Jack Milner

JACK MILNER

Popular racing editor Jack Milner of The Citizen’s Racing Express gives his views on how to win at the ponies.

Jack writes: “Actor Henry Morgan (of M*A*S*H fame) once said that a bookie is just a pickpocket who lets you use your own hand. That statement is made true because punters very often look at the obvious but fail to pierce the veil that surrounds a horse’s form.

“Two successive easy wins can often see a runner heavily penalised by the handicapper and although the form might look impressive, the turnover of weights could favour other runners.

“Some trainers are masters at manipulating the merit rating system and one of the favourite tricks is to put horses in races that are way above their ability. They race runners with ratings of 65 in MR 80 Handicaps or Plate races. After a few poor performances at a higher level, they then drop the horse into a MR 62 Handicap. The form looks shocking but the runner is back in his class and suddenly pops up at a good price.

“So, the best advice is to keep a close eye on the class of field in which a runner participates. The Computaform carries an average merit rating of each race and while averages can be deceiving, they can also be a good guide.”