Betting 360 - Betting From All Angles

Mark Van Triet is the manager of some of the best jockeys in Australia. He's responsible for booking their rides, doing form analysis, and assisting them with race tactics. In this episode, Mark shares some his personal thoughts on his jockeys, how he identifies promising horses and much more. Punting Insights You'll Find The value of having the right tools. Major differences between Victoria and New South Wales racing. How Mark picks the right horse for his riders. How and why jockeys need to do their own form analysis. His personal view of each jockey in his stable. Today's Guest: Mark Van Triet  Michael's Closing Tip: " He's (Brenton Avdulla) driven, and with the right opportunity he can go all the way. " Get the Transcript: Episode 020: Jockey Profiles From A Top Notch Manager with Mark Van Triet David: Hi this is David Duffield, and welcome to another episode of Betting 360 podcast. Today I’ve got Mark Van Trieton the line, he manages Damien Oliver and Chad Schofield in Melbourne, and also Glyn Schofield and Brenton Avdullaup in Sydney. So his job is to get those four on the best mounts possible, and get them to ride a bunch of winners. So some of the work involves booking of the rides, form analysis, and basically just handling the racing affairs of those four fellas. So let’s have a chat with Mark and see how he goes about it. David: Thanks very much for joining us today Mark. Mark: Thanks Dave, it’s a pleasure, thank you. David: Yeah it’s an all star stable you’ve got there. It’s Damien Oliver, Glyn and Chad Schofield, andBrenton Avdulla.What’s your role in managing those guys? Mark: Well basically it’s just organising their rides, chasing rides for them, that’s the crutch of it, and you know trying to get them on the fastest horses. So it’s all about managing them really. And look there’s obviously some horses you can’t get them on, but it’s just keeping on top of things, just letting them know where certain horses are going, what races, and just keeping them in check as best I can. David: And so how do you go about that? Probably you have a database there, because you must have to plan a little bit in advance, and not necessarily even a horses next start, but also where they’re headed to after that. How do you actually track all of that, and keep on top of it? Mark: I’ve got a database, actually very similar to what your senior form analyst Rick Williams uses and that’s Southcoast racing database. And in that I’ve got Vince Accardi’s times, so I feel as though you’ve got to have the right tools, it certainly helps you making the correct decisions. We don’t get them right all the time. But as the planning, it’s actually, I mean I’ve got two guys in Victoria, and two in New South Wales, and New South Wales is actually done quite a bit different to Victoria. New South Wales they actually work 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule, whereas Victoria’s for example, nominations closed today, well for Saturday today. Whereas you do the majority of Victoria in the morning, whereas New South Wales was done this time last week for Saturday, so they actually work a fair way in advance. David: Right okay, that sounds a little bit like Hong Kong. When we did have a chat with Tommy Berry earlier in the year, and he could tell 2 or 3 weeks out. Obviously a lot fewer races over there, but a few weeks out he knew exactly which horses he was going to be on. So New South Wales leans more that way, whereas Victoria’s a bit more 7 days out is it? Mark: That’s right. But I think it’s probably because it’s just that both states are structured a bit differently. Whereas Victoria is full on 7 days, where the main days in New South Wales, especially for my guys are obviously Saturday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And then New South Wales is more heavily focused on trials, they have a set of trials at least once a week, maybe twice a week, whereas it’s a bit different in Victoria,

