In some recent articles I have extolled the virtues of the Geegeez Racecard for Gold members, for example, when looking at Dr Peter May’s ratings (the SR column), writes Dave Renham.
Introduction
Another huge bonus of these racecards is the pace tab. The pace tab shows the running styles of the horses for a maximum of their last four races. Each past running style is given a score of between four and one, as follows:
4 – Front runner / early leader
3 – Prominent racer
2 – Raced in midfield / mid division
1 – held up near or at the back early
Long standing Geegeez members will have read previous articles of mine emphasising the importance of running style / early pace in a race under specific conditions. Usually though I am looking at the performance of different run styles in certain races which is based on knowledge gleaned after the race has been run. For example, how well have front runners performed over a particular course or distance.
In this article I will examine the Geegeez pace figures to see if they can help in terms of giving us an edge pre-race. I have looked at a year’s worth of pace ratings data that was published in the Geegeez Racecards before each race. The focus is on 5f handicaps (excluding 2yo nurseries) as these races tend to accentuate any run style bias. To be clear, the words 'ratings' and 'rankings' are used somewhat interchangeably in what follows. Higher ratings generally equate to higher rankings.
Past number crunching has noted the edge early leaders / front runners have at this minimum 5f distance. [Type ‘sprint’ into the search box here for a five-part deep dive into 5f handicaps]
However, the problem of taking advantage of any front running bias is that we do not know which horse is going to take the early lead in any given race. If we did then most of us would have made enough money to retire by now! The one tool that should be able to help us is the Geegeez Gold pace tab. Logic dictates that the higher a horses’ pace rating total, the more likely it is to lead. Let me share an example of a 5f handicap race run last month focusing on the pre-race pace ratings:
The first point to note, before we look at the pace totals for each runner, is the performance of early leaders at Wolverhampton. We can see from the green box that they have won nearly 25% of the time and, if able to back them all, we would have made huge profit.
This goes back to what I said previously about how useful it would be if we knew the early leader pre-race. Looking at the pace totals we can see they range from 13 to 7 with Wedgewood the highest on 13.
Hence, we would expect Wedgewood to be the most likely early leader. This is the result, with some additional sectional data.
As we can see Wedgewood, under geegeez-sponsored jockey Marco Ghiani, did indeed take the early lead and was never headed. Of course, the top-rated runner is not going to lead all the time, and the top-rated runner is not going to win all the time. However, from some past 5/6f research I shared with readers back in January 2021 those with higher pace totals led more often than those with lower ones and therefore we would expect them to win more often.
The sample size in that article was far smaller than I am sharing now but it was big enough to suggest that horses with the highest pace totals of 15 or 16 would take the early lead around 45% of the time, whereas those with the lowest pace totals of 4 or 5 would take the early lead less than 3% of the time.
In this piece I am more interested in the performance of each horse based on their pace totals / positions in the racecard, rather than how many of the top-rated runners led. Essentially, as punters we want to make money and so I wanted to find out answers to questions such as, “has the top-rated runner made a profit?”, “is the top-rated runner better value than those rated say 8 or lower?”, “do horses with pace totals of 15 or 16 perform better than those with totals of 8 or less?”, and so on.
The 2024 5f handicap data I have crunched covers just under 600 races and that means 5200 horses with their individual pace totals. This, then, is a very decent sample, and one that took quite a while to collate! After all the leg work to input the data, I hoped that I would find something worth sharing! Let’s see…
Pace Rating Rank
To begin with let’s look at performance based on the ranking positions of runners from their four-race pace totals. In the earlier Wolverhampton example this would mean the following:
Horses with the same totals such as Four Adaay and Angle Land have been given the same ranking position. I have applied this idea across all the races in the study. On that basis, here are the win strike rates, with those rated 8th or bigger in one group:
This is the type of sloping graph I had hoped for with the top-ranked pace horse winning more often than the second ranked, who in turn has scored more than the third ranked and so on. However, I had not expected it to correlate so neatly.
Below are the Betfair SP profit and loss figures for the same pace rating ranks.
The top two ranked (inc. joints) have both nudged into profit which is obviously a clear positive. The 4th ranked runners have effectively broken even, but the 3rd ranked runners have let the side down for ‘the top four’ with quite steep losses. Once we get 6th and bigger in the rankings, we can see losses have started to mount up with those 8th or bigger losing nearly 20p in the £.
Looking in a bit more detail at the top two ranked (inc. joints) if we restrict races to those with 12 runners or less, we see the following results:
If, therefore, we had stuck to mid-range to smaller field sizes, then the figures improve further for the top two ranked pace runners. These are tidy ‘blind’ profits using nothing other than the Geegeez pace ratings.
Pace Rating Total
Let’s pivot now to the four-race pace totals covering each horse’s most recent four runs. The maximum total a horse can attain is 16 (four 4s), and the lowest is 4 (four 1s). I have looked at win strike rates first below to see if there is a similar pattern to the Pace Rating Rank graph shared earlier. I have grouped the individual totals up so have joined 15 with 16, 13 with 14 and so on. Here are the findings:
We see the same type of pattern as before, although the 4 to 6 group have just ‘spoiled’ my ideal pace score graph by winning slightly more often in percentage terms than the 7 to 8 group. Again, though, this highlights that horses which have shown more early speed in their most recent four races have a better chance of winning 5f handicaps than those which have not shown gate speed. As we know, higher strike rates do not necessarily mean bigger profits, so let’s see how the returns figures have panned out:
Those horses recording a four-race pace total of 15 or 16 have combined to make a sound profit equating to returns of over 16p in the £. The general pattern is that as the rating totals drop the losses start to increase, although the 4 to 6 group buck that trend.
Pace Ratings at Different Courses
I want to look at some course data now although with only races from one calendar year, several tracks have limited samples to potentially analyse. Hence, as Baldrick would say, “I have a cunning plan”. The first phase of this plan was to back check past pace/run style course data in 5f handicaps from a longer prior time frame. I chose 2017 to 2023, and I examined the course performance of early leaders / front runners. By using win percentages, placed percentages and A/E indices, I was able to order the courses from the most front-runner biased to the least.
