The importance of race reading

In another article, I discussed many of the key factors in making greyhound betting a successful, profitable experience and, alongside that is a need to be able to race read efficiently as possible, something I touched on in the punter’s guide under form/video replays. 

Race reading acknowledges that many significant factors take place in a greyhound race that will not be reflected in the result or the final times recorded by the runners in question.

When it comes to analysing what has happened and what you can process from what may happen in the future, knowing a greyhound has finished last, beaten 5 lengths, will matter considerably less than knowing it did so despite totally missing its break and would likely have finished considerably closer/won but for being badly hampered off the last bend.

Greyhound races are often manic affairs, with plenty to digest from lid rise, but just like knowing your dogs from the punters guide, your race reading skills improve with the more races you watch, thus building up a knowledge bank which our minds can process and store.

Building up the knowledge base is crucial but ultimately the objective of your research is to be able to draw productive conclusions from it i.e. a next-time-out bet, a significant track fact, or ultimately a dog to avoid at all costs from your future bets.

Just like the punting guide we can draw upon several useful pointers when turning our minds to race-reading and again, this list is not designed to prove exclusive.

1. BE EQUIPPED

To know what to expect of individual dogs in a race, whilst remaining open-minded to what does actually happen in a race. The distinction between the two can be highly significant, consider circumstances that are different for a greyhound than previously/last-time-out i.e. the trap draw, or step up/down in distance.

We discussed having a set number of tracks to focus on in the punting guide and with that in mind you should familiarise yourself with key pointers attached to your chosen track(s), do early-paced types fare better than slow away late finishers? Do weather conditions instigate a draw bias? Do particularly slow conditions provide some dogs with an increased chance?

Familiarise yourself with individual trainers’ modus operandi and pay attention to the market, which may unearth some clues of what may unfold.

2. BE COMPLETE

Focus on watching a race a number of times throughout, firstly establishing what unfolded at each of the key points (notably the bends) before layering interpretation on top of them.

Concentrating on the finish is all well and good, noting unlucky in running, staying on types etc. but attach significant weight to what happened at lid rise, remember a standard four-bend race is over within 30 seconds as a rule and what unfolds in the opening exchanges can have a significant bearing on the result.

Whilst also paying attention to what happens to the pick-up, noting particularly strong finishers that may be worth a crack at a longer distance.

3. BE ASTUTE

Towards individuals’ running styles when assuming a greyhound should have won/was unfortunate. Just like horses some greyhounds can flatter to deceive i.e. hanging about if in front too long or simply be a late headway monkey. Familiarise yourself with what signifies a greyhound as being a novice/likely improver and thus a medium for a bet in the future, and on the flipside, the ungenuine/awkward type that needs avoiding at all costs.

Young greyhounds can often be indecisive and prove inconsistent at the traps but usually display signs of learning as experience is drawn out, ungenuine greyhounds can show spurts of pace to make up plenty of ground but ultimately hang into and not go by the leading dog at the business end of a race.

Understand the significance of the race make-up on the outcome, did the presence of a host of quick-away types set it up for a finisher having cut each other’s throats? Or was one dog particularly well drawn as the sole railer, skipping clear of an otherwise slow away field of middle/mid-wide runners?

Getting the above correct is crucial in drawing up the right conclusions to take forward for the future.

4. BE PREDICITVE

What would an individual effort mean in a wider context and what can you take from it for the future? Okay, you can marvel at an individual performance as a stand-alone, but crucially ask yourself was the race strong/weak, did a particular factor elevate a dog’s performance i.e trap draw? And in your opinion can said dog replicate his/her performance in a stronger race/under a different set of circumstances?

5. BE SELF CRITICAL

Honesty with yourself is the best policy. Follow your thought processes through and conclude whether you got each decision correct or incorrect. The race containing unexposed pups that looked strong form for the grade, only for several to disappoint subsequently. Ask why that was the case? Or the eye-catcher from off the pace who was simply a late headway monkey who ultimately flattered to deceive. How will you nullify these from your betting patterns in future?

Mentioned are only some of the key principles of race reading to use as a productive arm to your betting and understanding many aspects of greyhound racing.