EasyForm Help at Horse Racing Tips

Example Page

Easy-form is provided to allow you to narrow down your selections in the quickest possible time by using groups of categories to either match or eliminate qualifying selections.

Table Rating for race

Our market price estimates are now derived from one of two historical tables named 'A' or 'B". An 'A' or 'B" next to the race class heading indicates which table was used to determine the market prices. Table A holds specific information about the track and distance (we no longer check going, area and day-of-week) and Table B is specific to the distance only. A combination of Table 'A' and Table 'B' may be used, but only the most common one is indicated. Table 'A' should be slighter closer aligned to the real market.

The details within the [square brackets] indicate information about the average form we used to produce our ratings. We provide this information as a possible filter for you to use, because the less information we have, the less accuracy we have. The first number indicates the average form per horse and the second number indicates the average form per horse at the distance, but only if the horse has form (ie debut horses are not in the average). This information is also included in the Quick Print tables.

Top Tips

The following symbols will be displayed next to the appropriate horse's name if there is a tip in the race. They can also be identified under Data Listing or Quick Print pages. Overlays are important in most cases :-

	Premium Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have purchased the Premium Tip
	Super Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have purchased the Super Tip or are a paying subscriber (then it is free).
	Free Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have Pay-Per-View or subscription access (however, it can be viewed under the free tips listing on the main page).
	Sure Fire Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have Pay-Per-View or subscription access. It is also the most commonly used tip by subscribers.
	'Best Bets' Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have Pay-Per-View or subscription access. It is also one of our oldest tip being provided since starting in January 2002.
	Extra Value Tip symbol. This tip will only display if you have Pay-Per-View or subscription access. Older selection method to find winners and place getters at higher odds.
	Ready to Win Tip symbols. This tip will only display if you have Pay-Per-View or subscription access. These green dots indicate that the horse is performing well. If you follow exotics, we recommend that you include these horses in your combinations.
* * *	No form symbols. These are not tips but rather a rating for no form horses. It uses jockey, barrier, trainer, barrier trails etc to provide some indication on how the horse may be considered in the market when the race is near jump time. The symbols range from having no pink asterisks to a maximum of three pink asterisks (the latter being for the most desirable no form horses). Useful for early market betting when the market is not active enough to gauge no form horses. Should not be used for selecting bets, but maybe an indicator to eliminate a race if a strong no-form horse is in the race and may beat your selection.

Codes (Flags)

"t" - likes this track, "T" - loves this track
"l" - Light and Fast (usually with f or F), "f" - fast times
"F" - super fast times (should also have "d" code for strong indicator)
"d" - Top 3 distance ratings, "X" - Top 3 strike rate and strike rate over 40%
"x" - Top 3 strike rate and strike rate over 20%, "r" low risk value
"c" - class rating > 10% lead, "C" - class rating > 20% lead
"k" - top 2 class rating > 10% lead, "K" - Top 2 class rating > 20% lead
(k/K - always in pairs).

Running Position (Rpos)

This table details the horses estimated running position of today's race. It takes into consideration barrier position, its past running positions and its "out-of-the-gate" speed. The number next to the codes below indicates the " losses to wins" delta in the calculated running position. A horse that has run well in 6 races in this position and has run poorly in 2 races in this same position will have an advantage delta of + 4. A horse with (0) means that it shows no bias. A horse with "?" means that we are unsure of its running position and it has not shown past ability. We suggest that you avoid races where there are many unknowns (or question marks). A leader with a high positive delta is idea so that the race ends up running as determined. A horse with "CL" means that the horse has run poorly in this position in the past but is better off in this race due to a lower Class race or lower weight - also expect back runners to run closer mid field.

Positioning codes;
     (F:#) - Front Runner
     (P:#) - Pace Runner (i.e. 2nd or 3rd)
     (M:#) - Mid Field Runner
     (B:#) - Back Runner
     (X:#) - Large Field Back Runner

There is also a graphical representation - click on RPOS link.

Trainer

This field details the Trainer that trains the horse. If this field has "UNKNOWN" as the trainer, this more than likely means that the trainer is not listed in our top rated trainer database rather than the true meaning of the word.

