Why paying for tips is a good thing!

PUNTERS on racing forums often debate the question: Why should one pay for tips? What does that so-called expert know that I don‘t, anyway!?

Well, let me address the matter as such: If you have a severe pain in your chest, are you going to breathe deeply and take a Panado, or go to a heart specialist?

The debates mentioned above often close overwhelmingly in favour of not paying for tips – always led by the big-mouthed knowitalls who believe they know the game backwards, they have nothing to learn from anyone.

The truth is, however, that those who brag that they will never pay for tips are those who’d rather die of a heart attack than visit a doctor! They are too hardheaded and self-absorbed to admit that one never stops learning in racing and that there may exist on God’s earth a few individuals who possess more knowledge of the sport than they do!

Those of us who study form for a living do have an undeniable edge – experience, daily, intimate involvement, an inside track to trainers, owners and jockeys and most of all, the ability to assess every race on merit, to eliminate prejudice and to arrive consistently at the right conclusions. Plus, a feel for racing that cannot be acquired after two, three, six months or even five years in the game!

The Charl Pretorius tipping services have been operational in some form another since 1990, when “Wennerlyn” started at Racing Digest, followed by “Die Ware Wenner”, “Tipcall”, “Racingweb Value Bet” and “freeracer”. That’s 23 years of tipping many winners, and a host of losers too, but consistently being successful with a steady following. I won’t be doing it otherwise!

Of course there are patches of weak form, of course losers are tipped and sometimes recommended bankers are beaten. But generally, good tipsters can be a valuable addition to your own arsenal of knowledge.  Eliminate your  habit of running down those who charge for tips, and perhaps you can learn something and improve your own skills.

I still learn every week. I read and follow advice where I can find it. In John Sweet, Matthew Stevens, Matthew Lips, Philip Goldberg, Darryl Maree and Bobby Bean we have some very knowledgable tipsters in South Africa – they’re all proud of what they do, and they’re not out to rip you off. If they’re fly-by-night chancers, you won’t be seeing the adverts for their products and they won’t be surviving as they do in the game!

I am proud of three winning value bets from nine given on the RWV Value Bet SMS line and in my FR tipping sheets this week, as you will see below.

To use the level-stake method – if you’d backed each of the freeracer value bets with R1,000 to win, your layout would have been R9,000. Your tote return this week would have  been R32,100, or a profit of R23,100.

If you’d backed each value selection with R1,000 eachway, your layout would have been R18,000 and your return R41,200, or a profit of R23,200.

I will include below that, links to other tipsters, because they’re in business for the same reason, to share information based on their better skills, and to earn a fair fee from it!

Extracts from FR Arlington Tipping Sheet, 2 December:

Let’s start with THE BERRYMAN in Race 2:  Here’s a runner from the Go Diego Go formline (28 October), which is working out well, and he seems to like this track. The Berryman is well drawn too, as opposed to the favourite Royal Treasure, who will be affected by his draw. He has form to top sort Variety Club, but it worries me that he got beat at evens last time in what was a weak field – that was his first after a rest and he runs a week after. He may well win, but at his price The Berryman seems better value. (Opened 33-10, winner at 28-10)

Lastly, I think SKY CAPERS is worth a tickle at 20-1 in Race 8 – her form is nothing to scream about, but she is lightly raced and from Justin Snaith’s powerful satellite yard in PE – with a great rider up. Plus, she’s by Jet Master and likes Arlington. Not quite convincing enough, perhaps, but Jet Master-Snaith-Fourie in a poor field can have a few rands, surely? (Opened 20-1, winner at 10-1).

Extracts from FR Vaal Tipping Sheet, 2 December:

I’ve found some early value in NIGHT PEGAGUS (Race 1), on the strength of her good Vaal sand runs – go through her form and you will spot some good places in races that have produced several winners. She seems to have needed her last three, two of which were on grass, and from an inside draw on sand is worth a nibble at 14s. (Opened 14-1, a winner at 16-1).

Also see

RWV results sheet

John Sweet website

Matthew Stevens Website

Philip Goldberg Website

Headline illustration by Weyni Deysel, taken from The 10 Habits Of Highly Effective Horseplayers by Charl Pretorius.

Please be advised that, due to soft underfoot conditions, today’s (Saturday 3rd Dec) Scottsville Racemeeting has been postponed to Sunday 4th December 2011, weather permitting. Revised times are as follows :
Race 1 12h55
Race 2 13h30
Race 3 14h05
Race 4 14h40
Race 5 15h15
Race 6 15h50
Race 7 16h25
Race 8 17h00
Race 9 17h30