I'm assuming most of you rely on freely available online/newspaper formguides, or those at your local TAB, yes? I'm not a big punter, but to me this method seems a little illogical if you're trying to get an edge over other punters, because this information is shared with 99% of the punting population. But since this is the primary source of information, I guess it comes down to how you choose to use and interpret it.

So do any of you extract this open source information and manipulate it into databases, from which you can analyze pretty much anything you like? If not, why not? Is it because you don't know how to, or because don't see an advantage in doing so? I'm basically trying to find out before I head down this pathway myself. If there are others out there with a similar leaning, I'd like to toss around some ideas about building the perfect online formguide - one that is easily personalised, updated, and allows for all manner of analysis, via a few clicks of a mouse. I'm a web developer by day and therefore know quite a few tricks of the trade. It would be good to know if there are others interested in what's possible - for the simple goal of creating that all important edge over the masses.

Looking foward to hearing people's views.
Cheers,

Peter

Peter,

Formguides on-line and off-line, have improved a lot over the years and will continue to do so. However, there will never be a 'perfect' formguide as there is just too much info. we will never know and can never know. How does anyone compute unknown riding instructions from a trainer and hundreds of other unknowns that can affect the outcome of a race? Info. that is accessible has been computed to death from every which way by individuals and professionals [profitably and unprofitably]. There is also many commercial data programs available.

Nothing wrong with a punter thinking that they have seen a new unexploited angle that might be profitable as you have done here. Rarely is there any new insight to improve punting results, but I'm sure they do occur and some punters profit by them. The phrase 'nothing new under the sun' comes to mind.

Consider that before computers, the average win strike rate of fav. was around 30% and the number of punters making a profit was around 3-5%. Today, with all the computing power available to us to collect and manipulate a lot more stats. than were ever available before, the average win strike rate for fav. is still 30% and the number of punters making a profit is still only around 3-5% !

The best improvement in trying to win at this game has been the time it takes to do things, thanks to computers. Punters improve their returns mostly by improving money management skills and knowing when a bet is a good or bad bet [win or lose] and knowing when not to bet in a race. In other words punting management. Betting on horses and the humans on them will never be an exact science that can be reduced to raw data, there is just too many variables.

Good luck!

An interesting insight Crash. I guess my angle is one that aims to give punters more control over the public domain data - ie. let's say a punter has a favourite method of laying trotters with a history of breaking. Such data is freely available via stewards reports, but creating an application that allows the user to isolate such runners could surely save a huge amount of time, and would therefore be of some use.

What do others think?

I do my own form-study but I always refer to DFS,which, I feel, provides the average bettor with the best of available information.
If you have access to better resources then good luck to you.

Cheers.

While on the subject of form giudes, does anyone know of one which shows the prizemoeny of todays race and that of each horses last start? I'm interested in a system which focuses on this. I buy the Sportsman and it has it for the main races, eg Brisbane, Sydney Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, but it does not have this information for the provincial tracks eg Gold Coast, Geelong etc.

The best online form guide is the WIZARD available from everyrace.
It aso allows you FREE access to the Daily asessed prices on ALL races ( under ( REWARDS.)

A steal at $5.50.

Cheers.
Darky.

Just do a search for free form. (RSB web site)

Interesting sportshog your data base for trotters would be a good tool.

I believe all the info is out there (as Crash has said) but you need to find your niche and concentrate on that, this is where the data base would come in.

My data base is sourced from three free web sites (manually), the selections from one, form from another and the odds from another. The selections by themselves brake even at Tab odds, this is where the form comes into it. The data base will give me three sets of ratings from which my bets are selected.

Cheers and good luck with it

Thanks I'll check it out.