Confidence Factor (CFactor)

This field represents our Confidence Factor for each horse's chance of winning and should be used to determine how much overlay (or underlay) is required. For example, a horse we rate at $2.00 and has a low confidence factor should demand a large overlay, conversely a $2.00 rated horse with a high confidence factor should be considered as a strong chance of winning without regard to overlay. If we rate a horse at say $10 and it has a high confidence factor, then this horse could represent value if you can get a good overlay on it. A horse we rate at $10 with a low Confidence Factor could be a good lay. HRT pricing and Confidence factors are different methods so you may see anomalies, this is because HRT prices consider the past 7 runs, whereas the Confidence Factor only considers recent runs (usually they both consider the same runs, but in some cases they may not especially when horses are not consistent in form). Use the Confidence Factor as a "second opinion" on our ratings! A suggestion is to consider horses with Confidence Factors of 80% or more for the win and include any Confidence Factor rated horse (40% or above) for your exotic multiples. You may be able to add additional value by considering the horse's distance ability, our overall risk factor under Easy Form and other factors like the number of past runs, first up etc. This field is less accurate for "Insufficient Form" races. Warning: A rating of 100% does not mean that the horse will definitely win (we wish) but means a horse has a strong chance of winning. We have found that, although the strike rates are high, the general public are aware of these horses and therefore are typically over-bet and eliminate any chance of long term profit - it may be a strategy to avoid them!

Rating

This field details our raw rating used to calculate the HRT price. The rating is not based on individual levels but on how each horse ranks in each EasyForm category. Therefore a horse with an individual class rating of 60 and is the top rater in Class/Wgt will get the same points allocated to a horse with a class rating of 50 and is the top rater in another race. We would expect that the superior of the two would be ranked higher in more categories and get a better rating overall. The important factor is not so much the rating itself (although a race with low ratings is a difficult race) but the gap between them. The larger the gap (ie 10%+) the more certain the selection is. For interest sake, the maximum rating to date is 290 held by two horses. Both won at $1.30 and $1.40.

"Look For Value" selections

This section details the best Easy Form pick. In some cases, it is not possible to make a recommendation. Overlays strongly recommended and if you follow exotics, seriously consider them. The "Look For Value" tip is actually a combination of four systems and the specific one can be identified under Data Listing or Quick Print pages. The codes are as follows;

"[LV]" - Original "Look For Value" tip.
"[CP]" - Top Class and Pace tip.
"[EW]" - An Each-way tip.
"[SC]" - Special tip.

Best Jockeys

Each jockey's rating is calculated on the number of city and/or country wins, places and the number of runs in the race state today. Therefore a good jockey from VIC may not be rated as highly if running in NSW, mainly because its experience may be less in a different state (as indicated statistically). Ratings are calculated per racing season.

There is a threshold we use to ensure that mediocre jockeys e.g. the "best of a bad bunch" do not get rated highly. This will be apparent when some or all the jockey top 3 fields are empty.

Sometimes you may find a horse rated in the "Best Jockeys" category without a known jockey, i.e. the jockey is "??". How can this be so? The reason why this occurs, is that we make an assumption that the same quality jockey as previous rides will ride the horse. This is more the norm than the exception, however, you should make sure that a good jockey does end up riding the horse. We will endeavour to update our tables with the known jockey when information comes to hand.

The number next to the horse name is our jockey positioning by state. A (1) indicates that the jockey riding the horse is, in our opinion, the best jockey in the state. Only jockeys that meet an ability threshold or less are listed in this table, so the table may be blank at times when average or poor jockeys are riding.

Best Trainers

Same principle as jockey ratings.

Best Class/Wgt I

This section is a variation of the "Winning More" class system created by the late and legendary DON SCOTT. This is a complex system in itself and many people just follow this type of information. The DON SCOTT class rating* is provided in brackets ie (65) meaning a class rating of 65. Look for 5-10kg gaps between runners indicating a truly classy horse when compared to the rest of the field. This category provides an in depth analysis of class and the affects of class and weight changes on a horse. We recommend that you review DON SCOTT's book to understand his principles. "Winning More" is published by Horwitz Grahame Pty Ltd ISBN 0 7255 2115 5 and is a brilliant class determination method. It does not consider other variations such as race times and running pattern, which we include in our other categories to provide a complete service.

This class system (Version I) relies on certain "Form Patterns" to determine a horse's "baserun". We do not always use the horse's last race, as the "baserun" used depends on the form pattern of its past recent races. Because horses can have reasons for poor runs, we can check as far back as 7 runs.

* We exclude jockey ratings in this category because we use the Best Jockey category instead.

Best Class/Wgt II

Version II uses a totally different perspective to version I (refer above) by using a simple Form Pattern checker on recent runs only (or first run run/s if running after a spell). This allows you to get a quick gauge of the horse's recent ability. It does not take into consideration at what distances etc so use with some caution. We have not focused on this field but have seen this field select many longshot winners so maybe worthwhile monitoring for long shots or checking the other categories to ensure that the horse can run the distance etc.