From there I decided to group the 12 most biased courses together in one group (group A) and the 12 courses with the weakest front running biases in a second group (group B). The idea was simple: I wanted to compare the 2024 performance of top-rated runners across both groups, with the hope being that the Group A stats for front runners would be far superior to those for Group B. Here are my findings:
Group A
The 12 courses in this group are Ayr, Chelmsford, Chester, Hamilton, Kempton, Leicester, Lingfield, Redcar, Ripon, Thirsk, Windsor and York. Funnily enough, due to plenty of past course / run style number crunching, if I had been given the task to decide what I thought the strongest 5f course biases were without any past stats at my fingertips, I would have chosen 11 of the 12. Knowing that gave me good confidence in this past course data.
So, looking at the top-rated runners in the Geegeez Pace Ratings at Group A courses we see the following results:
These results are rather impressive both from a strike rate perspective (4% higher than the figure for all courses) and a bottom line one. Returns of over 41p in the £ are not to be sniffed at.
Group B
The ‘dirty dozen’ courses in this group are Ascot, Carlisle, Chepstow, Doncaster, Goodwood, Haydock, Newbury, Newcastle, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown and Yarmouth. When looking at the top-rated runner across all courses combined, we get the following:
Wow! This is an even bigger differential than I had expected. Returns at these 12 courses have created losses of over 26p in the £. It does seem that the 2017 to 2023 data was a very accurate reflection of the relative front-running biases at these courses.
One would hope that we witness a similar difference between the course groups when looking at horses that achieved a pace rating of 15 or 16 although the sample sizes are a little on the small side now:
Again, we have a significant difference between groups in both strike rate and returns. As previously mentioned, the sample sizes are smaller than ideal but with the correlation between the two data groups being so strong we can have more confidence as a result in these second set of figures.
Top Rated by Age Group
The final area I want to delve into today is top-rated pace runners, and the 15-16 pace score runners, across the three main age groupings. These are 3yo only races, 3yo+ races and 4yo+ races. Let’s first compare the strike rates for the top-rated:
I have to confess these figures surprised me. I expected the top-ranked to score more often in 4yo+ handicaps where the runners are more exposed. However, it is the complete opposite with the top-ranked winning more often in 3yo only races. It should be noted that the average field size for 3yo only races was slightly smaller than for both 3yo+ and 4yo+, but not enough to make any significant difference to these percentages. Of course, strike rate is only one piece of the puzzle and when we look at the overall figures for each in terms of top-ranked in the four-race pace totals we see things change around a little:
The 3yo only top-ranked pace runners did make a profit, but the 4yo+ top-ranked pace runners performed especially well on the profit front. It wasn’t such a good read for the 3yo+ top-ranked runners with losses edging towards 16p in the £.
Now it’s time to see if the horses with a pace rating of 15 or 16 have performed in a similar fashion across the different age ranges. Here are my findings:
The sample size for 3yo only races is small, but they once again have secured the highest strike rate, albeit only just greater than 4yo+ qualifiers. Once again though the best value by far has been in the 4yo+ races with some impressive profits and returns achieved.
*
Whilst this article has looked only at a single year's worth of 5f handicap pace rating data, the findings across the board have correlated positively. Moreover, with nearly 600 races in the sample we should be fairly confident in the data.
I for one will be keeping an even closer eye on 5f handicaps in the future as there seems to be value in the top two rated runners, and those that have totals of 15 or 16 points. Of course, all the horses with totals of 16 will be top-rated (or joint top-rated), while those scoring 15 will often be either top-rated or second top.
For those who have enjoyed this week’s offering the good news is I have a follow-up piece to share next week – and it’s got some excellent payoffs!
- DR
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/marcoghiani2-2.webp9922000Dave Renhamhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngDave Renham2025-05-20 11:18:332025-05-20 11:22:51An Analysis of Geegeez Pace Ratings in 5f handicaps
It was a perfect day for it. Under a warm bright sky lightly doodled with cloud, a fair smattering of racing's hardcore convened on Newmarket's Rowley Mile to greet the awakening flat season. The mood was relaxed, sleepy perhaps, as the overture to the 2022 Classic campaign played out across the Suffolk sward.
I was among the gathering, there - like most - to welcome back a dear old friend. And, more specifically, to catch up with two dear young friends, David Probert and Marco Ghiani. Between them, in their geegeez-liveried breeches they've amassed 826 wins, and counting, in Britain: David with 679 since May 2016 and Marco with 147 since July 2020.
As well as being sponsored by this website, they have another thing in common: both have been crowned Champion Apprentice. David's title was in 2008, jointly with William Buick, with whom he looks set to contest the jockeys' championship this year; Marco's was last year, and followed on from his All Weather Champion Apprentice title, the first rider, we think, to win both awards.
Remarkably, that's not the last of the silverware these two have aggregated, as David holds a 20 winner edge over his nearest rival in the All Weather Jockeys' Championship, which draws to a close this Good Friday at Newcastle. His lead is unassailable and the championship is due reward for one of the hardest-working and most professional pilots in the peloton. Given that this is a cohort defined by its consistent endeavour and professionalism, to stand apart is a difficult task indeed.
The switch to agent Neil Allan has been a major catalyst in David's ascendant profile over the past five years when, in 2016 after his lowest annual total since 2008 (60 winners), he has since come home in front 94, 102, 112, 98 (Covid), and last year a whopping 170 times. With 55 on the board already in 2022, David is poised to challenge his own high score once more.
Asked if such a hectic riding schedule has allowed time to reflect and enjoy, he conceded, "it's been a bit manic, but with only riding one meeting a day you get a little time to yourself. It has sunk in a little bit, and I'm delighted with the achievement. I've usually been thereabouts through the winter, finishing second a couple of times, and I was lucky enough to get a good lead early on, which I've been able to maintain. I don't have to share this one either!"
