For horse racing punters, time is a precious commodity. Analysing the form of every horse in a large field may take up to a couple of hours. Considering that modern racecards usually consist of 7 or even 8 races, form analysis for all the races is likely to take longer than the time that the average punter has available for such study. Even with unlimited time for rigorous form book study, finding winners cannot be guaranteed and the more hours spent does not necessarily result in a higher success rate. For these reasons, many punters attempt to seek out a source of dependable horse racing tips. Identifying a reliable supplier of horse racing tips can save many hours of hard work and improve the rate of success into the bargain.
There are many sources of horse racing tips, both online and offline; some are free, whilst others charge for their services.
"Premium" Horse Racing Tips
Potential purchasers of horse racing tips should exercise great caution. Some advertisers have a perfectly good reason for selling information. The leading booking firms quickly get to know professional punters who enjoy regular success and these backers often experience difficulty in getting their bets accepted. In this case, the punter can bet on his selection in a roundabout way, by selling tips for the horse in question. However, especially on the Internet, there are many unscrupulous vendors of horse racing tips. Adverts for "foolproof" betting systems, with "guaranteed" success, are commonplace. Betting on horse racing is not a "get rich quick" scheme and punters should avoid succumbing to the false claims of advertisers. There is nothing wrong with paying for horse racing tips, but the best sources "proof" all their tips to reliable racing publications, to guarantee their authenticity.
Racing Software
In addition to the above-mentioned tipping services, there are various horse racing software programs offered for sale on many websites. The advertisements for such products emphasise how quick, easy and convenient they are to use. This is correct in most cases, but the efficacy of some products in finding winners consistently is questionable. They seek to predict horse racing winners by accessing a database of form and statistics, then applying some elementary laws of probability. The algorithms driving the various software range from the simple to very complex, but some overlook fundamental winner-finding considerations, such as underfoot conditions.
Free Horse Racing Tips
A seemingly ever-increasing number of Internet websites offer free tips for horse races, of widely-varying quality. A profit, to level stakes, is a critical factor, since no fancy staking plan can make a profit from a long losing run. Punters should note that any tipping service with a strike rate of one winner per three tips needs an average starting price of 2/1 just to break even. Some sites supply both free and premium tips, but will supply the latter free to punters opening an account with a bookmaker advertising on the webpage.
For those seeking free racing tips in the offline world, the majority of newspapers employ racing correspondents. These journalists go racing regularly and the tips they offer daily are often quite reliable, although they tend to include a large percentage of short-priced favourites.