Michael Rodd is a Melbourne Cup winning jockey with a fantastic career under his belt so far. In this episode of Betting 360 the highly respected rider shares some insider knowledge from a jockey's point of view. You'll get to hear who Michael truly respects in the industry, his pre-race process of assessing the form and predictions for the upcoming season. Punting Insights You'll Find What it takes to be a successful jockey and who Michael respects the most. How a jockey gets on the better horses. How you can 'read' Mark Kavanagh Why track bias is often over-rated. Why Atlantic Jewel and Super Cool are set for big Spring campaigns Today's Guest: Michael Rodd Michael's Closing Tip: " I do spend a lot more time on form and it gives me a lot more confidence on race day. " Get the Transcript:   Episode 019: Racing From A Jockey's Point Of View with Michael Rodd David: Hi and welcome to Betting 360. I’m your host David Duffield, and every week here I bring on a special guest to look at punting from all different angles. Today I’m pleased to chat with Michael Rodd, he’s the man of the moment with Atlantic Jewel and he’s set up for a very big spring. So I wanted to have a chat to him about what it takes to be a good jockey and how he prepares for a race meeting whether it’s a big day of group racing, or a day down at Bendigo, or Ballarat. So we’ll have a chat with him, and see how an A grade jockey goes about his work. David: Hi everyone it’s Dave here. And today I’d like to welcome Michael Rodd to the show, how are you going Michael? Michael: Yeah really well thanks Dave. David: That’s good, it’s a good time of year. I just wanted to have a chat firstly about your background, and then speak more specifically about the spring. But what do you think it takes to be a good jockey? What do you think separates the best from the rest? Michael: Look you’ve obviously, you’ve got to be keen to work hard. It’s a very important thing, you know especially if you want to sort of compete on the big stage. You know you’re pretty much going round spring carnival time, or any carnival time you’re going every day. And you know if you’re not at the races, you’re at the barrier trials, or you’re doing replays. So obviously you’ve got to work hard. And then the obvious traits of having good balance, and having nice soft hands, and obviously being able to read a race, you know while you’re in it, and getting on with the horses. So there’s a few things that sort of have to combine there, but if it does, and you know you can be in that top echlon, it’s a great way to make a living. David: So you mention balance and soft hands. How did you learn those type of skills? Or the other horsemanship, because it’s not like you spent your childhood around horses or anything like that. Michael: No that’s right. Look I didn’t come from a racing background, and I just learnt from scratch. But the beauty of the way I learnt was that I was taught to be a jockey straight away. I didn’t have any other habits, of say equestrian, or any other type of riding. So I was sort of irons up short, and I was taught to you know, how to be a jockey, to think like a jockey. And look a lot of it has to come naturally. You can’t, you know it’s just like any sportsman, whether you’re playing football, or soccer, or you know you’re a surfer or whatever, you’ve got to have that natural ability, and then you work hard at the other skills that you’re not so good at. But you know obviously the balance, I’ve always had, I’ve been a surfer all my life, and a skateboarder, so that came pretty naturally. And then with your hands, I think that’s just something also that you’re sort of born with. And you know, knowing how to ride on a long rein, and being confident at riding on a long rein. If you rein a horse that’s up too short, you can get them pulling, and you know if you get them pulling then your race is over.

Rick Williams, Senior Form Analyst here at Champion Picks, is back for part two of the discussion on a typical working week for a professional punter. (Part 1 is here if you missed it). In this episode he explains what is required each Friday, Sa...

After many requests, today's guest is our very own form analyst Rick Williams. He talks us through each day of his working week and how he goes about analysing the form and making betting decisions. Listen in for some fantastic insights into the life of a professional punter.   Punting Insights You'll Find A normal working week for a professionals. How to combine video reviews with sectionals data. How to use perception vs. reality to gain an edge. What to look for in an IVR report. Some of the variables that are difficult to predict (and how to handle them). Why a maiden race can be a worthwhile bet.   Today's Guest: Rick Williams Rick's Closing Tip: " The whole idea of the game is to make money, and if there's money to be made in a Geelong maiden, then I'm happy to try and make it there.  " Get the Transcript: Episode 017: Finding Value And Beating The Market with Rick Williams Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David: Hi, this is David Duffield. And for Episode 17 of the Betting 360 podcast we thought we’d bring on one of our own. We’ve had quite a few requests from people who wanted to find out a bit more about a normal day, and a normal week for a professional punter. And we’ve got Rick Williams on to have a chat about how his week pans out, basically Monday through Sunday, and how he goes about trying to find some value and to beat the market. So let’s have a chat with one of our own, Rick Williams. David: Hi everyone it’s David Duffield here. And we’ve had 16 episodes of the Betting 360 podcast. So thought it was time to get on someone well known to most of you, and that’s the man responsible for all the form analysis here at Champion Picks, it’s Rick Williams, how are you going mate? Rick: Good thanks mate. David: That’s good. Yeah we’ve had a few requests from newsletter, and members wanting to find out a bit more about how you go about it. So what I’d thought what we’d do is run through a typical week in what you do, in analysing mainly Sydney and Melbourne racing, but also the occasional hit and run mission elsewhere. So we’ll just run through how a normal week pans out for you, and you can explain the work that goes into it. So might as well lead off on a Monday, what type of work are you typically doing to kick off the week? Rick: The first thing I do on Monday, is basically cover any work that I have been unable to do during the previous week. And that’s mainly review sort of stuff, and it’s got a lot to do with, you know our ratings, and sectional times, and IVR’s, and putting it all together and recording certain things, and blackbooking horses, and doing the videos, and all those different aspects. Obviously I try to do certain parts of that as they happen through the week, but you know, being that there’s only so many hours in a day, and not a great deal of what I do at this stage is fully automated, there’s some part automation, but there’s still a little bit of manual sort of work, which should change quite soon though. But it’s really just, you know first thing Monday get in, and you know really just do the grunt work of a lot of things that happened the week before. David: So when you are watching the videos, what are you actually looking out for? Rick: What we sort of look for is, we’re looking for, I guess what everyone looks for. You’ve just got to really, pay close attention, and everyone sees the big things, you know the horse that can’t get a run for the whole straight, or all those different sorts of things so you know it’s just a lot more subtle things that happen in races. The horse might, you know just lose slight momentum. Geelong Synthetic’s an interesting one, for any horse that sort of comes wide on that turn, it’s like a big hair pin you know that Geelong turn on the synthetic,

