Keeping A List Horses To Follow

When you have an unlucky loser, or find a horse to back that seems well handicapped but doesn't win, do you just forget about that horse, or do you make a note of it for next time?

I really suggest that you keep a list of these horses and follow them for their next few runs because if the horse was unlucky or well handicapped but lost, it is very possible it may run much better or even win in the near future.

We don't have a tracker system set up at Inform Racing because there are plenty of good free ones around. Once you list your horses, they will then email you when that horse is running again.

I use the tracker at www.attheraces.com which is free to join and free to use and you can list up to 500 horses to keep track of, which should be enough for the average punter.

The atttheraces website is a bit 'busy' and has a lot of the usual bookie offers but once you know what you are doing, just login and click the binoculars at the top of the website to go to your horses to follow list.

You can then add your own notes to remind yourself of why you want to follow the horse and anything else in particular that may help you when it runs again next time.

I have one in my tracker that I am waiting for to run again that I have noted:

'Coming to challenge when blocked and finished at the rear.'

So this horse was well handicapped and looked ready to make a fist of it but was blocked when trying to make his 'winning :)' move. It is likely that the horse will be dropped another pound or two because of where it finished and could go in at an even better price.

How many times to follow the horse?

On the attheraces website you can choose to follow the horse permanently, just the next time or for the next 3 runs. I choose the next three runs and then you can always add it again for another 3 runs.

If you have a horse you want to follow that ran well in a 6f race on the turf and it turns out again next time over further on the all weather where it has a poor record, you may not want to follow it that time. So it is good to make a judgement on when to back the horse again and not just because if it is running again.

You can even follow horses that you don't back.

I have a few horses in my tracker that I saw were a few pounds below their last handicap win on the Inform Racing race cards or our Daily Stats Tables but due to the race conditions not in their favour, or one I know was forecast around 40/1 so decided it wasn't for me that day, I put them down in my tracker.

It is impossible really to keep a note yourself of all runners you want to keep an eye on and know when they are running again, without using an online tracker.

I have to admit that I add a large number of horses that I back and make a comment about their run and finishing position, plus a reason why I think the horse may have not run so well.

At least I can get notified when it is out again and see if I want to follow it again next time or not.

I have no definite limit to prices but I wouldn't back something again if the odds were too short. Personaly I aim for around 4/1 if I can as a rough minimum but it depends on the race and the number of runners.

Generally a horse will need to finish midfield or worse if I want to follow it again. If it ran well but was unlucky trying to squeeze through in the last 100 yards and still finished third or fourth, it is likely that this will be picked up by any comments for the horse next time it runs and the value will be gone. 

If the block was a little earlier in the straight it is possible that it won't get picked up as easily.

I have added Dublin Four that I backed yesterday as it was going well but hit the third fence out hard and trotted home second last.

I know that this will still be mentioned next time it runs but I think the position of 9th will be what most punters see and there maybe some chance the odds are half decent next time.

The horse was also 6 pounds higher than it's last chase win so likely the handicapper will drop the horse a couple of pounds which will help again.

Ultimately it is still about the price you can get and the chance of the horse whether you actually back it next time but making sure that you keep a good list of these horses means that you will at least have the chance to get your lost stake back.

Watching the race repeats.

If you have the time it is worth watching the repeats on Racing TV or Sky Sports Racing (attheraces) as you will spot a lot of unlucky horses or horses to note for one reason or another.

Unfortunately they show all races and many of these I am not interested in so I don't do this myself but if you tried it just once or twice I am sure you would see something to note down for the future.

When you do get notified of a horse that is running the next day, you could also watch the race replay on Racing Post, Racing TV or Sky Sports racing and remind yourself of the race.

It may be that when you see it again you could have got it a little wrong and the horse wasn't actuallly that unlucky, or whatever.

On the other hand you may watch it again and be even more convinced it can run much better this time. All in all we are very lucky to be able to watch all of these replays that are often free or for just a few pennies each time.

Follow on Twitter for my noted runners.

I will be posting some or all of my noted horses when they run again, on our Twitter account, so make sure that you follow us here.

I may not post these until quite late as I want to ensure I get the best prices but keep an eye out for these.

What would be great if we all kept a list and shared them on Twitter, giving the reason why you noted this horse and have it in your tracker.

That way we can all help each other finding possible future winners, as no one can spot everything.

Summary

I would highly recommend that you start your own list of horses to follow in one or another online tracker. I am sure that you will improve your betting and profits if you can watch a race and see a good reason why you may have better luck next time.

Keeping notes of the why and what happened is not only good fun but should give you a sense of professionalism, in that you are making well thought out decisions on horses that you are backing.

Personally I am not someone who looks months ahead for horses or races like a lot of people do. For me Cheltenham, Aintree and Royal Ascot and the like are just for fun bets in the main. I much prefer the day to day racing and really only look at the cards on the day.

But having my list of horses to follow gives me another angle and when the email pops up in your inbox saying you have a noted horse running tomorrow, it is a little bit exciting!

Try out the race cards for free

You can access one free meeting every day for life and try out the race cards yourself by clicking the link below and no pre-payment details are required.

Want all of the race cards, system builder and betting tissue tool?

If you liked this post please share it on Twitter and/or Facebook, thanks.