With fourteen years having passed since his Apprentice title, Probert's latest accolade is testament to that aforementioned graft mentality and to the support of Allan and a growing rolodex of trainers large and small. For a quietly spoken man based away from the racing heartlands of Newmarket and Middleham, it's a brilliant achievement.
Although it feels almost churlish to move on to the turf flat season without due reflection on the fruits of the winter passed, such is the hemispheric nature of the sport. I ask about aspirations for the turf and the response is immediate and unequivocal. "I want to ride better horses. I've got a few chances this year with the likes of Sandrine [as short as 14/1 for the 1000 Guineas], who looks really well and has filled out since last year. She did a good piece of work over a mile the other day so we're very hopeful she'll stay the Guineas trip. She's going to go straight there. And there's a few nice three-year-olds coming through, too."
As we were speaking, the current champion jockey, Oisin Murphy, was part of a convoy including Dominic Ffrench Davis and Gay Kelleway en route to Poland on a mercy mission. His absence from defending his title has been well publicised but the implications in terms of riding plans at Andrew Balding's Kingsclere stables, provider of a sizeable chunk of the champ's total in recent seasons, less so. "Being a part of that yard has always been good and given me plenty of winners. I think this year I'll ride the majority, with some of the nicer horses shared out between myself, Rob [Hornby] and Jason [Watson]. Obviously, things change so we'll just have to play it by ear."
And what about the Flat Jockeys' Championship? "It's a dream. To do that, it's all about doubles and trebles and getting a good book of rides. As long as I can ride some good ones along the way I'll be happy." As short as 8/1 to win the title, it could be more realistic than the average dream.
Away from the All Weather Championships, I was keen to ask David about a few other issues. Firstly, how the new surface at Southwell is riding. "It's getting better all the time", he relates. "At the beginning, I think they maybe didn't have the right equipment for the new tapeta 10 surface and were relying on the old fibresand harrows. It wasn't binding as well as they'd hoped to begin with, so it was riding very 'dead' and tacky compared to Wolverhampton where they have a more established tapeta surface. But now it seems to be riding really well."
Also, how is the weighing room since Covid? "It's changed. We had individual booths during Covid and now the tracks are redeveloping the facilities to be mindful of safeguarding requirements for younger jockeys, and also to provide better changing rooms for the women riders. I think Covid has actually forced these changes through a little bit where these things might not have got done for a few more years, so that's been really positive."
*
As we are chatting, a familiar grin emerges from the weighing room. It is the perma-smiling Marco Ghiani in customary happy mode. He exchanges a greeting with David and then sits down to share a few thoughts on his own story so far.
Since joining Stuart Williams as an apprentice in 2019, Marco has finished in front 171 times from 1096 rides at time of writing, a fantastic career win rate of 15.6%. After a winless 2018, albeit from only 11 rides, 2019 saw the Sardinian score 22 times from 131 rides, starting with his first mount of the year, Lunar Deity, at 33/1. 2020 was blighted for everyone by Covid, and apprentice jockeys found opportunities severely restricted. But, thereafter, it's been a relentless tale of success for Marco, capped by that memorable Apprentice Championship double. Now he's riding off level weights with the big boys and relishing the prospect.
This time last year, Marco was about to be crowned Champion All Weather Apprentice. Recalling that period, he says, "It was really good but also very scary, because I only won by four and I was always looking over my shoulder. At that time, I was given 21 days off and Laura [Pearson] took three weeks off, and we still managed to be first and second. If she didn't take the time off maybe she would have been closer still. It felt amazing. I couldn't ride a winner the year before but after Christmas it started really picking up."
As already touched upon, being a jockey offers little time for celebration with the turf season following hard on the heels of its all-weather twin. And, after a quiet enough start, Marco was at it again, racking up 51 winners, 16 clear of the next best. The undisputed highlight was, of course, Real World's incredible near five length win in the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot.
"I didn't expect it", remarks Ghiani, mirroring the view of most punters given the 18/1 at which he was returned. "He was very well handicapped, because I was carrying only eight stone six. He'd been running in Meydan but not showing that much. I rode him the day before in his work, and he was so laid back; and after, he was blowing that hard, I thought he'd probably need the race. But he showed a really good attitude, and obviously progressed all season. He's the best horse I've sat on, so far."
A certain other Italian, now in the veteran stage of his career but riding as well as ever, took over aboard Real World for a Group 2 triumph at Longchamp before a second G2 score, this time in Meydan under Danny Tudhope. Then followed a couple of relatively lacklustre efforts on the dirt in the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup. Marco remains hopeful of getting back on top when Real World reverts to British turf action, but he acknowledges that may not now be so easy.
Ascot was Marco's happy place last term and, a couple of months later, he was back there on British Champions' Day to receive his Champion Apprentice title; and this time - with Covid's spectre diminishing - his family were there to witness it.
Also in 2021, Marco's son, Louis, was born, his dad just 22 at the time. "I think it really helped me, to concentrate more on the job rather than going out or doing other things. And he's made me very happy", says the clearly content young father. Asked about plans for a brother or sister for Louis, the smile broadens still further in spite of a firm rebuttal, for the time being at least.
Now sights are fixed firmly forward: he'll be riding freelance this year, but with a retained jockey position for prominent owner Ahmad al Shaikh, whose Khalifa Sat was second in the 2020 Derby. Ghiani is excited about the ride on Hoo Ya Mal in the Craven as the starting point of that new relationship.
Elsewhere, he has been riding out for George Scott, William Knight, Marco Botti, Ed Dunlop, Owen Burrows, Roger Varian and Charlie Hills, as well as old boss and mentor, Stuart Williams. So, he's keeping busy in good company and hoping the opportunities will follow as the season progresses. "This season is about getting more experience, and more contacts, and hopefully winning some more big races."