On this episode of the Betting 360 podcast, US-based horse racing handicappers Tony Kelzenberg and Derek Simon compare American and Australian punting, while sharing various tips and strategies for getting an edge. Tony has contributed articles for the Champion Picks blog and Derek focuses on speed rations (his unique take on speed ratings and assessments). It's another look at betting from a different angle.   Punting Insights You'll Find The major differences between Australian and American racing. How to use the early speed advantage to get the edge. Why the run of Secretariat would have been viewed differently today. One way of betting the quaddie. The general profile of a race that sets you up for success. How to use statistics to determine your edge. Today's Guest: Tony Kelzenberg Derek Simon - Simon Speed Rations and Twin Spires Derek's Closing Tip: " My ideal bet would be a horse with a high impact value that also can hold its own in terms of the odds, and is a reasonable price.  " Get the Transcript: David: Hi this is David Duffield and welcome to another episode of Betting 360 where we look at betting from all different angles. Today has a special treat we’ve got two guests on the line. We’ve got Tony Kellsinburg and Derek Simon. United States based handicappers, Derek in particular focuses on looking at speed rations which is his take on speed ridings and speed assessment so he’s got some interesting views there. And Tony Kellsinburg has contributed to our website before and written various previews and reviews of American racing but he takes a particular interest in Australian racing as well so he’s well placed to take a look at the strengths and in some ways the weaknesses of American racing vs. Australian racing and vice versa. So let’s have a chat with Tony and Derek right now. David: Hi Tony, I’ll start with you. Since you’re known to some of our readers, and some of our listeners. You’ve contributed to the blog before, but wanted to welcome you to the show, and how are you going today? Tony: Having a great day. And basically I’m on vacation, because as a teacher I don’t work in the summers very much. And it’s been great to get even more into horseracing then in the past. David: You mentioned you had a reasonable result today. But just to get started, you’ve got a pretty good insight into American racing versus Australian racing, you get a lot of our analysis that comes through, and yet you stay up late at night to have some bets on that. So what do you see as the major differences, between the way we approach racing in Australia, and the way you guys do it over in the US? Tony: I would say the main difference, from just watching the races, that in Australia it’s very rare that you get something easily. If you’re going to be the speed, somebody’s going to try to get in your face, if you’re coming from behind they’re going to make you go around. You’re not going to be able to split horses usually pretty easily. In America, horses, my impression is that jockeys are told to run as the horses like to have them run. And once the initial order out of the gate is determined, then the first 200 metres, that’s pretty much what you’re going to see until at least towards the end of the turn, and then going into the stretch, and then everybody starts to improvise at that point. But I think that the Australian races, there’s just a lot more strategy and competition in the first half of the race. David: Okay. And you’ve attended some of our webinars, and heard Vince Accardi speak. One of his influences was Doctor Sarton, and some other American speed handicappers. How do you apply that type of analysis into what you do? Tony: When I, as a starting person. The basic premises that horses are best when they’re allowed to run in their comfort zone. So if you have an on speed horse, and they’re allowed to run on speed, on the rail, and nobody distracts them,

Gill Alexander is an experienced and successful MLB bettor who has a strong focus on stats to find that value edge, but he also watches 3-6 hours of baseball every day. Many would envy Gill's lifestyle as he spends Monday-Friday in Las Vegas and the...

