Horse Racing Systems - Why Keep Records? by Dave Bromley

I have often mentioned the need for all serious punters to keep records of their betting activities. One of the reasons for this is because I believe that there are certain times of the year which are better for punters than others. If you keep records you can see if you can spot any such trends.

Another fact that I have noticed is that when I am following a system it seems that the results are usually better during weekday racing than weekends. This is something that has also been mentioned in some of the horse racing forums so I do not think I am alone in spotting this.

I have been thinking about how seasonal variations can affect horse racing systems. If you have a system that relies on laying favourites it is fairly obvious that this will be less productive in the summer months. During June, July and August horses are more likely to run to their form than at the beginning and end of the season. At these times of the year favourites tend to win a higher percentage of their races.

This could go some way to explaining why so often after buying a horse racing system it works well for a few months and then goes into a nose dive. It would appear to me that it could be an idea to take a second look at any systems that you have ever bought. Take a look and see if they could benefit from being applied on a seasonal basis.

There are some horse race systems that try to be all things to all punters. What I mean by this is that they claim to be applicable to all types of races. This I find difficult to accept. How can any system be applicable to flat racing, national hunt, all-weather and summer jumping?

Often these types of systems are produced by companies and individuals who turn out system after system often based on back results. This is why a system that is based on a specific area of horse racing such as two year old flat racing or novice chases is likely to be more successful in the long term than a catch all system.

The problem about this is that quite often you do not know exactly how wide ranging a system is going to be until you have purchased it. However, if you have a collection of old systems why not take them out and take another look at them. With a little thought you might find they offer some unconsidered possibilities.