It is reasonable to assume that the majority of punters could probably improve their chances of identifying the winner of any race if they had all the available data and several months to process it.
Therefore information and time are of massive importance to those wishing to make a profit betting on horses.
Unfortunately, with the explosion of the racing calendar, everyday race results are adding to the increasing mountain of data which needs to be processed, sorted, sifted, searched and calculated to find lucrative bets and angles in future races.
Given this context, relevant information and time (or rather lack of it) now become key commodities that need to be managed to focus on a reduced set of races and potential profit penalised due to a condensed list of betting opportunities.
However, with the advancement of modern technology, savvy punters have recognised that computers can give them access to all relevant information about a race and using a set of guidelines or rules, relevant data can be processed quickly to automatically highlight betting opportunities.
Therefore it can be argued (given the time constraints of ordinary punters), that if you are not using computers as part of your betting, you may be placing yourself at a severe disadvantage.
In this article we take a glimpse behind the curtains of the industry leading racing software Proform Professional to reveal how its computerised box of tricks can give you that winning edge.
WHAT IS PROFORM?
Proform’s inspiration was born of out the visionary skills of director and owner Simon Walton.
An ex-computer programmer and IT manager, Simon first started off with a basic program that helped him to calculated speed ratings in the manner inspired by Nick Mordin’s classic book Mordin on Time.
As the software grew in popularity, Simon quit his job as an IT manger in 2002 to work full-time on developing the software and adding new features to make it today’s go-to computerised formbook for casual punters, horseracing professional and TV pundits.
The heart and soul of the software is the database that contains UK race results from 1997 and Irish racing results from 2009 covering flat, National Hunt and all-weather.
The Proform software is a master class in user interface design and how to present complex horse racing statistics in a structured and logical manner.
THE PROFORM FORM BOOK
Summarising the details of every race (time, venue distance, going) and listing a concise biographical account of each runner, a form book provides a reference of past performances for each horse.
By studying form and the record of runner and riders in the race, the expectation is that the information within a form book will provide pointers to the winner.
Traditional methods (using the racing papers, online websites and making written notes) can be both cumbersome and time-consuming. The Proform horse racing software was developed to overcome these problems.
By delivering a new graphical way of viewing the performance of each horse in a race, not only can the user dispense with riffling through pages of a form book by a click of a mouse, they can quickly access the records of trainers, jockeys and courses and breeding information, capture their own notes on any eye-catching performances and get notification when the noted horse runs again.
For the more dedicated handicapper there is a wealth of other features that are incorporated into a form book. These include a comprehensive analysis of the draw statistics for each track, at each distance, on every type of going.
The pattern matcher is yet another excellent feature which matches the data on a specific horse to the current race. Using this feature punters can see at a glance how a horse may perform under specific conditions.
There is also a data exporter for sophisticated punters who wish to delve deeper into data using their own box of statistical tools.
SYSTEM BUILDER
From Prince Monolulu to modern-day websites offering untold riches if you follow their simple rules, horse betting systems have enticed many a punter over the years to place their faith in these magic formulae.
Pre the computer age, to develop a good system one had to collect and analyse information from newspapers or horse racing related publications and have plenty of spare time to interpret the data.
To create a successful system, methods need to be researched constantly to see if they remain effective.
With the help of modern software and tools like Proform Professional, all the hard work in processing the data is achieved easily by a press of a button.
The concept behind the Proform system builder is to enable queries against the horse racing database to find profitable strategies for backing, laying and trading horses and research a whole host of angles e.g. trainer, jockey, horse, course, pace or distance to unearth profitable systems that are simple, easy to administer and form the basis of bets to keep the betting bank ticking over.
IN-RUNNING MODULE
It is safe to say that the introduction of exchanges has revolutionised betting mainly due to the simple fact that they provide a platform for the ordinary punters to bet against each other or play bookmaker to take a position against a horse.
Once peer-to-peer gambling in the form of Betfair arrived on the scene in June 2000, betting options expanded with the increasing popularity of in-running betting.
This form of betting affords the added option of making bets while a race is in progress and profit from new betting concepts such as ‘back-to-lays’ or laying horses that go short in-running but never win.
Obviously, with the arrival of this new form of betting came a need to gather, collect process and analyse the in-running data.
Formed as an additional feature to the System Builder, the in-running (IR) module is a significant addition to anyone who has an interest in how a race develops IR or wants to see how a horse trades during their performances and develop future in-running bets.
THE INFORMED OPINION
In summary, Proform is not an application where you press one button and out pops the race winner. Proform is a package of statistics and analysis tools that allows users to quickly reach betting decisions and of course a traditional form book.
TESTIMONIALS
But don’t take our word for it, here are testimonials from some of The Irish Field writers who use Proform.
Mark Costello
Deputy Editor of The Irish Field, Ireland’s leading racing publication
The Irish Field was looking to enhance its betting coverage for readers and Proform Racing was the ideal fit. Today’s punters demand more from a racing statistics model than simply strike-rates and profit and loss figures. Proform’s ability to compare actual results with market expectations is what puts the service in a league of its own.
Kevin Blake
Freelance racing journalist and broadcaster with The Irish Field and At The Races.
I started using Proform in 2013 and have found it to be an excellent tool, particularly the system builder which I regularly use to analyse trainer/jockey stats and patterns. It is incredibly powerful software and I imagine I will use it more and more in the years to come.
John O'Riordan
Journalist with The Irish Field
Proform offers a fresh approach to betting on horseracing. Aside from the vast database of statistics, I was particularly impressed with how the software enables users calculate the likely pace of races. The software's own speed figures have also proved invaluable, especially on the all-weather surfaces.
GIVE PROFORM A TRY!
For one week only Proform Racing is offering a 50% discount to new or old customers using the code IF50. All you need to do is go to the proformracing.com website and enter the code IF50 when you subscribe to any Proform Racing product. The offer ends at midnight on Thursday, May 28th.