As part of our regular website maintenance, a number of old systems that did not have any subscriptions were soft-deleted this mornng.

These systems are still available and can be recovered by clicking on the "Restore Deleted System" button from your systems dashboard.

Old systems are routinely deleted to ensure the smooth running of the website.

We have updated the site this morning.

Some users may experience some minor glitches until you refresh your browser cache.

This can be achieved by

• Press ctrl and F5 simultaneously for Windows
• Cmd and R for Mac Safari
• Cmd Shift R for Mac Chrome.

If that doesn't work, you might like to try the following

Regards,
Support.

We have recently updated our site to include

- A Dual Acceptors list can now be accessed by hovering over the main 'Form' Menu item at the top of the page.

- Sectional Time and Split Time Meeting Ranks can be selected for display from the relevant 'drop down lists' on the Form Guide page for an upcoming race and the Horse Record page.

- Where we currently have Top 10 (by A2E) engaged Trainer and Jockey tables on the upcoming Meeting Page, it is now possible to click on links which open tables for ALL Trainers and Jockeys engaged at the meeting. These tables can then be sorted to your own preference, by clicking on the sort controls embedded in the column headers.

New Sectional Pro Form (SPF) content is now live!

• - Wides (Lanes) Data is now being published for all TAB (tote) meetings (including Hong Kong and Singapore).
• - A2E and Proportional Staking data has been added to Trainer and Jockey Pages.
• - Current Trainer A2E and Proportional Staking data has been added to the Horse Page.

New Sectional Pro Form (SPF) content is now live!

The FormGuide meeting page now contains extensive Barrier Profile Data and Top 10 Jockey and Trainer data for each meeting.  Metro meetings also contain Lane profile data.

The upcoming race view also includes Top4 Benchmark tables and extended Jockey, Trainer and combination data. 

(click on images for larger view)

Barrier Profile Data

Lane versus Rail Profile Data (metro meets only)

Jockey and Trainer Profile Data

On the FormGuide page for each race, you will also find

Race Top 4 Profile Data

Jockey, Trainer and Combo Profile Data for each runner

We have recently extended our developer API to include some new calls and information.

All ProPunter (or above) subscribers have access to our developer API.  If you would like further information please contact support.

Documentation for the FormDataService can be found at: https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/10712595/TzJu8wZa

Documentation for the ScratchingsService can be found at: https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/10712595/TzJuAy4a

Documentation for the RatingsService can be found at: https://documenter.getpostman.com/view/10712595/TzJvdwbM

Please be advised that as of Tue Jan 5, 2021, we will no longer offer the ability to make systems public or the ability to subscribe to another user's systems. All systems will be reverted to private and subscriptions by non-system creators will be cancelled on this date. The ability to create and subscribe to your own systems via the System Builder will remain unchanged.

Key Race Index

The Key Race Index is the 'Form' strength/quality coming out of a past race, expressed as a 0 to 100 scale, over a selected elapsed time period.

The index is not simply the number of wins or placings coming out of a race expressed as a percentage. It is based on a proprietary formulation, whose exact makeup is not important. All that really needs to be known, is that the higher the number the better, and the longer the elapsed time period selected (eg. 120 days), the more difficult it is for the Key Race under consideration to score a high index (due to the likely increased number of subsequent runs coming out of the race, compared to a shorter period).

(Accessible under the main Form menu)

Key Race List:

Key Race Upcoming Runners:

Key Race Results:

 Important Note:

Should you have difficulty viewing the content you normally see on any web page and or cannot see the new Sectional Pro form Features outlined in this update, please perform a 'Hard Browser Refresh' as follows;

Press ctrl and F5 simultaneously for Windows

Cmd and R for Mac Safari

Cmd Shift R for Mack Chrome.

New SPF Features:

Wides in Run data for Metropolitan Meetings (for all timed distance markers).

When Position-In-Run is selected, the Lane (we call this Wides data) being occupied by that runner (at the marker in question) will also be displayed (only Metropolitan meetings have this feature, at this point in time).

Spell, Let-Up and Freshen Lines (between relevant runs) are now also shown in the Sectional Data Table. These have always been shown in the Standard Form Table, provided that option is ticked in the 'Options' section available under the Speed Map (expand / view by clicking on the word Options).

