Which races?

[kroni]

How do you decide which races to study the form in? Do you choose the better quality races or is there certain type of race you go for as you have more success in them? For me this is a problem as i try to look at too many races which sometimes leads me to betting without proper research and i'm not aware that i have more success in certain type of race i don't record my bets. Any advice?

[RussP]

Re: Which races? Kroni, good question. I do think, with so many races, there is a massive need to specialise. You just can't study all of the form, all of the time. For me, it's quite simple; I just can't get to grips with the jumps. I enjoy it but my style of betting doesn't suit the jumpers. So, I only ever bet on the flat. With the flat, I've found that my forte is reading the handicap, understanding when a horse is well in & ready to strike. Therefore, I focus only on flat handicaps. It works for me and narrows the study down to a manageable number of races each day. Others do similar; BH with his novice hurdlers, Mowgli with his group & listed races, Bowlesy with the trends on the big races. In terms of class of race, it matters not to me. Any handicap will do! But others do prefer to focus on the better class. Again, it's each to their own. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer to this question. The key, for me, is to do justice to any bet you make. That means making sure you've had a proper study and covered all the angles. It's the only way to be successful in the long run. For me, because I only study handicaps, it gets easier & easier and I now understand the form and the quirks of many of them. I suppose it's best to focus on those you've previously felt comfortable in and had the most success. You absolutely must record your bets - it's human nature that you remember the winners and forget the losers; that's not good if you want to learn & improve. If you're struggling and have no idea which route to go down, why not paper trail for a month or 2 to see where you feel most at ease. Not necessarily which brings you the most profit as this would be a very short term trial, but more which you're comfortable with. Good luck with whatever you choose, I'm sure it will improve your betting.