Both Marco and David are striding boldly into the new season with every chance of it being a memorable one. All of us at geegeez.co.uk wish them the very best of luck.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/David_Marco.jpg320830Matt Bisognohttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngMatt Bisogno2022-04-13 14:26:492022-04-13 14:34:14Geegeez Jockeys Looking Forward to the 2022 Flat Season
A couple of weeks ago I invited some feedback specifically on the editorial content side of what we do here at geegeez.co.uk. It's important for me, for us, to be clear that we're providing information that is of interest to you. After all, both your time and our financial resources are limited; so it makes sense to optimise each. That's why when you speak, we listen. Here's what you said in the survey...
Question 1: On a scale of 1 (not for me) to 7 (YESYES!) how interested are you in reading about...
While the focus is mainly on the 7's - you really want more - it is important to consider aggregates of 5's and 6's, too. Those "nearly 7's" imply a yes and, taking 5-6-7 as a whole, it is very clear where your democratic priorities lie.
You said you want more on trainer angles, draw/run style, system building, and general form reading.
It is hard to understate the type of racing betting audience this marks you out as: you are, fundamentally, a different breed from the average viewer of RacingPost.com, AtTheRaces.com and so on; and a very different animal to those casuals who think SportingLife.com will sustain and nourish them. You are a smarter, and more inquisitive, breed; and you are much smaller in number.
The flip side of this question reveals that ante post betting is of limited interest to many, as is pedigree chat and, to a lesser degree, sectional timing. On that basis, we've dropped the ante post pieces, and will not go too frequently to either the pedigree or sectional wells (though I will continue to pen occasional pieces on the latter, as I believe that one's relative novelty in UK means it has yet to see its demand rise - but it will, in my view).
Question 2: Which of those subjects are you MOST interested in?
Again, you have provided a very clear steer for us to work from. For this question, respondents could select only one of eight options. Almost a third of you chose general form reading, and over a quarter chose system building. Another quarter shared your votes between trainer angles and draw/run style content, meaning almost five-sixths of the love was for just a half of the options. We'll be bring you plenty more from those corners of the content globe.
Question 3 was the inverse of Q2, and asked which subject you were least interested in. You can work that out from the above and it need not clutter this shortish piece.
Question 4: How often do you read...
I found these responses particularly interesting as a barometer of what we're doing right and not quite so well.
On the plus side, it's brilliant that so many of you engage with our daily bulletin emails: they have a chunk of info in them, including some awesome stuff from the archives (all of which is hardy perennial and as useful now as it was when penned, so maybe hardly re-pennable... there's a pun in there somewhere!). They also link to the relevant course guides and free races / features of the day.
And those bulletin emails link to daily news articles which we syndicate from the Press Association. We do that to provide on these 'ere pages as much of the more transient intel as you're keen to absorb; your feedback suggests that this content is only an occasional consumption for many/most. Fair enough, and noted: it's there for those who want it.
I was (pleasantly) surprised to see how popular the trends articles continue to be, and not surprised that Racing Insights remains a staple of many visitors' daily habit. The pivot away from Stat of the Day was not without turbulence back yon, but I hope longer-term readers can see the slightly different value provided by its replacement.
Question 5: What could we do MORE of?
A free text question allowing you to say what you want, what you really, really want... 219 replies, and I think word clouds express the general sentiment best in such cases. So here's one of those.
The gist is more of what we're currently doing, but also some additional trends output (I'll have a think about this because I feel there's a "right way and a wrong way" to present historical profiles), system content, ratings components and form guides.
The ratings part is a challenge, mainly because I believe such number sets require a HUGE amount of work and rework: it would probably take a year or two full-time to create something and even then it might only be 'quite good'.
Question 6: What could we do LESS of?
177 replies this time, and we'll word cloud it again:
Generally speaking, this was a 'null response', with lots of 'nothing', 'all fine as it is' type of replies; but quite a few suggested a lack of interest in ante-post content and, to a lesser degree, sectional articles. Of course, I don't expect anybody to read everything on geegeez, so please do feel free to skip certain pieces... as I'm sure you do!
Question 7: If you were the boss, which one thing would you change? It might be adding something, removing something, changing the way we do something. It's your call!
There were 208 replies here, and I thought a lot of them were excellent! So, rather than word cloud them, I've actually reproduced them 'as is' below. You're welcome to ignore or to read through at your leisure. And, of course, if you've any burning suggestions as "boss of geegeez for a week" - or you just want to second or third one of the ideas below - please do leave a comment! 👇
[scroll-box]More short, sharp webinars explaining certain aspects of the site
Adding % rivals beaten
Perhaps once a month one of the contributors going through a Race Card and selecting their picks
More actual race reviews rather than ‘angles and systems
lots more choice in query tool, for me its the single most important tool in Geegeez,
More system n report building functions using multiple choice of report types expand query tool function.
Best value bet of the day
Trainer analysis Green in form red cold in racecards
Add saddle cloth numbers to the Full Form and Profile pages
Adding a 6 month tab to IE and maybe taking out field size and adding something more trainer related to that race in the end column
Making Form Listings clearer and more user friendly. I find myself using Racing Post Form as it is what I am used to and though it has less information / parameters it is an "easy" read.
Other than lowering the price (JOKE - you offer great value) it’s hard to think of anything. Maybe an online community for like minded folk as mentioned above would be good. I’d also make px form visible when you click into a horse from the race card!
find a lay angle
See above
I would stop promoting other products, as it eats into the integrity of Geegeez.
NOTHING SPRINGS TO MIND
Just to repeat what I have already said, I am new to this but thoroughly enjoying the journey. I have a lot to learn and all articles are welcome. Great work!
More pedigree back ground
Short list of trends qualifiers.
