To track or not to track?

For 2 years now I have been using a tracker. You note a horse that you want to follow and enter its name in the relevant software and you then receive notification of when it is to run next. Trackers are widely available - those hosted by the Racing Post, Sporting Life, Racing TV and At the Races are all easy to use and free.

Trackers are definitely a useful tool, and pundits now regularly highlight a promising run as 'one for the tracker'. Actually these choices are usually pretty useless from a punting point of view because everyone else will have seen/heard it and that means the price when the horse runs next time will be too short.

I use a tracker to note mainly 3 types of horses-

1. Those which are handicapped to win (most often on the all-weather), usually having dropped to a weight below that which they last won at. Ideally this will include at least 1 run when they have failed to win at the advantageous weight, hopefully putting some judges off. I then track it for the next 3 runs, immediately de-tracking it if it does win. I used to track these types permanently but that risks the 'cliff horse' scenario (i.e. following it off one).

2. 2 year olds from less fashionable yards (Dow, Boyle, Chapple-Hyam, Kirk, Tuite to give just 5 examples) which run well in maidens or nurseries at high prices, and similarly in respect of bumper runners from the likes of Gifford, Smith, Hawke, Thomas, King etc.

3. Horses given favourable mentions in trainer stable tours from middle ranking stables (these trainers are often more adept at spotting a good one because they stand out from the mainly moderate horses they train).

There is danger to trackers though. It can make you lazy - automatically backing a horse because it has come up on your tracker even when realistically it has no chance under the conditions of the race it is going to run in (ground, weight etc). And there is also that awful feeling when a horse you de-tracked wins at a big price - not backing a winner always feels worse than backing a loser.

I currently use the ATR tracker. It is good at supplying more information (probable price and comments) when you receive the email, but unlike the Racing TV tracker you only receive the notification the night before it is to race. With the latter you get informed of entry (including early entry races) and declaration.

In future I will change tracker once a year as it provides an ideal opportunity to have a clear out of the dead wood (sometimes literally).

Today provides a useful illustration of how a tracker operates in practice. Hereford races was abandoned this morning due to snow but last night the tracker highlighted the following-

1.20 Strike Hollow - My comments were 'should win soon'. Price 8/1 so would have been a bet.

2.40 Oski  - 'utter dodge pot (sorry owner/trainer) but worth backing if e/w price'. It was 5/2 so hopefully I would have resisted a wager.

There is also one at Lingfield on the all-weather which is a classic category 1. example (see above)-

12.40 Lingfield The British Lion - 'handicapped to win'. It is 24 times runs since this last won but there have been some promising placed efforts. Cheekpieces go on for first time and up in trip. It warrants a bet and best price is 12/1 ...... cancel that it is a non-runner!

NB - As for yesterday's 4 down to 2 in the 3.00 at Ascot Colorado Doc fell at the 1st, while Touch Kick ran well at a huge price for a long way (would have traded relatively low in running) before fading in the home straight. At least Jerrysback did not win! And Colorado Doc is one for the tracker as it should be big prices for its next runs.