Vaal, Tuesday 14 December

I know we need to give these new okes a chance but so far it' hasn't been good and they not really communicating with us.
Take that Jebel Ali race for instance,it looks very dodgy but they haven't even tried to explain what happened,just try sweep it under the carpet like the other organisation that got SA racing bankrupt.
And we need the HK stipes here to put those trainers and jockeys who play games in their rightful place.
Bottom line is our racing looks very dishonest and people don't trust it.
We had two of the biggest crooks owning horses here and one ruled the roost for way too long.
Bad pools mean bad stakes which mean the average joe is not looking at racing as an investment.
It's for the people who have plenty money or the odd few who are looking for the thrill of leading in a winner.
And these bad results will see more punters give it up.

I have had some dealings with trainers at Turffontein and Vaal (non racing related business) and the impression I got is that they generally have no clue. I am referring to reading form. I have received tips straight from trainers that I plain ignored. They weren't trying to screw me, they just don't know. Many trainers are also just mug punters in their spare time.

I am pretty sure there are a few who are good form readers and have training systems in place to make good punting pics, but they are few. So I will not easily take a tip from a trainer without giving the horse a thorough study myself. It is nice when you agree with them.

I am only back in SA racing now for a short while since the UK season has basically come to a standstill, and maybe things have changed in a year, but I have to say that I find racing quite fair in general. There are the odd dodgy results, but again, I feel they are few and far between. Almost every race I review after a loss, I can see my mistake or understand the win. Marcus' win in the last yesterday was not clear on form and was more an educated guess I am sure. I cannot bet on those. The key to successful punting in my view is not as much knowing when to punt, but when not to punt. And that makes exotics bit of a mug's game.

Please note, these are just my opinions and experiences. Not trying to disagree deliberately or spitefully.

durbs wrote:

I know we need to give these new okes a chance but so far it' hasn't been good and they not really communicating with us.
Take that Jebel Ali race for instance,it looks very dodgy but they haven't even tried to explain what happened,just try sweep it under the carpet like the other organisation that got SA racing bankrupt.
And we need the HK stipes here to put those trainers and jockeys who play games in their rightful place.
Bottom line is our racing looks very dishonest and people don't trust it.
We had two of the biggest crooks owning horses here and one ruled the roost for way too long.
Bad pools mean bad stakes which mean the average joe is not looking at racing as an investment.
It's for the people who have plenty money or the odd few who are looking for the thrill of leading in a winner.
And these bad results will see more punters give it up.

Sorry Durbs, forgot to quote you above...

Leo so I take it you are a professional punter then or am I mistaken and if you are successful, show me how

Mossel wrote:

Leo so I take it you are a professional punter then or am I mistaken and if you are successful, show me how

@Leopenaws mentioned something about "non racing related business" so I don't think "professional punter"...

I do agree that knowing when not to have a bet is more important than when one does have a bet...and narrowing down the types of races to bet on helps even more...

Don't know where you've come from Leo but I like the way you talk. Need more like you on here.

No Mossel, not professional but I'm not entirely rubbish either. All I can really do is share my thoughts on the ponies during the day. Lots of it has to do also with years of reviewing. I like taking form sheets from the past, making selections and checking who won. And then I kind of 'reverse engineer' the result. You learn at the rate of knots and start developing a feel. I guess I would say your best bet is study study study... more than what you have for the day, study old races too.

There have been some great form reads on here and some good punters. Some disappear or seem to lose their groove. Funny, I recall a brilliant tip from Mr. H from about 7 years ago. Everybody on the forum were wondering how he found the winner, as at first glance it didn't look like much. Mr. H said he just had a feeling as the horse was showing life in penultimate after a series of poor runs. There is a big story in that. Yes its all a story. I have learnt to start with a horse's form from many races back and read it by dates and see when it really and truly is fresh and on the up. Like a story.

Hell I can sit and talk ponies all night. Look, don't take my tips to heart, maybe compare your thoughts with mine so I will always add my "logic". Maybe there is something for both of us to learn. Interstingly, any website for beginners will tell you, find the horse that will improve the most today, and strangely it is the one thing I see many old punters forget. That and dates.

Anyway, chat tomorrow lets find some moolah!

PS: You fellas are missing out on Wolves tonight. Just landed the 21:00. Do you discuss British at all?...its great. In season 4 tracks a day so you can be really picky and walk away with at least 2 or 3 or 6 places a day or winners if you so choose.

Follow tips and you end up in the poor house Leo, but you know that.

Yep 100%... however, it can be handy too. Last example for the night before the missus pulls out the rolling pin..

I was reading a horse's story and thought it had the best chance to improve on the day, albeit obscured form if you don't know what to look for. So I marked it to return to for a last study later in the day.

I then opened ABC and read the comments. Peter D disagreed with a punter's selection, and said that he was given "Horse B". It so happens that Horse B was also the horse I had studied and liked earlier in the day and that gave me more confidence to wager larger money. I did however double check it again.

Also sometimes after reading a tip you realise you missed something in your selection or thinking process and change your mind. But you should avoid this and do your work properly first time around.

But indeed, mostly tips are way off. Study and select, then read tips, check and try understand, if you can't stick to your choice. How nice to study and select, then open ABC and see a trainer or punter agree. It wont make you more succesful but more often than not gives you the courage to take a bigger monetary risk on your bank.