Emphasis on potential of horse rather than just form - most horses ‘haven’t done it yet’ so how can we get better at spotting those well handicapped (HotForm is ace one this)
Learning is a good your ideas and my problem solving works well and having a tracker is very helpful best information that I keep my information when my memory of what I’ve backed I’m 58 but wished I had this earlier in my life thanks Matt and team
The biggest thing I'd love to see is advanced race pace mapping insight. I love your feature to help inform me on pace but I'd love to see it go further e.g. horse strike rates in slowly or fast run races, toggle fast early pace vs slow early pace to see if average position of horse changes , win and place stats to change based on predicted fast even or slow early pace etc. I think you get the idea
I would like to see the option to change the race cards between "standard" and "at a glance" on gold as in the RP. It's easier to look at large fields with my old eyes lol.
Hi, I sent an email a few months ago regarding the follwing but never received a reply. I had an idea to show hot/cold trainer in a horses form. To show if the trainer was in good or bad form at the time of that run. I think this could throw up an interesting angle when a horse has gone well despite the stable being out of form then returns with the stable going well.
AS ABOVE
Ability to place a bet through the Geegeez website via a betting partner
Nothing in particular comes to mind
THE ADDITION OF INTERNATIONAL GROUP RACES.
Create a "Geegeez rating" for each horse (where possible), by pulling together all the RPR/Topspeed/PeterMay ratings, add in instant expert scores, profiler scores, trainer / jockey form, Draw PRB, etc
Simplify the way for MOST of us to arrive at the possible winner .
More filters on the QT and make it more user friendly especially for mobile (if possible!)
I have built my own dashboard for race analysis so really admire your work, I would make more use of hovering over something making a tile pop up, as clicking through when information is dense and bottomless is just not as nice a UX in my opinion. But I like the approach and should make myself more familiar with your offerings
Make the sorting of lists 'nested' as with Xcel. So things sorting equal are in the order of the previous sort
I'd just like the five-days from Ireland on the tracker for planning purposes and Ireland is my focus over Britain, but obviously, you're British-based. If in time, you could add the point-to-point form from whatever database you use and French form as well, that would be brilliant. It all helps to pain the picture! Great work, thank you.
provide exchange information and recognise no sensible bettor will go near a bookie
Return of a tipster, does not have to be every day.
See 'What could we do more of?"
I would like to see a 'FORM' selection (1-2-3) made by GeeGeeze for each race
highlight when you think short-priced favourites are poor value
Adding HiRPR (like HiOR) and customisable filters to Full Form tab in order to cover more than one going type/distance etc. Possibly, ability to ‘pair’ columns in Instant Expert to only show data for races where 2/3 columns apply, such as course and distance.
With the multitude of data and stats based information, reports and form I believe the bet finder needs and should have past data results of the combinations selected to give a better feel for whether the parameters and combinations selected have any substance in a similar way to other reports and inline drop downs show runs/wins/P&L/prb etc.
Make sure punters could see tips give trials before vip if doing vip tips help people learn betting
Your doing great
Add significant function to Query Tool
Very comprehensive and interesting site. Keep it going. My game plan is to cover monthly costs in year one and then looking for profit
Bring back Stat Of The Day
A one stop shop for all the pace/draw biases, so a one pager of the tracks where front runners do well. Obviously I understand though that the data and biases may change as time goes on.
In big races, combine trends with horse & trainer form, draw where relevant - then come up with a short list of 'probables' - probably in an easy-to-read matrix format
Why would you want to change something which already works
see above
do h/caps only
For national hunt racing trainer reports could have hurdles or chase as well as the all and handicap tabs as a filter
As I said above what i like is if you really have a strong fancy for other wise I don't like to have a bet if it doesn't run as you thought that's horse racing I don't like second guessing
Providing Dobbing stats relevant to today's race conditions.
Not sure glad I'm not the boss 🤣
Make IE more flexible for the user
Add jockey and trainer sole representative at the meeting.
improve query tool..needs a lot to get up to others
Something similar to Racing Posts signposts section, all the relevant info condensed
Adding a trainers record at the track and a particular race
i find im overwhelmed at times so select articles ...less is more
MORE IRISH ARTICLES
back to lay software
Reduce the subscription for international patrons as the relativity of the exchange rate makes it difficult to buy gold subscription
TMI
do more syndicate ownership
"I love the site, loads of information but like any hobby you need to stay up to date and use the tools/skills on a regular basis to get the most out of it. When my yearly gold subscription came out of my bank I nearly asked for a refund, but I reminded myself of how good the site is and decided to give it another year.
The reason I nearly cancelled is because if I’m honest I don’t engage with the content outside of the race cards, the articles are too long, too many graphs and charts, I don’t have the time to digest the information (and act on it if I do find something interesting) and I don’t particularly enjoy reading on a screen. Personally I would much prefer a short 2-10 min video discussion/presentation on the topics that you write the articles about, even shorts (20-30 seconds videos) in the format of the 'elevator pitch', just tell us key information."
"I do like your in-depth trainer studies; perhaps more of them - and a review of the performance of the key tips from those a year or two later, to see how they’ve done.
Your recent review on Harry Fry and Dan Skelton was really good on both trainers. This emphasised the value of backing Harry Fry’s supported novice chasers. Unfortunately for all of us, he’s just had two chase winners all season so far. "
"As per my comments in 'more' - think strategically and develop 2-3 year plans because what is used now will probably not be as useful by then. For all of my sports betting I am more interested in (raw) data than interpretation and am always looking for quality data to enable me to make betting decisions (golf now has some real good sources).
Reading this back it sound a little bit negative on the service you provide. I only joined this year so I am probably not making full use of what you have to offer and I do really like the offering especially the way it's presented and can see how far you have come over the last few years. "
With so much info a more concise list of potential horses expected to run well
Not sure
Making the query tool better or drop it.
???
The adverts to join Geegeez Gold when I first log in. I already subscribe to Gold, so they are irrelevant to me.
one site with all sectionals available.
A structured pathway to learning for the novice punter.