Best Speed/Wgt

This section works on the horse's overall race times at similar distances and average weights. We analyse its current preparation and a similar period last preparation. The data is then compared to today's weight. Additional codes include; fast-codes (sf=super fast, f=fast) which indicates faster than average runners, and a distance-code (d) which indicates if a horse has run at this distance. If there are a lot of debut horses in the race and there are no horses in this section that has a fast-code, it is best to avoid the race as a debut horse has a better chance of winning over average speed horses. A "sf" fast-code at the "d" distance code, indicates a powerful combination. However "sf" without "d" indicates a risky position - it may over-race and/or not run the distance. We also include a "^" code indicating when a horse has not been "seasoned" for the distance in the current preparation. This does not mean the horse is not a winning chance, just some additional risk so you may wish to avoid the race.

The value in brackets for each horse indicates the delta in times compared to the top rater. Of course the top rater will always be (.0). More credit should be given to horses that have the "d" flag as this indicates a more accurate time.

Look for the "light and fast" section to see how the horse fairs there also.

Speed is a difficult rating to use. It's rating can be very impressive or misleading. For example, horses that win by large margins more than likely canter over the line to preserve fitness. Others sometimes are not pace setters or leaders and so their times are set by others that lead in their races.

Forward Runners

In a race with a lot of form, this category typically indicates the top leaders of the race to set the pace. The probability we post for the horse's chance of winning a race usually relies on these horses actually running these positions. So during the race, check the front markers and if we have these close to actuals, then the odds should fall true. A race may not run to our predictions because of varying racing conditions, a jockey's change of plan or even a horse fitness to name a few. In this case, luck will play its part.

The '~' code indicates horses with fast first sectional times. You can use this information to determine whether a horse will get across from a wide barrier or checking any leader conflict early in the race. For example, a front runner (f) on the outer barrier of a fast pace runner (p~) may both race too hard early. It is preferred that the front runner have the fast sectionals (f~) or at least a closer barrier to the rail over the p~ horse. If confused, skip the race.

This category is also useful for race-days when leaders win most races, for whatever reason they do, it is useful to know the next leaders of the next race!

To determine which tracks and distances suit and disadvantage front runners click on front runner stats.

Best At Track

A category on the track strike rate. A '+' indicates that the horse performs better at this track than any other track. The indicator is not dependent on the track strike rate, so a horse can have the '+' symbol without being a top track rater. Ideally a horse should have the best track strike rate and a '+' indicator. We provide a second '+' indicator for horses that are truly biased to the track - Watch for these.

Best At Distance

A basic category on distance success. A range of 0-3 pluses ('+') are used to indicate how good the top distance raters are. We also include a "^" code indicating when a horse has not been "seasoned" for the distance in the current preparation. This does not mean the horse is not a winning chance, just some additional risk so you may wish to avoid the race.

Best Win Strike

A basic category on WIN success. Maiden races will have this section empty. WE DO NOT USE THIS CATEGORY IN OUR CALCULATIONS. Win Strike Rate is a common parameter used by the public and our system is designed to follow value around public opinion. If a horse is a good overlay and also has a high rating here, you are getting great value.

The number next to the horse name is the strike rate in percent.

Tenacity

The horse's tenacity or want to win, similar to win strike rate, but not related to winning 'per se' so also applies to maiden races. Not class specific so should be read in conjunction with our class field for a more meaningful result.

Lowest Risk

This section looks at almost 50 conditions to determine the risk of a horse in a race. Some examples include distance, jockey and track experience. This category indicates the lowest risk horse in the race, NOT a low risk horse. The number next to the horse name is our risk rating. A (1) indicates that the risk is very low. This field is a great indicator and should be checked in your studies. Carefully scrutinize horses that have a risk factor greater than 20. Horses lower than 30 points are listed.

Good Margin Last Start

Good Margin L/Start
This section details the horses that won a race last start irrespective of the class or time of the race. Therefore this field should be analysed with the class and time categories provided, but in some cases, horses may be moving up in grade or cantering to the line, so class & speed are not always conclusive.

Light & Fast

Uses Best Speed/Wgt ratings but carefully looks at the weight shift to determine if at a true advantage today. Seriously give these horses a consideration.

Jockey Return

This is an interesting category where we believe a jockey is returning to horse to run it at its best ability. Watch (and be prepared) for dramatic changes in betting.

Average Prize Money

We average the prize money of recent runs (this is not the standard Average Prize Money used on some TAB forms), of each horse with an importance placed on the most recent races. More often than not, winners are previous prize money winners, so make sure your methods check this category. The category alone can sometimes be misleading so also include the Tenacity and Best Class/Wgt categorie as a cross check. Horses that have prize money winnings without Tenacity or Best Class/Wgt may mean an out of class (or too heavy) or inconsistent winner. Horses that are in Tenacity but without Prize Money may not be a negative factor. Horses in this scenario may mean that they are just missing or receiving small prize money winnings.

