Just Stallions

Australia’s love of horse racing is proven by the fact that the Golden Slipper is the richest race for two-year-old thoroughbreds in the world. The race is run at the Rosehill Gardens track every April, with $3.5 million dollars at stake.

It’s a fast and furious race which attracts entries from all the Aussie states and other world class breeders and trainers. Every year the race has all the elements required to make racing blood boil and betting fly. The drama of horses coming from the extreme outside, wins by a nose, record breaking runs and coming from last to win are just some of the exciting events defining this glorious race.

In Australia, horse racing is not just racing. The love for the sport runs through the blood as fast as the dash for cash that is the Golden Slipper. For Australian breeders it is considered to be easily the most influential race for future sires and broodmares.

Betting History

Horses must be yearlings when entered, with late entries accepted until the end of March which adds another layer to betting. Betting up to the start of the race is as exciting as the race itself. The Golden Slipper is one of Australia’s greatest racing events which also include the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate.

Golden Slipper winners have included stars of the turf such as Miss Finland, Dance Hero, Catbird, Danzero, Todman, Sky High, Storm Queen, Vain, Toy Show, Luskin Star, Manikato, Sir Dapper, Bounding Away, Canny Lad, Tierce, Merlene and Belle Du Jour. Many of these champions went on to become successful sires or broodmares.

The records show that colts and geldings have won 30 races with the remaining 22 races having been won by fillies.

The first Queensland horse to win the Golden Slipper was Calaway Girl in 2002. That victory only added to the Australian racing excitement that continues to grow with each race held. She was a late entry and needed a long sustained run to win.

Betting on the Golden Slipper race is an exciting time for Aussie punters. Bookmakers start betting on the Slipper many months before the actual race. The 2008 race day betting turnover was the highest it has been in 20 years and is expected to grow. It’s estimated that all in all over $30 million was bet, $18 million through the TAB and $12 million with bookmakers.

Slipper Day

The Golden Slipper race has become so popular in Australia that a two week carnival called the Golden Slipper Festival is held. The last race saw 28,000 racegoers watching the race and enjoying the festivities despite the heavy track. The Golden Slipper has helped generate renewed interest in racing in younger Aussies. The youthfulness and vibrancy that surrounds the race excites the betting action, with plenty of opportunities for punters to win.

The Golden Slipper is a race that Aussie punters should simply not miss when it comes to betting. Normally there are a number of chances in the race and it’s possible to back more than one horse in the race and still make a good profit.

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David Duffield provides horse racing tips, ratings, lay betting and sports tips that will help you turn into a winning punter. To learn more please visit Racing Tips.

Most punters have a very selective memory. They tend to recall all the good wins but rarely discuss the many losses in between. Essentially if you are not recording your bets it’s because you don’t really want to face the fact that you are probably losing money.

Here are some facts you need to consider if you are serious about making a profit and winning long-term:

(1) Unrealistic expectations

Expecting to win in excess of 15% on turnover long term on a high volume of bets is totally unrealistic. Argue the point as much as you like (as I did when I was in my 20’s) but it is a fact. Of course there will be periods when you will have big wins and exceed these limits, but there will also be other periods where you will lose. Expecting to make more than 20% on turnover would mean that you were (a) being very selective and not turning over many bets; or (b) delusional; or (c) one of the most successful punters the world has ever seen.

Few punters realise that as professional punters we actually operate on 10% or less POT and that some of Australia’s biggest and most high profile professionals make less than 5% on (albeit high) turnover. The difference in profit percentages isn’t because one punter is twice as good as the other, but more likely it is because the two are experiencing differing levels of variance and possibly betting on many more (or many fewer) events. Either way, the turnover is very high and that is where the dollars are made. Essentially 10-15% profit on turnover is achievable and realistic with a disciplined and methodical approach to your punting.

So the reality is if you are making 10% POT and want to profit $25,000 per year, then you need to turn over a minimum of $250,000 per year. If you bet say five days per week then your will need to turn over approximately $1000 per day.

In following weeks we will discuss five other key factors in becoming a long-term winner:
(2) You will experience losing periods
(3) Probability will affect your bank
(4) Understanding market percentages
(5) Discipline is the key
(6) Betting with ratings

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David Duffield provides horse racing tips, ratings, lay betting and sports tips that will help you turn into a winning punter. To learn more please visit Horse Racing Tips.