7 Golden Rules to Help You Pick Winning Horses

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1 7 Golden Rules to Help You Pick Winning Horses Steve Smith-Eccles INNER CIRCLE By Steve Smith-Eccles

2 Steve Smith-Eccles INNER CIRCLE STRAIGHT FROM THE JOCKEY S MOUTH! 7 Golden Rules to help you pick winning horses by Champion Hurdle winning jockey Steve Smith-Eccles Dear Reader, The simple fact of the matter is that different people see racing in different ways... Some people specialise in novice chasers, others on all weather sprints. Some follow the form book, others the stopwatch. Personally, I use a combination of everything. Plus, as an added bonus, I have a network of quality contacts built up over a lifetime in the racing game, both in and out of the saddle. That said, there are, of course, a few golden rules. These are the rules I try to stick to (though sometimes I get information too good to ignore). So, if you follow this little list you should improve your profitability in the long tem... Most may seem glaringly obvious, especially if you re a regular bettor yourself, but you really would be surprised how many punters choose to ignore them and then wonder why their betting bank just gets smaller and smaller, day by day! 1

3 GOLDEN RULE 1: Never ask a horse to do more than it has before When a horse steps up in class for the fist time, we are all second-guessing as to whether it has the ability to cope with better rivals... So why risk it? I prefer to look and see if he or she has ever won a similar contest, however long ago that may be. A quick glance through the form book will show you which races the horse has won, and if they are in the same class and perhaps off the same official rating (especially in a handicap), then we can see we are only asking for a repeat effort for him to have an outstanding chance. GOLDEN RULE 2: Make sure your horse is ready to go the distance Its all very good thinking a horse will improve for a step up in distance or even a return to a shorter race... But until you have the evidence you are adding risk to your bet. There is obviously no such thing as a risk-free bet, but why add to the question marks by making assumptions without evidence to back up your ideas? If a horse has won over the distance of the race concerned, at least you know that could well be his optimum, which ought to increase your confidence in having a bet. GOLDEN RULE 3: Remember every course has its own character The thing about British racing, most envied in the racing world, is the massive variety in our tracks. Some are uphill, some are flat... STEVE SMITH-ECCLES INNER CIRCLE 2

4 Some are sharp, some are galloping... Some are easy, some are more punishing... But whatever the case maybe, horses are inclined to be able to race on them all. Thing is though, very few can put up the same standard of performance on all the variations. So, by definition, a horse who has won on the track he races on today has again proved he can do what we are asking of him, to win a race on that track, whatever its make up and undulations. GOLDEN RULE 4: You ve got to consider the going They say a really good horse goes on any ground... What unutterable drivel! Some horses like plenty of give in the ground (soft or heavy perhaps), while others like to hear their hooves rattle on ground akin to concrete. Each horse will have its preference and again a quick look through the formbook should show you the way. If the going matches his winning form then you could well have a bet. I love this one... STEVE SMITH-ECCLES INNER CIRCLE GOLDEN RULE 5: How much does your horse weigh? You d be amazed how many punters ignore this angle. And I guess that s why it can be used as such a potent weapon. It sounds obvious, but horses come in different sizes and strengths just like the rest of us. Imagine if you will two people, Mr Smith is lithe-fit and weights about ten stone. Meanwhile, Mr Brown is strong and muscular and weighs 14 stone. 3

5 STEVE SMITH-ECCLES INNER CIRCLE As things stand you would expect Mr Smith to win a race between them. But what if they both had to carry a bag of coal? Suddenly, the odds have changed, and your money is on Mr Brown because he is big enough and strong enough to carry the weight. Ditto horses. If we ignore the handicap ratings and look at the actual weight carried by a horse when it won its races we get a good pointer as to whether he is physically capable of carrying the weight. A horse that won carrying ten stone may well step down in class where he has to carry eleven stone seven does that mean he can do so successfully? GOLDEN RULE 6: Don t be fooled by a flash in the pan No, is the answer, unless we have evidence that he has carried a similar weight in the past. Another of my favourites this one, which is why I saved it until second last... Some horses win first time out... yet they never win another race. They were at their peak on day one, and it s downhill all the way after that. Unless you re lucky enough to back them at that point, you need to avoid these beasts like the plague. Instead, you should look for a horse that is improving race by race. One good example was a horse called Non Dom, who I backed early March. Three outings over hurdles had seen him finish 15th of 22 at Newbury, fourth of 14 at Plumpton and then 1st of 11 at Leicester. Clearly, this five-year-old has been learning his trade over hurdles, getting better and better, run by run and certainly had the profile of the sort of horse I look out for. He duly won next time out, by a wider margin, and at 9/4, which I felt was excellent value. 4

6 STEVE SMITH-ECCLES INNER CIRCLE GOLDEN RULE 7: Keep your ear to the ground Sadly, this final rule is a hard one and unless you re lucky enough to have been the game for a while, cultivating a list of inside contacts can take a lifetime. But for me, I must admit, it s been invaluable. Racing in this country is far straighter than most people realise, but it s not public knowledge if a horse worked exceptionally a few days before a race, or trod on a nail a week before and has not been able to work since. When you live in Newmarket like I do, you know everybody who is anybody and nothing escapes the Headquarters Grapevine. Plus, with all my old jumping contacts, I get to hear the information from the National Hunt yards as well. You should rarely, if ever, simply follow such information, but added to the first six Golden Rules I ve shared with you here, a little nugget of information from an informed insider can often be the final piece of a complicated jigsaw. WHAT S NEXT? Put my insight to the test for 60 days risk-free I really hope the simple rules I ve laid out for you here will help you achieve greater success with your in your betting. But this is really a drop in the water I genuinely believe with my insight you ll be able to take your horse racing profits to a whole other level. Right now, you can actually receive my daily tips these are the inside tips I usually reserve for my own inner circle of close friends and family for the next 30 days completely risk-free. If you follow my advice and find that they don t make you money over the next 60 days, you can get a full and complete refund. But best of all, not only can you take advantage of a full 60 day, cast-iron money back guarantee... for a limited time only, you can also take advantage of a special quarterly payment plan I ve set up with my publisher. 5

7 STEVE SMITH-ECCLES INNER CIRCLE It means that rather than paying the annual Inner Circle membership fee in one, upfront lump sum, you can break it up into four quarterly payments, which you can pay quarter by quarter. So, I really do encourage you to give my experience, my insight and my love of the sport a try to see just how much it could help you make more money from the exciting world of horse racing... To find out how you can claim your 60 risk-free trial and take advantage of the limited quarterly payment plan offer, visit the website below: Best wishes, Steve Smith-Eccles Creator, Steve Smith-Eccles Inner Circle 6

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