A beginners guide to betting with Speed Ratings

How numbers can be more powerful than words

Why Use Speed Ratings as the basis for selections?

The Sandform service has speed ratings at its core. We create our own speed ratings as the starting point for determining whether an All-Weather race has value available or not.

When we speak of 'value' we mean the ability for a profit to be created from that race. Speed ratings are the most accurate and consistent method of identifying value in an All-Weather horserace. This is due to the nature of the surface and the fact that in the winter one track may host up to five race meetings a week - which gives a consistent surface and regularity of speed measurement, two things you cannot gain from turf racing in the UK.

What are they?

Speed Ratings are simply a measurement of a horse's performance in a specific race. As well as reading form - which is the view of a single human race-reader, a speed rating gives you have a single number, calculated according to an algorithm.

This number relates to how quickly the horse covered the distance of the race and the environmental conditions of the race (whether they slowed the horse or helped it run faster). With Sandform ratings we also adjust them to a decimal mile, in order to allow comparison of the horse who have run over varying distances.

And that's it! Basically the higher the number, the better the rating. Find a horse with consistently higher ratings than any other in the field and you will probably be able to identify value.

Can I see your ratings?

No - our service will provide you with information regarding which horses we have identified as providing betting value.