen if I did.
Regards