" Studying, or rather reading, form, and then understanding it, takes time. There are shortcuts if you don't have that time; you can follow the tipsters in the newspapers or on television, or do what some people do - watch the market. Again, that's ok if you have the opportunity to observe which horse is being backed or which one is drifting in betting as each race approaches. I'm sure I don't need to ask a seasoned punter if he or she has ever wondered why a horse's price shortens dramatically before a race, or indeed why one may start the race a far bigger price than it opened up. How often have you heard the phrase " Someone knows something?

Earth Summit's Grand National triumph in 1998 is a perfect example; on the morning of the race, Nigel Twiston-Davies' star 'chaser was available at twelve to one. By the time the starters' flag went up, Earth Summit was down to seven to one favourite, and as we all now know, he duly obliged, in the manner of a horse carrying a low weight in very testing conditions.

But Earth summit was ten years old when he won the Grand National and he had raced well over thirty times in varying conditions. Anyone 'studying' form would surely have known the horse's credentials. So why did his price shorten five points in the three hours before the race? And why did previous winner Rough Quest's price go out from six to one to double that figure at the start? The horse was fairly weighted and had been the most heavily backed contender on the day two years before when he came home a length and quarter in front of Encore un Peu.

 

The answer is more straightforward than you may think. "Someone knows something". Yes, of course they do. Imagine you are Terry Casey, trainer of Rough Quest on the day of the 1996 National, or any other day the horse would be running for that matter. To win the race the horse has to be in the very peak of physical condition. If the animal is a shade off colour, like you or I are sometimes, he is unlikely to give of his best. And who would know more about that than the trainer, or his staff?

 

So, as well as watching, reading and listening, you either have to sit in front of the TV, the PC or stand in the betting shop, looking out for a market mover that may catch your eye. The problem is, there's always more than one race meeting in progress, plus greyhound heats going off at five-minute intervals all over the place. If you are the type of punter that can deal with that sort of environment, and I've done it thousands of times, then good luck to you, you probably will not be interested in this service.

 

It took me years to learn several 'Golden Rules'.

 

Don't bet in every race, you will never win money.

 

Don't bet odds-on, even money should be the very lowest price to take.

 

When backing horses, bet singles only, how frustrating is it when one wins and the other gets beat a short head? 

"It is important to remember that horse and football betting are obviously completely different!

 

There are many factors to be taken into consideration when examining the chance of a horse. The going has a huge bearing and a horse, unproven or unhappy on certain types of ground can be ignored nine time out of ten. In handicaps, weight is the key, but you also have to consider the distance and the course, (Earth Summit, for example, didn't like right hand tracks, he never won going right-handed, which is why I never backed him at Sandown or Ascot)."

With Football you need to be aware on a daily basis who is injured and what the spirit is like in the team. Everything can contribute. That's why I stick to Non-league, and particularly the Nationwide Conference. Through my column in the Daily Telegraph, now in its third year, I am in constant touch with all twenty-two clubs, with contacts at almost every one.

 

My tipping on the Conferencefootball.tv website has met with 70% success since the Beatthebookie slot began in October.