Episode 014 features Dr. Howard Hamilton from Soccermetrics Research chatting with Dave about the most valuable data analysis metrics available in the round ball game. Dr. Hamilton is a former aerospace engineer who uses his mathematical ability to view sports data in a way that few others can. In this episode they chat about the past, present, and future of Soccer analysis.   Punting Insights You'll Find How to break soccer down into an actionable set of data. Which stats to look at to get a supreme advantage. The most valuable high-level measurements of a defensive player. Dr. Hamilton's biggest recommended change to the soccer analysis industry. How to identify promising players that most people overlook. A crystal ball view into the future of soccer betting. Today's Guest: Dr. Howard Hamilton - Soccermetrics Research Dr. Hamilton's Closing Tip: " Any innovation that happens in football analytics will happen outside of the football clubs. " Get the Transcript: Episode 014: Dave Chats About Soccer Data Analysis With Dr. Howard Hamilton Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David: Hi this is David Duffield and welcome to another edition of the Betting 360 Podcast. Our special guest today is Dr Howard Hamilton. He’s the founder and the CEO of Soccermetrics Research, that’s Soccermetrics.net. And we’ve looked at, or we know about the growth of analytics across all the different sports, and also just the increased importance of analysis of data in horse racing as well. So I wanted to get his take on the boom of analytics in soccer, because it’s such a fluid game, it’s such a complex game, and also such a low scoring one. So it’s important to find out how data can be used and to get some insights and from our perspective if there’s any betting pointers. To see undervalued players, undervalued teams, and really narrow down on that, so let’s have a chat with Dr Howard Hamilton. Thanks very much for joining us today Howard. Howard: Hi Dave. Thanks for having me on and hello to everyone else in Australia. David: Yeah looking forward to having a chat. Certainly a different perspective to a lot of what we cover. So just to get started, what motivated you to move from being an aerospace engineer through to football analytics? Howard: Well, football’s always been an interest of mine. I’ve had a couple of sites on soccer in North America. And I had always come to football with an analytical view, come to sport in general with an analytical view. And I took a look at what passed for statistical analysis in football, and I thought it was very primitive at the time. And I had my own ideas given my background as an aerospace engineer, and software programming, mathematical modelling, things like that. And I think the issue with doing analysis in sports and other areas, is that if you think of the problem and how to set it up, you can express the problem in the language of mathematics. And I was more comfortable, I was a lot more comfortable in that world than a lot of other people in the football analytics space. I thought had something to contribute, and that’s how Soccermetrics got started. David: You guys over there have the same battle as us in Australia. That ‘football’ to us is often Australian Rules or Rugby League, football to many in America is NFL, but it’s that interchangeable term soccer versus football. Howard: Yeah. It’s an interesting question, when I started Soccermetrics, Soccermetrics is a contraction of Soccersabermetrics. I could use the word Sabermetrics because it’s specific to baseball. But there is some relationship, there is some relationship to that. I think Soccermetrics, the word Soccermetrics, just reflects the fact that a lot of these statistical analysis that happens in sport,

In Episode 013, Dave talks with Betfair's Senior Racing Trader Matt Cosgriff about how he analyzes a race prior to betting. Matt has significant experience in punting including many years with some of Australia's biggest bookmakers.   Punting Insig...

