BetTurtle Blog

An important part of horse racing form study, is analysing the quality of the competition from previous races the horse has run in.

BetTurtle provides tools and information to help make this process quick and easy.

Click here to visit the main race page on BetTurtle and select a race to try the following out (access and available information is dependent on subscription level).

Once you have selected a race card follow the instructions below to access a detailed record for a race.

In the diagram we highlight three sections that helps you to understand the quality of the opposition in the race.

Runner Types

In a previous article we highlighted the importance of understanding the type of a horse.

BetTurtle categorises horses into the following types;

1. Debutant - has never run before.
2. Unexposed - only raced a few times and is potentially open to considerable improvement, as it ages, gains experience or races under different conditions.
3. Improving - mproving and climbing the handicap ratings. Can be worth following until the improvement stops.
4. In Form - has been running well perhaps winning or coming close.
5. Exposed - preferences are well understood. May win occassionally, but may struggle against unexposed or improving horses.
6. Sleeper - has not been running well, but has been dropping down the handicap ratings. Could return to form at big prices.

Races with a higher number of unexposed, improving and in form horses tend to be the better class of race. Compare this to races with mostly exposed and sleeper types, where the form is likely to have been of lower quality.

Runner Next Race Summary

For horses that have raced again since the race, BetTurtle provides a breakdown on how each horse performed in it's next run. A high number of winners and placed horses, since the race, can be seen as a positive sign,

Runner Next Race Detail

Further detail on the next race performance of each runner can show the result, class, grade and level of performance to build a clearer picture of the calibre of competition in the race.

Form Study Tips

When you have a shortlist of candidates in a race, it is well worth checking the information above to spot the horses that have been running against a better class of competition.

Here are a few hints and tips to try out;

1) Look out for unexposed horses that have not yet won and have been running well in good quality races and today is taking on horses that have been running in weaker races.

2) For race favourites, check the quality of the opposition the horse has been running against. If recent classes of races look inferior to today's race then the favourite may be worth taking on.

3) When you have a shortlist of horses, take a look at the quality of recent races each horse has been running in. Those that have been competing in better races are often the horses to be interested in.

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