The Racing Bot

The blog

Racing, ratings and systems, written straight.

Guides on horse racing picks, how ratings actually work, and building scoring systems you can defend - from the team behind the scoring model.

How it works · 12 September 2026 · 4 min

What goes into a score

What goes into a score. The public record currently holds 15,750 settled picks across 436 days, 25% winners and 50% placed.

Read

The big races · 10 September 2026 · 4 min

St Leger: the antepost market

Antepost market, runners and the shape of the St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday 12 September.

Read

Beginner guide · 2 September 2026 · 4 min

Horse racing class explained

What racing classes mean, how Group and Grade races sit above them, and why a drop in class is one of the strongest form signals.

Read

Beginner guide · 1 September 2026 · 5 min

Racing going explained

What every going description means, how ground changes a race, and how to tell whether a horse actually wants soft or quick.

Read

How it works · 31 August 2026 · 4 min

Tracking horses that interest you

Tracking horses that interest you. The public record currently holds 15,308 settled picks across 424 days, 25% winners and 50% placed.

Read

How it works · 30 August 2026 · 4 min

The public record, and why it is public

The public record, and why it is public. The public record currently holds 15,265 settled picks across 423 days, 25% winners and 50% placed.

Read

Beginner guide · 27 August 2026 · 5 min

What is a handicap race?

How handicap races work, what the official rating means, how weight is allocated, and why a horse dropping in the weights matters.

Read

Racing guide · 24 August 2026 · 5 min

Forecast and tricast bets explained

What a straight forecast, reverse forecast and tricast actually pay, how the returns are calculated, and when they are worth the stake.

Read

Racing guide · 23 August 2026 · 5 min

Antepost explained

Antepost made simple: why the prices are bigger, the non-runner risk, when to take an early price, and how the big-race markets are tracked.

Read

How it works · 22 August 2026 · 5 min

How the value picks work

How the value picks work. The public record currently holds 15,107 settled picks across 418 days, 25% winners and 50% placed.

Read

How it works · 21 August 2026 · 4 min

Building your own scoring model

Building your own scoring model. The public record currently holds 15,107 settled picks across 418 days, 25% winners and 50% placed.

Read

Racing guide · 19 August 2026 · 4 min

Do favourites win in horse racing?

How often the favourite wins, why short prices aren't automatically value, and how to tell a solid favourite from one to take on.

Read

Racing guide · 17 August 2026 · 4 min

Speed figures explained

What speed figures are, how they're calculated, how they differ from official ratings, and how to use them to find an improving horse.

Read

Racing guide · 3 August 2026 · 6 min

How to find value bets in horse racing

Value explained: why the price matters more than the winner, how to estimate a true chance, and how a scoring model surfaces overpriced runners.

Read

Betting guide · 27 July 2026 · 4 min

How horse racing odds work

Fractional and decimal odds explained, how to turn odds into a probability, what the overround is, and how to spot a value bet.

Read

Betting guide · 20 July 2026 · 5 min

Understanding horse racing form

How to read a horse's form: figures, class, going and distance, days since last run, headgear and trainer angles - and what predicts a winner.

Read

Racing guide · 13 July 2026 · 5 min

Each-way explained

Each-way made simple: how the win and place parts work, place terms by field size, when each-way is value, and the mistakes to avoid.

Read

Betting guide · 6 July 2026 · 3 min

What is a NAP in horse racing?

A NAP is a tipster's strongest bet of the day. What it means, where the term comes from, and how a scored 'best bet' differs from a hunch.

Read

Beginner guide · 29 June 2026 · 6 min

How to read a racecard

Every number on a racecard explained: form figures, weights, official ratings, headgear, the draw and going - and what actually predicts winners.

Read

Guides · 22 June 2026 · 6 min

Automated horse racing bots, explained

What a horse racing bot actually does, how Betfair automation works, the compliance line between tools and services, and how to stay in control.

Read

Guides · 15 June 2026 · 6 min

What is a horse racing scoring system?

A horse racing scoring system explained in plain English: what gets measured, how points become a rating, and how to tell a real system from a dressed-up hunch.

Read