The Race Guide 'Type Guide'

Published: 04 Aug 2014

The Race Guide team produces detailed analysis of the weekend races in Sydney, which will soon be extending to Melbourne. But what does all the analysis mean?

Every horse has three individual pages of analysis, explained briefly below:

• Guide - A summary of Form information alongside the horses profile and comments from The Race Guide team.
• Form - As per standard form guides, including detailed video comments.
• Type - A profile of each galloper, including Features, Weaknesses, Likes and Dislikes. 

The midweek races typically have a Form Guide only published, but as an example, see below the Type page for Double Eagle this Wednesday. The David Payne four year old is entered in Race 7, a BM70 over 1900m.

An example - the Type Guide for Double Eagle

The information shows that based on type, the horse isn't clearly a sprinter or middle-distance galloper. In this case Double Eagle has a mix of athleticism and strength in his frame. Other interesting statistics are that he is at the upper end of the preferred distance range and is not the most reliable (i.e. capable of putting in a bad run). Add to the picture a lack of 'finishing strength' in his races and it looks like there is a chance he will tire late.

On the positive side he is able to handle tight spots (i.e. inside horses), which could come in handy from barrier 3. He also races genuinely (i.e. tries hard) when in the right race.

How does all this data get recorded? The Race Guide team spends hours analysing both the mounting yard and past races, all to ensure readers get a better feel for how their horse races and what factors could make the crucial difference between a payout and a hard-luck story.

Note: Form is the primary factor in analysing performance, but in an evenly matched handicap, the 'Type' factors often make the difference.