Where I started
My name's Lee. I grew up in Yorkshire around men who bet on horses. My dad, my uncle, and half the pub on a Saturday afternoon. I put my first bet on at fifteen, which I'd rather they didn't know, and I've been at it ever since.
For most of my twenties and thirties I bet the way most people do. Hunches, trainers I liked, horses whose names I fancied. I made money in bursts and gave it back in longer stretches.
The spreadsheet
What changed things was leaving a proper job in 2015 and keeping a record of every bet. Every single one, in a spreadsheet. It's boring work, but it made me honest with myself.
Once I had a few years of it, the record told me something I didn't want to hear. A lot of the favourites I was backing out of habit were costing me money. The ones that paid were the ones where something had actually changed since the last run, and where the price still made sense.
That's where the Shortlist comes from. A short list of fancied horses that pass those tests, win and place. Most favourites don't make it.
Why it's all on Betfair
The bookmakers closed my accounts for winning on favourites. So I took them to the exchange.
On Betfair you're betting against other punters, and nobody cuts your stakes for winning. Everyone gets the same starting price, so you can follow my bets properly, at the stakes you want. More on that here.
Get in touch
If you've got a question, email me at [email protected]. It comes straight to me and I answer it myself, usually the same evening.
Lee
P.S. If you'd like to see how I think before paying anything, my free guide to picking the right favourites is a short read. And if you'd like to see the bets themselves, two weeks costs £5.
See exactly what I do for two weeks.
For only £5.
Every bet I make, by email each racing morning, with the stake and my line on why. Pay £5 today, then £49 for the winter pass before day 15.
If your first month on the £49 loses, I refund it. Cancel with one email. Nothing renews after 31 March. Full details.