In this episode Dave chats with Chris Nelson who is the Queensland form analyst for Best Bets, is a regular on TVN and has his own website Queenslandtrials.com.au Chris shares his insights into the Queensland tracks and how he approaches each race. He also gives tips on Queensland trainers, jockeys and quite a bit more.   Punting Insights You'll Find A profile of Eagle Farm, Doomben, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich. What to look for when assessing trials. The different characteristics and motivations of Queensland trainers. Chris' process of assessing the form. How he uses handicapper ratings to formulate his own class ratings. Today's Guest: Chris Nelson - Queenslandtrials.com.au Chris' Closing Tip: " Kelso's strike rate is the best in Queensland, it’s near up to the best in Australia. He trains a winner just over every three runners, or every three races, so he’s excellent. " Get the Transcript: Episode 012: Queensland Racing with Chris Nelson Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David: On today’s show my special guest is Chris Nelson. He’s the Queensland form analyst for Best Bets, also appears on TVN, and has a website known as Queenslandtrials.com.au, where funnily enough, he looks very closely at all the trials in Queensland, and finds some value runners there. The ones that can otherwise slip under the radar, gives them a speed rating, looks at times, but also the effort that they ask from the trials, to see which horses show a bit of potential, and might be ones worth following. He has a strong experience in Queensland racing, and we’re going to discuss the various tracks and how to approach them, trainers, jockeys, and quite a bit more. So let’s have a chat with Chris. David: Hi Chris, and thanks for coming on to the podcast. Chris: It’s a pleasure David, great to be on. David: Yeah good to have you on board. And many listeners will know who you are, and what you do from the work you do for Best Bets, and for TVN. But just for those that don’t, can you give us a brief history, a brief run-through of your background? Chris: Yeah well I’ve worked for Best Bets for about, probably about 3 to 4 years. Started out there doing some videos part time, I was working in another industry completely different. Look I had a sort of a racing background, I was obviously very interested as a younger person. I used to get to the races with my mates and even underage, get in the gate there and get somebody to take you in, like a lot of people started out in those days. And sort of worked in the industry slightly, I did a bit of work with a bookmaker, I worked for the trainers association back in the late 80s early 90s, but then moved away from it for a little bit and did other things. But the opportunity came up, probably about 2007, something like that, to do some video work for Best Bets just as a part time thing, so I started doing some of that work. One thing led to another, there was an opening in there to do some Brisbane work, I jumped at that. And just the way it worked out, I left my other form of employment and came to do this full time and I haven’t looked back, I love it. David: And so what do you like about Queensland racing? Chris: Oh I think the consistency. Generally I find most of the form is consistent, although some people may disagree with that. I just like, I think their racing’s an exciting sort of racing, they might not have a Melbourne Cup Carnival as such every year, and nothing really you know, you can’t really compare anything to the Melbourne Cup Carnival. But I just think there’s generally an exciting race, or an interesting race pretty much every month. There’s a race down at the Gold Coast, or they’ll be something going on in Brisbane,

Dave chats with Heath Pope who specialises on Adelaide racing for Racenet and in our Friday newsletter where he's consistently produced winner after winner. In this episode, Heath shares why he has focused on the Adelaide market and how he uses a co...

