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Mounting Yard Mail (MYM) could be called many things: yard analysis, equine behavioural assessment, horse watching. The principle is simple.
Mounting Yard Mail (MYM) could be called many things: yard analysis, equine behavioural assessment, horse watching. The principle is simple. Evaluating the individual runners of any given race, with an unbiased view, to determine who is primed to perform on that day and who is likely to underperform. The key here is having an unbiased view of the horses. It’s all too easy to turn up on the mounting yard fence, wanting to back one or two runners in the field, and finding reasons to support your argument, rather than objectively assessing what the animals are telling you.
When it comes to our service, the information we provide comprises three components which can be used by our punting customers. The first and most obvious is our staking advice. This is a combination of the overall parade, the distance and class of the race, the conditions of the day and the market intelligence. That’s it. Neither of our yard analysts, Rob Scurry in Sydney or Pete Anthonisz in Melbourne, will do any form in the lead-up to their MYM metropolitan services, so what you’re getting has no input from the form guide. The market itself provides that information, and the mounting yard provides an edge or a point of difference that the market won’t immediately factor in. As the large syndicates have their own mounting yard professionals, there will likely be some adjustments in the market late based on what their opinions are.
The conditions of the day are relatively simple: wind, rain and track pattern. For those punters not watching every race, or only being given limited television coverage, these sensitive variables may not be immediately apparent, but each can have a bearing on how a race unfolds. The combination of the parade looks at the runners in the market, and if one or more of the primary chances parades negatively, the market percentage opens up and an edge becomes more apparent. Conversely, there will be races where the primary chances in the market all parade well or equally, and suddenly any potential edge is diminished. Our staking advice aims to bring together the puzzle and is designed to be profitable in its own right over a long term period. We’re confident in this process as a team. We have decades of mounting yard and punting experience and we are continually refining and updating our processes to ensure the best quality information is provided.
The second component of our information is the individual runner reports. Many of our customers have done their own form, and/or have their own ratings and are looking for the cherry on top to inform their late betting decisions. In a busy world, it’s not practical for many to attend the race track just to get the final tick of approval before wanting to make an investment on a particular runner. While some broadcasters try their best to placate those looking to get some insight in to the parade, in Australia it feels like it’s a token approach in a congested racing schedule (we’ll leave the topic of the over saturation in Australian racing for another day). Our reports include wholistic comments for that parade, including the type, attitude, fitness and walk of the horses, plus any other factor of note, from the behaviour of the strapper to the saddling process of the trainer. The runner reports are designed to reflect the horse on the day, and if the runner has improved or worsened in appearance compared with their previous parade, and every yard is tailored for the distance and class of the race.
Finally, the top ranked yard numbers for that race can be used to find an edge around the market. Again, these numbers have nothing to do with the form guide, they’re simply a combination of the best parades and the market intelligence. We have had clients for years who have used the top 4-6 numbers for their own exotic betting, whether it be quinellas or exactas or trifectas, or even quartets, the ability to find a runner or two at odds away from the market can be vital to securing a positive return long term.
With changes in bookmaker taxation, we’re rapidly seeing late betting as the primary opportunity to take best price in the market. If you’re serious about monitoring late and best prices, then being informed from the mounting yard is a crucial component you need in your arsenal. If you haven’t tried our Mounting Yard Mail in Melbourne or Sydney, jump on board for the next metropolitan meeting and see what you’re missing out on!
The first thing to understand is that apart from the Highway races (country races held on city tracks) most horses present in very good order, ready to race at the Sydney metros. There really are no bad horses.
Since returning to the mounting yard full-time in Victoria, my goal has been to try and evaluate everything that I do with the sole purpose of not needing to do the form again.
I’ve now seen 132 races and 1490 runners, and although that sample is still low in the grand scheme of analysis, I’m already starting to identify a few factors which are good indicators for a horse running well or poorly.
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