UK Horse Racing Tips

Archive for February, 2010

Sir Michael Stoute has attained exceptional racing success from Freemason Lodge in Newmarket. A winner of numerous Classic contests in the United Kingdom and prestigious races across the world, his achievements make enviable reading to even the most talented of trainers of horses.

Stoute generally trains 40 – 55 two-year-old horses each season, varying from the run-of-the-mill maidens to pattern race hopes. A trainer with a wealth of affluent owners, many youngsters have impeccable breeding and feature similarly lofty price tags. With a general win rate of 20% and 44% win and place, Stoute is a consistent trainer with colts and fillies racing selectively. Such is his reputation, that over half of all juveniles start at odds of 13/2 and less on debut and few juveniles win beyond this restricted price guide. In recent years, debutantes have attained a success rate of 14% and a win and place of 33%. Certainly as a betting proposition it may be concluded that the odds on many of this trainer’s juveniles are on the short side due to his popularity as a handler of potentially classy two-year-old horses.

Statistics identify that juveniles have a much greater chance of winning on their second start at similar odds. In addition, juveniles attain a much higher place rate, too. Two-year-old horses can appear as early as May but the majority race from July onwards. Stoute trains for some of the most influential owners in the world: Her Majesty The Queen, K Abdulla & Hamdan Al Maktoum being a selection of a glittering assembly of the great and good within racing. In the last five years, his juveniles have amassed total prize winnings of more than £600,000.

There is little doubt that this accomplished trainer will add more Classic race victories to an already magnificent tally. Pertinently, some will be unveiled as ‘impressive’ two-year-olds.

In recent years, the distinction between the standard of horse from Southern and Northern stables has been noticeably reduced with a number of successful trainers proving that location doesn’t equate to a restriction on talent or the determination to win.

Hambleton House in Thirsk, North Yorskshire, is the home of one such trainer – Brian Smart. He has proven to be a consistent handler when it comes to training all ages but especially two-year-olds. In the last few seasons, this talented trainer has featured a healthy string of juveniles and it would be no surprise to see 30-plus two-year-olds represented in the new publication of the Horses In Trainer 2010. In the last five years Smart has won over £500,000 in prize money with his youngsters attaining a success rate of 18% and a strong win & place of 43%. Juveniles such as Distinctive, Captain Gerrard, Summer Fete, Spin Cycle, Unilateral and Hellvelyn have won substantial prize money. This new season will no doubt unveil a precocious juvenile or two.

It is interesting that many of his best two-year-olds are seen early season, probably with a view to Royal Ascot. Juveniles are often under-priced on debut and a general win rate of 10% and 30% win & place is respectable but suggests that many improve with racing, however, the better types are likely to win on their racecourse bow if competing an average maiden. It is noticeable that Smart has an eye for placing his colts & fillies on their second start and this can be a prime time to bet. Generally, juveniles run very good races when fancied. Noticeable owners include H E Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed, R C Bond & Prime Equestrian.

Smart is a trainer to be respected and his talent as a two-year-old trainer will shine for all to see in the 2010 Flat turf season.

In the past, bookmakers, especially those in the UK, typically displayed their odds in fractional form (5/4, 4/1 and so on), especially where horse racing was concerned. Nowadays they tend to provide the option of displaying decimal odds too (2.25, 5.00 – in relation to the bracketed fractional odds above). This method of displaying odds is popular in Australia, Canada and most of Europe. On services such as betfair, decimal is the default setting, rather than the fractional version (also known as ‘traditinal odds’). The below chart is a handy guide to help you convert between fractional and decimal odds:

See our post on types of bets, to better understand odds and the various betting options available to you.

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Betfair consistently provides better odds that other online bookmakers, and also allows you be play the role of bookmaker by laying other punters bets. This provides a unique opportunity to take a different approach to betting (effectively betting on a horse to lose a race, instead of win). You can also now make ‘multiples’ type bets, so betfair has all of the features of a traditinal betting service and more besides. Taking advantage of this offer does not prohibit you from signing up to the other great offers on our site, so feel free to max out on the free bets.