Dave chats with Tony "The Badger" Hargraves about the long awaited Ashes series. Tony is a Betfair Trader with a ton of experience assessing the markets and finding a value edge. In this episode, Tony shares not only his different approaches to Twenty20 and One Day Internationals, but he also gives out his predictions for The Ashes. As you could imagine, Tony's got a different approach than most. Punting Insights You'll Find The best trading and betting opportunities across the 3 forms of the game. The one key advantage that can change the game for any punter. What to look for in ODI's to get a leg up on the competition. The major impact that the grounds and weather will have on your games. How to evaluate historical statistics to achieve future success. Today's Guest: Tony Hargraves Tony's Closing Tip: "If the market sees there's no wickets being taken, they tend to back the draw in rather than the team batting first." Get the Transcript: Episode 10 : Cricket Betting With Tony Hargraves Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David:  My special guest on today’s show is Tony Hargraves, better known as The Badger. Now he has plenty of experience as a Betfair trader, using a lot of different strategies there, a lot of them are involved in play. But also a lot of the work that he does is pregame, and so he uses some stats and other analysis pregame. But also, just a lot of experience in assessing games and assessing the market, and trying to find a value edge there, and he often trades out of that once a profit has been found. So cricket is his true passion, he covers a few different sports including soccer, but cricket is his one true love, and he’s very excited about the upcoming Ashes series. So let’s have a chat with Tony now. David: Welcome to the show Tony. Tony: Thanks Dave, how are you going? David: Yeah very well thanks. I suppose I should call you by your full name and that’s The Badger. Tony: (laughs) David:  So favourite time of year for you with the Ashes heating up, or just about to start. And cricket’s one of your true loves, so what do you love about cricket betting? Tony: Well cricket has been my passion all of my life Dave. I’ve actually played it 32 of my 47 years, and I only sort of stoped when I moved to Scotland in 2008, because they don’t really play it there, there’s no teams and I was fairly remote. But now I’m back in London, I’ve looked at joining up with my old team again, and getting into it. But Ashes fever’s really hit over here now, and they’re right into it. I think they’re going a bit overboard with what they think the result is, but I’m sure we’ll get into that in our chat. But it’s just been a passion all my life, my grandfather was right into it, my father was right into it, and I’ve been right into it, so it really is something that I’m very keen on. David: And there’s obviously three distinct formats of the game, so we’ll start with Twenty20. What’s your approach to that? I know for a long time you’ve been a sceptic of the IPL, and been proven correct there, that maybe not all is above board. But just in general terms if you’re assessing a Twenty20 match, what are you looking for? Tony: The IPL Dave is pretty well a marketing exercise for the franchises that own it. And because it’s not a real tournament, it’s not registered with the ICC. They can put it under the same sort of scheme as world championship wrestling you know, or the WWF whatever it’s called, you can choreograph things to suit everyone. So one day you’ll have Internationals sort of drop off of people are against it, but now it’s going to overtake, one day internationals I think they’ll start to drop off, and you’ll pretty well have Twenty20 games and Test matches. But you know I’ve got right into it,

Dave talks with professional punter Nick Pinkerton who learned the trade with Ferncourt, Mark Read and Con Kafataris to hone his form analysis and risk management skills. In this episode, Dave and Nick discuss how Nick's experience on the Australian...

Dave continues his talk with the highly respected punter, bookmaker and form analyst Dominic Beirne. Punting Insights You'll Find What you can learn from last minute odds movements. The importance of speed maps and how to keep your inputs objective. Dominic's most successful type of races. How to get the most value out of being a Betfair client. Comparing your assessments to the odds available and how to factor in the public opinion. Betting for place vs betting for a win. Dominic's early recommendations for the 2013 Melbourne Cup Today's Guest: Dominic Beirne Betfair Dominic's Closing Tip: "I've got to say that it's hard not to be impressed by Fiorente, and I've got to say that at the moment I think he's the horse that would be very hard to beat in the cup " Get the Transcript: Episode 007: Dave Talks To Legendary Bookmaker Dominic Beirne - Part 2 Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David: Hello and welcome to Betting 360. I’m your host David Duffield, and each week I bring a special guest onto the podcast, to look at punting from all different angles. This is part two of an interview we did with Dominic Beirne, he was the biggest bookmaker in Australia when he was still in his twenties and he’s had a long and very successful career, a lot of that comes down to what I suppose you’d call a super computer. But we want to delve into that some more, and also just find out what the everyday punter can learn from someone as successful as Dom. David: What about horses, either last start or recent starting prices? I know a lot of the bigger players are of the view that you know the race is run once and luck in running and other factors can come into it, so what the market assessment of a horse is can be a good guide. Are you of the same belief? Dominic: Particularly with babies. I think it’s a very good indicator to know that the public like a horse considerably, particularly if it lost. So yeah, there was something to inform the public to that view when you didn’t have the information. Let’s say it was a first starter, or a second starter, so early on it’s valuable, the trouble with it later on is that you know, you can’t always easily measure the factors that went into its most recent price. So last start it might of had a whole bunch of favourable things that made it a 3/1 chance, where if it didn’t have all those favourable things it might’ve been a 12/1 chance. So you know the most recent price as a factor, in my opinion, loses significance with..proportionally to the number of starts. David: Okay.  Does breeding play any part in your analysis? Dominic: No it doesn’t. I mean I would’ve like to of…I remember early on when I was betting heavily in the 1980’s when I had a big start on the barrier trials, and I used to have a colleague who was very clever at analysing pedigrees. So you know I would hear him more, and he would analyse the pedigrees for me on the basis that you know, who had a two year-old pedigree, who had a first start pedigree, etcetera. And from that perspective it was quite valuable, I’m pretty sure it’s probably still valuable, but it’s not something that I’ve considered myself expert enough. But there’s plenty of data out there, and plenty of information out there about different ratings on, and that you can then multiply you know…the sire by the dam and come up with a figure, and you know a proportion of first starters to win by this sire and etcetera. So there’s plenty of data out there, I don’t know how much gets into the public I’ll have to say, I haven’t tested it. David: Something I know you believe is valuable is speed maps. I know the importance of them myself. But how do you incorporate something like that, that you know in many ways is subjective,