(If the image below is hard to see please click here)

Because we have not increased subscription prices since Punting Form commenced operations and to fund ongoing development of the new product features being rolled out, we need to increase subscription prices by approximately 12%.

Important Note: Customers with an existing subscription will experience No Price Increase while they maintain their current subscription (existing recurring subscription rates will be 'grandfathered'). So, if you have been thinking of subscribing, getting in before we can administer/formalise the new rates, will save you money moving forward. System Notification Subs will remain at $5 per week, per System.

Proposed Subscription Rates (for New Subscriptions):

Individual MQG; from $7 to $8 per meeting

Pro Punter Form; from $10 to $11 per week.

MQG Ratings (.pdf); from $88 to $99 per month.

Desktop Ratings Software; from $165 to $187 per month.

Sectional Pro Form; from $264 to $297 per month.

Sectional Pro Form + Desktop Ratings; from $330 to $374 per month.

Additional content is soon to be released as part of our Ratings and Sectional Pro Form web-based Subscriptions.

New content will include:

(If the images are hard to see please click the main article link above)

Benchmarking for Last 400m, 600-400, 400-200 and 200-Finish.

Sectional Rating/Pricing Ranks for Last 400m and Last 200m.

A simple new concept - Relative Gain Benchmark for all Sectionals and Splits.

 Wides in Run data for Metropolitan Meetings (for all timed distance markers).

When Position-In-Run is selected, the Lane (we call this Wides data) being occupied by that runner (at the marker in question) will also be displayed (only Metropolitan meetings have this feature, at this point in time).

No screenshot of this new content is available at this time (currently being programmed/implemented).

The layout of Sectional Pro Form has been changed to simplify the reading of Benchmarks and to incorporate an Early Pace Description for both the Individual Runner and Race (which is just the Leader at each marker).

Runner benchmarks and Race benchmarks now have their own distinct columns (the old style Runner/Race formatting has been removed).

It is our belief that 'early pace' can only be properly determined/described when referenced against the Class of Race (which is why we have All Average Benchmarks and Class Benchmarks). In order to better convey this idea, we have introduced an Early Pace Description in all the Sectional Pro Form Results/Form Tables.

The Early Pace has simply been categorized using our existing To 600m Class benchmark as follows:

• Greater than +5.0 =Very Slow
• Greater than +2.0 and less than or equal to +5.0 =Slow
• -2.0 to +2.0 =Even
• Greater than or equal to -5.0 and less than -2.0 =Fast
• Less than -5.0 =Very Fast

We hope this is well received after a settling in period (User Testing indicated it should be). Screen Shot showing an example of the revised Layout / Content:

 

(If the images are hard to see please click the main article link above)

We have been working on Punting Form Analytics for a number of years now, as an exciting addition to our existing capabilities in the compilation of bespoke thoroughbred horse racing data. It seemed only natural that we (and our clients) would wish to maximise our ability to understand what the data was telling us. The shape PF Analytics will ultimately take as a product offering is still being determined, but as a minimum it will 'inform' some of our web content and test a few of the 'theories' which get tossed around the punting landscape.

There was discussion on twitter concerning 'track bias' at the Sandown Lakeside meeting on Wednesday 28^th August, 2019; so we thought that might be a good opportunity to use PF Analytics as an investigative tool. As it turns out, the Meeting was as good an example of 'track bias', as we have seen. One of the downsides of trying to determine meaningful 'per race', or 'per meeting' statistics/analysis, is dealing with small sample sizes (e.g. 70 runners for the entire meeting). With this in mind, we designed a report with several different types of measures and were careful to look for the presence of logical/clear 'trends' across the various data categories (e.g. from' inside to outside' or 'forward to rear' etc).

Summary of found 'Track Bias':

Barriers: 2.0 lengths advantage to inside barriers (compared to outside).

Lateral (400 to Finish): 3.8 lengths advantage to on rail (compared to outside lanes). Looking at 'Race by Race', also supported this being the case for the duration of the meeting.

Lateral (800 to 600): 2.7 lengths advantage to on rail (compared to outside lanes).

Longitudinal (600 to 400): 4.0 lengths advantage being forward in the run (compared to being in the rear group).

Longitudinal (800 to 600): 4.0 lengths advantage being forward in the run (compared to being in the rear group).