Annual subscriptions but for weekend and festival racing, as many times I dotn have access at work to assess the racing on each working day
I would strive to continue to making geegeez the best site in the world (probably)
Allow users to suspend QT Angles and then reinstate them as required, without counting towards their 300 limit. My Epsom fast ground system is only needed for 3 months a year!
Nothing to change
Nothing I can think of, its an excellent source of data and might i add great value for money. Keep it up.
In the Tracker ( using mobile) the add notes button is to close to the remove horse button ( of the tracked horse above/ below ) and you can lose horses from the Tracker.
More articles on trading and pedigrees
Make Excel downloads available.
Shorter video's with less flickering around!
Put up a horse on Saturdays and big festival days with reasons for selecting it.Thanks and best of luck ðŸ‘
Longest Travellers would be good, with links to race to check horse/trainer/jockey form as well as how much the race is worth - a column added to the Racecard view/ instant expert for each horse travel distance would be ideal!
Adding pre-race predicted pace score into query tool
Pace
De clutter BLOG section. Suggest move older articles to archive later articles place under separate headings e.g racecourses, pace&draw, trainers, handicapping etc. making them easier to locate.
Having some kind of blank canvas with each race card for own working out ie spread sheet with just runners names when Iam doing a tissue have to write the runners down on paper which is time consuming
Nothing comes to mind.
"Add some kind of grade or points to say if this race was run above or below the standard/ medium for this class of race. It would save me buying the Weekender 😀
"
I’d love to see an angle for a sire’s debutants/2nd run.
Nothing that I can think of
Not sure
nothing happy with the product
It might be me, but I don't find the Query Tool particularly user friendly. I use Horseracebase.com for trends, systems, horse profiling, queries etc.
Nothing really can’t fault anything on the web site.
Same as ' What could we do MORE of'.
I would make the a-z runners report a CSV as per other reports
Absolutely love Geegeez so the answer I’m afraid is nothing springs to mind
Add Betfair Win and Place prices if possible
Able to export data from query tool
Assure your faithful that you won't sell the website to ANY third party anytime soon and that the even then it will be only to someone wanting to provide exactly the service you currently provide and never to a company whose interest is in bending the truth of statistics to suit their own aims and ignoring the interest of horse racing enthusiasts.
Proximity Form on Instant Expert 🙂 ps/ lovin that proximity is now within the recent form tab - Cheers
Advice on how YOU use the reports and features
Everything fine as it is.
The thoughts of trainers through a weekly/monthly column ?
"Hard to say as I don’t have access to all your data. A daily PATENT or LUCKY 15 with decent-priced horses would be useful (4/1+). As most outlets just stick with favs (this could be a Premium feature).
Don’t try to do too much. Pursue an idea and explore it properly. For example, choose a trainer (or 3) and properly assess their chances using your tools on a daily basis (if they have no runners then fine).
You could also do this by course (pick a handful that have a lot of meetings like Wincanton or Ascot).
Offer personalised training sessions on how to use your software. Following videos is only useful up to a point and there’s no substitute for real-time questions."
Less Emails
"Don’t like the having the how to use Geegeez stuff at the bottom of every racecard..but it’s not a deal breaker
Keep doing what you’re doing. If it’s not broke don’t fix it
Best regards "
Help with profiler please . If you review the card and take down the horses you are interested in from say 8 to 4 that doesn’t feed through to the profiler page so all the 8 are still there . Might be me but it’s the only frustration I’ve got with the site .
the weight horses carry with regards to form some can carry big weight some can't
Adding more to the query tool, such as 1st run under that code or 1st run for yard. Also trainer targets (attempts in race etc)
I'd charge a little more for what you have and include more ante-post race analysis and "tipping" (I know it isn't tipping, but race summaries might be a better way of putting it)
Daily news More
I'm satisfied at present.
"When going through a race I often end up using trainer snips, which is really good, to check on a trainers record in a novice race on first start record, or a trainers record with a horse fresh '+60 days' if its been on a break. Obviously that tool's great for seeing what the trainer is like if it has a runner that meets those requirements on that day.
But what I'd like is to be able to see a trainers record when it doesn't meet those requirements on the day, the reason being that a horse may have run poorly after a break and is having its second start, in that scenario I'd like to see the trainers record after a break to potentially dismiss that run, but on the day they have no qualifiers running after a break so I can't see it. So a trainers 'snips' section that includes all data. I have no idea if this would be difficult, the info. is there, but I guess it would be a huge database to be on hand all the time.
Hope this helps."
It’s only trivial but I’ve started using Proximity form.. it would be ideal if you could add them to the drop down horse form on the main racecard page rather than full form. So you can scroll down and browse all the horses at once.
Explain PACE diagrams. I look at them but unsure if I'm reading them correctly
Add French and German Group 1&2 form to Instant Expert
Would add Irish especially and or English point to point form useful for novice races nh
More trends info
no idea, I dont want to be the boss.
Add betting moves /relevance to form cards to use in current race analysis
Have a simpler step by step article about Query Tool
Not sure on the P2P sources of data - if that could be added would be helpful - I use France Gallop for the French runners info - can find a P2P ditto - overall EXCELLENT which is why GG keeps winning best in class - very well done to the team ; - )
"I'm retired, punt for fun, like studying form most mornings - probably not your normal gee-geez punter. I use GG as a secondary source of information to the Racing Post paper and website. I use RP for most of my studying, and GG as additional source, or prime source when I try to work out the way the race will be run. Your Pace feature is unique and if I was boss I'd do all I could to utilise, develop and promote that function before the Post use their resources to add the feature themselves. They're a bright bunch of lads and must provide pace data soon so GG need to kick on.
You've done well to invade their market as well as you have, and to give the more data-based punter the tools with which to work. Your probably better looking after their needs than those of 1 77yo Post reader. There aren't that many of us left!"
