Horse Racing Systems - Form Or Statistics?

Horse racing systems range from the complex to thewill be the favourite. I know this is an over simplification
very simple. However most can be divided into thosebut it explains my point.
that concentrate on a horses form and those that areIf form was really a reliable guide then the majority of
based on statistical analysis.favourites would win the races. In the UK on average
To explain a little further if a system requires you tofavourites win around 30% of all races and in some
look and back a horse that has run its last 2 racestypes of race the figure can be as low as 20% or in
over the same distance as today's race and cameothers as high as 50%.
2nd or 3rd in both then that is a system based onNow hopefully you can see where statistics can come
form. If a system requires you to back the topin. These days it is possible to access statistics
weighted horse in a handicap race that has more thanregarding not only the horses but their trainers and
10 runners this is based on statistics. These two ideasjockeys. A horse that has run 26 times and only won
are just used as examples and not suggested plans.once, with a trainer who has a 10% success rate and
There are people who favour both options but I think ita jockey who only wins 5% of the races he rides in
is fair to say that the majority of gamblers base theirmay not be a good bet.
decision on a horses form. This has not alwaysThe truth of the matter is that both form and statistics
proved to be the most reliable of methods. When ahave their part to play in making selections. Making
betting market is formed book makers tend to theyour choice using form guides is fine but before you
opening prices on the form that horses have shown.make your bets take a look at the statistics it could
This in theory means that the horse with the best formmake or save you quite a bit of money.