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Live ScoresUnderstanding Horse Racing Stats
If you like to watch horse racing, or read horse racing magazines, then you may have noticed that there are a lot of statistics quoted by racing pundits. Some of these, to the novice gambler, can be quite confusing. Even people who know the jargon can sometimes be left wondering what the stats actually mean when it comes to placing a bet.
In truth, many of the figures quoted are just useless trivia that will not have any impact on the horse races ahead. Other statistics are important, however, and this guide will help you find the nuggets of information in amongst the padding, helping you enjoy more success in your horse betting.
Total Wins
This statistic is almost useless by itself, as it can be very misleading. Knowing that Jockey A has 25 wins, while Jockey B has 70 is not going to help you unless you also know how many races each jockey has under their belt. Jockey A may have a much better 'strike rate' than Jockey B.
Strike Rate
The strike rate, also known as the Win %, is the number of wins compared to the number of races. If Jockey B in the case above had competed in 700 horse races, that would give him a strike rate of 10%. Jockey B, on the other hand, may only have 75 races under his belt, giving him a much, much higher strike rate - 33%.
Strike rates usually also consider ground conditions or courses - so you may see something like 'This Horse, 10% on firm ground'. This kind of information is quite useful; however you are still lacking some information about the circumstances of each race, and does not give you specific information about trainer / runner combinations, for example, making it not totally reliable when considering betting odds.
Profit to $1 Stakes
This is often used by newspapers and web sites to give you an idea of a rider on a certain course. It is not a very useful statistic, as it does not give you any information beyond that small snapshot.
Let’s say Jockey A has 'Profit of $40 to $1 stakes at Del Mar', while Jockey B only has $25 profit. Jockey B could have raced several times, and have a decent record, but Jockey A may have raced once as a 40/1 winner and this result have skewed the statistics in his favor.
Return on Investment
The final statistic we will look at is ROI, or Return on Investment. This is a very useful statistic, as it shows you how much profit or loss has been made over a certain period of time - giving you an idea of the overall horseracing success. The ROI is calculated using the following formula:
ROI % = Total Winnings / Total Staked * 100
This formula assumes that all stakes were the same.
The ROI can be a useful statistic for working out specific performance information - for example how strong a certain jockey / trainer combination is, or a sire's first time out performance. It is a very useful one to remember when considering your next online betting decision.
The ROI % can be skewed by a single 'big win', or by price bias, so it is worth digging into the values a little, but it is one of the better statistics to use.
Other popular statistics include 10 year trends, such as 'fate of the favorite' - this can be useful for the big named 'once a year' races, but in general, it is better to compare similar courses to get as big a sample size as you can.
To summarize, use as many statistics as you can, and don't take them at face value - look into the reasoning behind the figures, and, as with all statistics, try to use as big a sample size as you can. As with any other sports betting, you should not just rely on strike rate, or allow yourself to get wooed by impressive sounding figures - the only thing that matters is the overall profitability.
If you find the thought of watching the entire lifetime of a line, following the betting odds, and getting the chance to jump in on a big line movement exciting, then half time betting is for you. Even if you prefer the slower and more methodical pace of regular bets, don't dismiss the idea totally. Remember, it's a game of two halves!