Add distances to trainer form to give a better picture of trainers general form a 20/1 beaten a length can tell more than an odds on winner also proximity could be utilised
Nowt
Not much at all to be honest
Some in who was clear so see
Add days since last run angle to the query tool for creating betting angles systems
Complete overhaul of the user interface for building angles.
going at each course on the day & if the going suddenly changes make one aware of it
Analyse actual races with Gold, preferably before the event, but after would also be good
I’m more in to trading horses pre race so I get all I need only using free version at the moment I would like to no more about Dutching horses in double and trebles perms plans to cut the number of bets More perms snd plans would b great like the lucky15 plan
Ability to export Instant Expert to Excel
Whilst the website provides loads of information it is a pity that you do not offer the opportunity to watch replays either in full or just the finish of a race. This information is available elsewhere for free so by adding this feature this would really make you the number 1 website for the total job of finding winners. A link to the BHA website for checking latest going reports would also be helpful.
More in depth analysis in Irish Racing.
more race trends
You are doing a great job and very creative. I am glad you are the boss 🙂
The price
Personally, I would like to see the Sire, Dam, Dam Sire on the racecards.
don't know
Trainers sending single runners long distances to meetings.
Change the way racing insight is used ie use new features each week
race trends, I like making my own but it takes time I don't know if there's a way to make query tools race trend friendlier
Shorter more focused videos
sorry notsure again
Think everything is pretty much covered above, at least getting feedback from your data base is the right way to go, to gauge if the mix is right in terms of content offered.
Wouldn’t remove anything think you’ve got most stuff covered
not sure
maybe incorporating 1st call sectionals to the pace map if possible
Me personally id like you to pick just one race maybe couple of times a week. And put a selection up and see if we are reading the race correctly if that makes sense. Not a tipping service but more an educational kind of thing.
I struggle with the Query Tool, it’s just not intuitive enough for me.
Being able to disect more in query tool, such as highlighting novice, maiden, claiming races
Nothing What I don't like others will and vice versa
Make query tool easier to work/better designed
Nothing - all good as far as I'm concerned. Thanks Matt.
Bring back STAT OF THE DAY... Chris doing Racing insights, is like putting Ronaldo in goal. your not getting the best out of him.
Have a Horses current OR on their Full form page when looking back at previous form (currently shows rating for last run I think) The Nirvana would be if the current OR was alongside the result for each Horse. Eg, I’m looking at a race today, I look back at the result of a Horse’s last race and I can see the current handicap mark for the Horses in that race, so I can immediately see for example that it beat Horses now rated 125, 130 & 135 in a Novice and is today running off 120. Appreciate that might be difficult but it would make a massive difference to my form study.
Customer service
See query tool message above.
Offer a life time membership again or if someone takes a yearly offer like i did for £297, offer them the chance to pay monthly(£24.75) or quarterly(£74.25) the following year because with covid money has become tight, I'm sure many members myself included could have afforded to stop! and we do miss geegeez.
If you could provide BSP as well as SP it would be awesome.
Query tool top/bottom weight performances
Sadly I still loved Stat of the day AND double Dutch, but I understand completely why they’ve gone
highlighting horses that match a particular trends or criteria
I realise this one is pretty unrealistic, but my ultimate choice would be a selection from yourself/the writers in races (even it's it one meeting a day/week) rather than just having the RP spotlight pulled through.
Maybe asking for articles by subscribers on subjects put forward by yourself
Shorter and more concise videos.
Don’t know
make it more like old past superform simple
More horses / trainer trends for courses
Make the query tool as useful as Flatstats / Horseracebase
Just keep doing what you do best
Have a geegeez forecast based off the data and angles...bit like Timeform
Bring back SOTD
The only thing I would introduce is race replays, but I am not sure that is practice.
More info on jockeys normal riding weight
"Well as I said ratings and conditions
and draw are the only way.
Sectionals ,pace ,and all the rest you cover are ""by the way"" . You guys can't see the Trees for the forest...sadly
Try telling in advance how a race will be run, times are irrevelant except where two divisions of a race are run,especially maidens/ novices
Etc."
I wish you would include more races, so we can drop the short price horses and play more races whereby the horses are no less than 7/2.
More blog post type articles.
"At the risk of this becoming an essay I find that Gold is at the same time absolutely brilliant and practically useless. That is not meant to be an insult to Gold itself and is most definintely aimed at the user, but I find that there is simply too much information and I suffer from the oft-mentioned overwhelm. The result of this is that I feel I cannot spend the time I would need to sort out the relevant information from the less vital nuggets and so I tend to end up not bothering at all. (I am on the autistic spectrum - not on the Rainman level but enough to affect how I use data and information. I need to have time to analyse to my satisfaction or I can get a little stressed. What I can't do is dip in and out quickly).
I find that if I look at reports and find a horse I then discover reasons not to back it once i check the pace or instant expert tabs. Or I find a horse in instant expert but then the pace looks wrong or the form points to too much weight today etc etc. In the end I usually run shy and back nothing. A quick check of my obsessive-personality-structured spreadsheet shows that in total I have placed 180 bets as a direct result of Geegeez obtained info or insight since I signed up for Gold and have made a total loss of £33.23 over that time. This may be down to bad luck or bad choices or insufficient faith in the 500 bets I could perhaps have made but didn't which might have made me a healthy profit, but it is certainly not what I need to fund the lifestyle I would much rather be enjoying than the one in which I seem to be stuck!
The fault for the above results lies with my choices and not the information available. However, the effect is that I will not be renewing in February despite the fact that I would gladly tell any horse racing fan how amazing Gold is.
I have long thought that rather than a binary choice of all the info in the world or virtually nothing that there could be a 'Silver' option which contains some of the manifold Gold benefits without serving up the whole a la carte menu. Which bits should be included and which shouldn't and what the price should be are, of course, the tricky areas. Ideally the member could pick and choose which bits they would want but I realise this could be problematic for the programmers to engineer. At the end of the day I am just tossing the idea into the brainstorm meeting and leaving it to the management to thrash out the details!
