Questions and answers

Is every bet the favourite?

No. They're all horses near the top of the betting, but some are second or third favourite. My win bets have averaged a price of 3.19, and the place bets around 1.37. A place bet at 1.30 isn't the same thing as the horse being favourite to win.

How many bets are there?

Most days it's one to three horses. A big Saturday can bring more, and some days there are none, in which case you get an email saying so. Across the record it works out at about 12 bets a week, counting a win and a place bet on the same horse as two.

What time are the bets sent, and how?

By email every racing morning, before the first race, and the same card on Telegram if you'd rather have it on your phone. It also sits in your members' log in, with every past card and the running results. Every bet is taken at Betfair Starting Price, so you can put them on whenever suits you before the off.

Will I get the advised price?

Yes, because there isn't one to chase. Every bet goes on at Betfair Starting Price, and that's the price my results are worked out at. Tick "Take SP" on the bet slip and you get exactly what the record got, after 2% commission. Nobody is racing you to a price at 9am.

Will Betfair limit my account?

No. That's the whole reason it's Betfair Exchange only. Bookmakers cut your stakes the moment you start winning. On the exchange you're matched against other punters, and Betfair takes its commission whether you win or lose, so it has no reason to limit you.

Betfair does charge extra commission to a small number of its very biggest long term winners, called the Premium Charge. At the stakes most people bet, it never comes into it. More on why it's all on Betfair.

Why do you back horses that fell last time?

Not many, and not often. A horse that fell may have been going well. A horse that was pulled up was usually being beaten. Both get an F or a P in the form book, and both get avoided by most punters. I only want the first kind, and only when its form before the fall says it had the ability.

So the comeback bet is a jumps horse back within 60 days of a non finish, at a price no bigger than 5, whose earlier form passes my checks. They go on at half stakes, and I've only used them since this year. The full reasoning is here.

What should I stake, and what size bank?

My results are in points and you decide what a point is worth. Win bets are 1 point, and in some quarters half. Comeback bets (horses that fell last time out) are half, and place bets a quarter or a half, with the stake on every tip.

Keep a bank of 40 points. The worst dip in the record took 14 of them. At £5 a point that's a £200 bank, at £10 it's £400. Never bet money you can't afford to lose.

Is the record real, or could it just be luck?

The figures come from running my rules back over every race from January 2024 to 17 October 2026, at Betfair Starting Price after commission. That's 1,828 bets, which is large enough that luck on its own is an unlikely explanation for the whole record.

It isn't a live record yet, and I don't call it one. The live record starts with the first members and goes up next to it, month by month. Every bet is on the results page, and you can download the full spreadsheet and check the numbers yourself.

Why don't you just bet these yourself and keep quiet?

I do bet them. Every one, at the same stakes. But the money in this is steady, not spectacular. At £10 a point the whole record is about £1,900 over 34 months, which pays for a good holiday, not a house.

The exchange can take far more than I stake, and 150 members backing fancied horses at starting price don't move the market. So sharing it costs me nothing, and there's a fair bit in it for both of us.

How much is it, and is there anything free?

Two weeks for £5, with everything a member gets. Then £49 for the winter pass to 31 March 2027, or £95 for a year, paid once. The £5 trial rolls into the £49 on day 15. Details on the members page.

For free, there's my guide to picking the right favourites, sent by email, which shows you the thinking behind the shortlist.

Can I cancel, and what if it doesn't work for me?

You can cancel the trial any time before day 15 with one email to me, and the £49 is never taken. Full payment terms. The winter pass and the year are one payment each and don't renew, so there's nothing to cancel.

And if your first month on the £49 finishes down at my stakes, or you decide in your first 30 days that it isn't for you, email me at [email protected] and I'll refund the £49.

Is there a limit on members?

Yes. The first season is capped at 150, because I answer every email myself and want to keep it that way. When it's full, the join buttons come down and you can leave your email for the next season.

What happens after 31 March?

The winter pass simply stops. Nothing is taken and nothing renews. If you took the year, the bets carry on through the summer flat season to the anniversary of the day you joined. If I run a summer shortlist for winter pass members, you'll get one email about it, and it's up to you.