Barrier Trail Well

Usually for horses returning from a spell. This is something that should be in our main calculations but is usually difficult to quantify. If a horse is in this category and is in the betting - give it some thought and bear in mind that our calculations exclude this knowledge. We will rarely include a '#' symbol next to the horses in this category. This means that this horse typically runs well first up. So if it is training well and runs well first up... well you be the judge.

Good Debut Horse (GDH)

Good Jockey, barrier and trainer. Usually the market picks up on this. We recommend that you only use this information to avoid the race, include in your exotic bets or bet on if it is at great odds (e.g. >10/1). If there are no SF/F & D runners in Best Speed/Wgt, then it has a good chance of winning.

Strong Finisher

Horses that run middle to back field and finish strongly irrespective of class and speed. The positioning, final sectionals and the length of the straight are all taken into consideration. This is extremely useful for horses moving quickly up in class, because the class is unclear and the times are set by lower class pace setters.

Best Win Strike

A basic category on WIN success. Maiden races will have this section empty. As defined by the grey fields, WE DO NOT USE THIS CATEGORY IN OUR CALCULATIONS. Win Strike Rate is a common parameter used by the public and our system is designed to follow value around public opinion. If a horse has a good overlay in the market and also has a high rating here, then you are on some good value. We use Tenacity instead of this category and you should find them similar anyway. Tenacity is also applicable in maiden races.

Good Positioning

The top raters of the Rpos table (refer above). We do not present "-1" delta when there is only one run. High ratings here must make the horse worthwhile considering.

Poor Prep Start

DISADVANTAGE FIELD: This rating penalises horses that are poor performers (historically) first or second up from a spell or if over 1250m and no experience. This category is strongly used in our penalty system to set the market price.

Heavy

DISADVANTAGE FIELD: This rating penalises horses that are heavy in weight and up in weight from previous starts (constantly heavy horses are not penalised). Horses that run at the back of the field and are slow down the straight are indicated with an exclamation mark "(!)". these horses should be avoided unless the horse is a quality horse with good natural speed and turn-of-foot. This category is strongly used in our penalty system to set the market price.

Bad Barrier

DISADVANTAGE FIELD: This rating penalises horses in wide barriers and where the first turn in close to the stalls. It also considers a horse's ability to jump and where it normally positions itself at the beginning of the race. A back-runner will not be penalised, however, a front-runner will be greatly penalised. The worst barrier position for a horse may not necessarily be the widest, as the horse may be a back marker. Where there are considerable disadvantages, we indicate these horse's with an exclamation mark "(!)" . This category is not a strong influence in our penalty system to set the market price.

Wide/Inconvenienced

DISADVANTAGE FIELD: Horses in this category may run wide or may be inconvenienced in this race. Typically these horses are slow to jump and have a wide barrier (relative to the other horses in a similar running position), hence the likelihood to run wide or be inconvenienced by the jockey sending the horse forward or backward in the field. This information is useful if you wish to lay a horse and this field adds further confidence (do not use solely) or if you want to remove some risk from your larger bets (ie avoid bet on horses that may be inconvenienced). Since the running of the race can vary greatly, this category is not 100% accurate, however, tends to fall true in larger field races and where the pace is genuine. It is also important to note that horses can win running wide (especially if the track conditions suit) and some horses may find the assumed "inconvenienced" position actually convenient (ie mid field runner up front may find that it's a strong front runner). The HRT prices reflect some risk component in the price.

Higher Risk

DISADVANTAGE FIELD: The opposite to Lowest Risk. This section looks at almost 50 conditions to determine the risk of a horse in a race. Some examples include distance, jockey and track experience. This category indicates the higher risk horses in the race, not necessarily a high risk horse. A high risk horse would be horses past the 35 point mark, however horses with 30 points or more are listed.

Days Since Last Run (DLR)

Self explanatory

Distance 'Seasoned' (Seasnd)

The number of similar distance races in current prep (or if first up from spell, last prep). More useful for longer distance races.

Jockey Level (JLvl)

Scale of jockey level from 1 (excellent) to 99 (poor). Consideration should be given to the track location (e.g. Level 1 jockeys are more likely to be at a Metro meeting than a Country meeting).

Jockey Rides

This is the Jockey's performance on the horse. (no. of rides on horse) : (wins on horse) - (places on horse) S: (samples in database) L3: (Rides in last 3 runs) (! = poor performance) (# = late jockey allocation or change). Look out for high strike rate jockeys (e.g. wins and places high for no. of rides) returning to the horse (e.g. L3: 0)