Note: The above figures are not 'cumulative'. The maximum advantage (or disadvantage, depending on how you wish to look at it) to any one runner, was approx. 4.0 lengths.

A complete .pdf version of theSandown Lakeside 28/8/19 Bias Report(9 pg) can be downloaded here:

https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D6953095_09553868_485923

As an example of a track with no real bias … actually, there may have been a length or so advantage (see bit of a trend in lateral and longitudinal numbers) in being off rail and mid to rear in run … due to wind? Anyway, not much in it; theCaulfield 31/8/19 Bias Reportcan be downloaded here:

https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D6953095_09553868_488609

A pictorial explanation of how to interpret the Bias Reporting follows:

(If the images are hard to see please click the main article link above)

Through support requests and our own internal QA procedures, we have recently identified three issues with the system builder and system statistics. The first two of these issues are seemingly random (making them difficult to de-bug) in that, for some cases the data was applied correctly, and in other cases the data was incorrect. 

The first issue was with the Betfair SP dividends. It was discovered that in some cases the incorrect dividend was applied. This was traced to an issue where there were multiple race codes on at the same venue on the same day (for example Warragul races and Warragul trots). This has been rectified, dividends corrected and systems statistics have been recalculated.

The second issue is with the apprentice jockey filter and jockey claims in the systems builder. The source of this issue has been identified and we are close to implementing a fix for this. Once this fix has been implemented, we will commence to backfill apprentice jockey flags and claims, and then recalculate systems which use either of these filters.

The third issue is to do with Back systems which utilise Betfair SP as the chosen pricing mechanism. While Creating or Editing the rules for Back systems using Betfair SP, the Betfair commission rate is correctly calculated and deducted. However, once Saved, the system performance does not take into account the Betfair commission rate. We will be rectifying this, as well as making sure that all systems which are made "public" are resulted with a 0% commission discount rate (for Back and Lay types). Most users may not be aware of this setting within the User 'Account Settings' area. It is set at 0% commission discount by default, as this is the worst case scenario (i.e. no discount is applied to the standard Betfair commission rate structure based on each State, resulting in the highest applicable level of commissons being reflected in results). Betfair customers can qualify for a discount on the level of commission paid, depending on their usage patterns etc. Such customers can change the 0% commission discount account setting, to reflect the amount of commission they actually pay, to be reflected in their 'private' systems. Consistency regarding the display of Gross and Nett columns in results for Back systems, will also allow for checking that any applicable commission rates have been correctly taken into account (similar to what we had already done when introducing Lay systems).

 Just a quick note to advise that our usual upload of Sectional Time Data for Saturday Metro race meetings this evening (Sunday 09/06), will not take place until Monday evening (10/06), for this weekend's races. Unfortunately (particularly with regard to getting the Eagle Farm Group Races out as soon as possible) our Sectional Timing Office is out of action today. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes. The normal routine of Sunday evening upload of Saturday Metro race meetings, will resume again from next weekend (Saturday 15/06).

We will be posting regular updates here as part of a re-organisation of the PF website and business. Education pieces or articles on subjects of interest will also appear here (under 'News').

• An upgrade of our servers has now been completed. This moves us from underlying technology/software which was 7 years old and places us in a good position for improved 'responsiveness' and a better user experience on all fronts moving forward.
• The PF User Forum has been removed. As indicated recently, our main focus is not to be a website where users gather for discussion with one another on topics of interest. We wish to focus our resources on the development of tools, which clients find make a 'valuable' contribution to their punting endeavors on thoroughbred horse racing (as well as our own). Clients (or potential clients) are welcome to communicate with PF using suppport@puntingform.com.au (for general enquiries, product support etc). For those wanting a sense of 'community' and a place to partake in wide ranging discussions with other punters, we can recommend https://www.punters.com.au/
• Dynamic elements (those menu options which appear with mouse hover and change relative to latest site content / user permissions) have been removed from the Main Menu. Just click on the desired Menu item and further detailed links will become available. For instance, to access the latest Sectional Time Data; click on 'All Results' under the Form menu and all resulted meetings will be shown, along with an icon indicating those which have Sectional Time Data available.
• Access to free PF 'form' content will now require log-in using Registered User details. This has become necessary for us to manage 'bots and scrapers'.