Dave talks to one of the biggest bookmakers in horse racing history, Dominic Beirne, who shares the race-form analysis insights that led him to revolutionise the role of the on-course bookmaker. Dominic is currently more involved in the betting medi...

Dave talks to rising star Tommy Berry who recently added the Hong Kong Group One QEII Cup on Military Attack to his Golden Slipper, Doncaster and other big race hauls. Tommy is a young gun who reached celebrity status very quickly in racing mad Hong Kong. The horse racing scene is especially popular in Hong Kong as punting is the only legal form of gambling in the city and a typical raceday can see more than $100m AUD invested. Punting Insights You'll Find The day-to-day routine and general lifestyle of a Hong Kong based jockey. How favourites get no favours and why it's so important to find a position. What he has learned from all of the international riders. Why he admires a jockey like Craig Williams. The type of horse suited to Sha Tin and its similarities to Randwick. The type of horse suited to Happy Valley and its similarities to Moonee Valley. Why Military Attack has to be a strong chance for the 2013 Cox Plate. Today's Guest: Tommy Berry Tommy's Closing Tip: "I don't think you can get enough of it. Experience is what the game is all about. I've only been here a month and a half and my riding has improved immensely, so the more riding experience I can get the better ." Get the Transcript: Episode 005 : Dave dives Into Advanced Punting Using Race Statistics with Actuary Nick Aubrey Welcome to Betting 360, your number one source for horse racing and sports betting insights. Coming around the bend is your host David Duffield, with another expert view to give you the winning edge. David: Hello and welcome to Betting 360, I’m your host David Duffield and every week here I bring on a special guest, to look at punting from all different angles. And today I’m pleased to chat with Tommy Berry, he’s a guy that’s really taken the racing world by storm, since winning his first Group one last year that was on at Epaulette in the Golden Rose and a lot has happened for him since then. Including the Golden Slipper  on Overreach, the Doncaster on Sacred Falls, and a big Group One winner on his first day in Hong Kong. So let’s find out right now what punters can learn from a very good jockey who’s well and truly on the way up. David: Hello again listeners, I’d like to welcome Tommy Berry to the show, how are you going Tommy? Tommy: Very well thank you how are you? David: Going well thanks, some minor technical problems but we’ll work through those. So just wanted to find out how you’re enjoying your time in Hong Kong, I know you’ve never been overseas before, so it must be a new experience for you. Tommy: It’s been great, obviously like you said it’s my first trip overseas, and I’ve had great success since I’ve been here, and that probably helps a little bit, and a lot of great support from trainers and other jockeys who are willing to help from Australia as in Zac Purton and Tye Angland so they’ve made it feel a little bit more like home. David: Good stuff, and I know you had another winner there yesterday with Jamesina, I’ve heard high profile jockeys are pretty much treated like rock stars in Hong Kong, what’s it like just in your everyday life? Tommy: It’s great, like you said they’ve only got…the only betting you can do over here is at the races, so a lot of people watch TV, and a lot of people watch the races, so it doesn’t matter if you get into a cab to go somewhere, or coming home, or just at a shopping centre, everyone seems to know you. So it’s quite different, and a lot of people are willing to take photos a lot, and there it’s a bit more…there in your everyday life, which is a bit more different from home, but I’m slowly getting used to that which is good. David: And what about the big change going from our almost everyday wall-t-wall racing, to just having a couple of meetings per week, what’s it been like adapting to that? Tommy: Weight wise I’ve had a little bit of trouble with,