Anyway, thank you so much for the great content and information and the time you all clearly take to provide the same and best wishes for the future.
"
Pretty happy with the balance tbh
More form explanantory videos.
Make it all free !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sort can't think of anything I want to change
"I was going to suggest a make your own card, but that's already in progress. Thanks for everything you all do.
"
Building more of a community perhaps?
Somehow create a quick view summary of the profiler tab, using filters selected so all horses data can be viewed at the same time
tricast or exacta articles - perms or pointers for the big handicap on a Saturday
Monthly subscription offers instead of 6 month and yearly winter warmer offers
A tipster competition
Improving the ability to visualise the performance of QT angles and perform admin (update and delete)
Is there any way to incorporate prize money won by Horses
I would be grateful if there was a quick way to find out whether horses are more likely to run up sequences in better grade races - for example are they more likely to do it in Class 2 handicaps than say Class 6 ones. And how much more likely are they to do it.i
Continue to improve the query tool. The dates can be annoying as it includes todays runners before they have run unless you manually alter the date.
Definitely, without a doubt, I would get a new SP service provider, to give the correct price of a horse, like sporting life. Also I wouldn't change any of today's information once the race is run. It's almost impossible to back test a betting strategy or system on Geegees because the information you are looking at on yesterday's races has all changed because the race has been run, like jockey stats, trainer stats, horses win %, then what? This information is all useless information once the race has been run because it's all changed. Even horses, if you go back and see how a horse run in 2020 and it's jockey and trainer stats and is races, it's all changed and updated automatically to today's information. That's no good for back testing a system. Nice questionnaire, it covered a lot. Thanks ðŸ˜ðŸ‘
Apart from the expansion to the query tool (which I can't wait for!!) maybe some more trainer angles in relation to the jumps. For examples trainers record first time over hurdles and fences. And when a trainer is highlighted in the first time headgear/surgery report if we could see the stat that on the race card when we click on the trainer icon that would be helpful
In reference to my comment above - I like the fact that Geegeez is a one stop shop for me in the main with my betting. Maybe improving the timeliness of the fast results coMing through
as stated, 5th place result would help me, save me trying to find it
Having to constantly log in is a pain, a small pain
Look at the site's search functionality. I do sometimes find it very difficult to find articles that i've read previously, with most search strings returning 'news' items that are not what i want. Really don't know enough about how practical that would be but anything to increase the ability to search would be appreciated.
Shorter videos
Have a cheaper silver version with all the basic facilities but maybe no tools or reports
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This week we're upgrading, energising and otherwise invigorating our daily email offering. If you've been receiving our daily digests to this point you'll have enjoyed one click access to all the latest news stories at around 11am each morning. Well, all that's about to change, in a good way!
From any day now, your email will arrive at 7am to allow consumption by the earlier birds in our community. And the content inside has expanded significantly. Below is a breakdown of how the emails will look, section by section.
The top section contains a grid of the day's races. Course names are clickable to view our course guide pages (packed with handy information for the track in question). The going is correct at the time of publication, though might change later in the day so be aware of that; and the race times are also all clickable to go straight to a particular event. Those highlighted in yellow are the free races of the day, accessible to all registered site users.
The next section will be familiar as it is what used to be contained within the daily bulletins - news, features and tips:
After that, we share an article from the back catalogue of featured long-form articles, often though not always directly relevant to the day's racing:
And, finally, there is a reference to the day's free Feature of the Day, a particular part of Geegeez Gold that is accessible to all free users on the day in question.
We've tried to include something for everyone, regardless of your time, experience or subscription level; and I'm personally very much looking forward to being able to access all of this directly from my inbox each morning. I hope you are, too!
Matt
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/newformat.png320830Matt Bisognohttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngMatt Bisogno2021-11-17 08:29:442021-11-17 08:32:24Your New Daily Email Format
It has taken 362 runs from 126 individual horses and many thousands of motorway miles in their distinctive royal blue vans to earn the Charlie Appleby stable £4,827,062 in win and place money this year, writes Tony Stafford. Thus he enters the last seven weeks of 2021 with an unchallenged situation, guaranteeing his first trainers’ championship in the UK.
It took six horses on a single day <if you count UK time, which for the purposes of the starkness of the comparison, I am> walking the few hundred yards from the Del Mar international barn in the backstretch to the saddling area and back, to add £2,690,000 (55.7% of his entire UK endeavours) on November 6 alone.
Purists will point to the last on Friday at 7.30p.m. (daylight saving kicked in a week later in the US than the UK) and the two on Saturday, but in any event they were all comfortably within a 24-hour time-frame. The clocks went back in California at 2 a.m. yesterday earning the team from Moulton Paddocks a theoretical extra hour in bed. I doubt if any of them even bothered to turn in at all!
Six runners made the walk to potential equine immortality, two adorned with the pre-race red hood which denotes a trainer worries sufficiently about his horse’s temperament to defuse the potential problem of walking through the boisterous crowds that line the route to the saddling boxes.
The red-hooded pair were in Friday’s Juvenile Turf, Albahr, drawn two and next to stable-mate Modern Games in one, and on Saturday in the Mile, again on the Turf track, 2,000 Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas, drawn one with his better-fancied elder stable-companion Space Blues in three.
Connections of many of the other European contenders would have enjoyed the chance of running from those plum draws around the tightest of tight circuits. Conversely, in the aftermath, the ever-measured Appleby said: “When they do get drawn there on the inside, they potentially can have a much longer wait and therefore more time to get upset if that’s their character.
“We had no inkling that the horses would behave in this way and it is something we’ll have to address when we get home. Happily both horses, and riders Frankie Dettori and James Doyle, are fine. Frankie especially was lucky to be dragged from Albahr and it’s unfortunate that the stalls man who helped him, got an injury from the horse.”
From a dual assault on three races, only their runners in the Turf produced the full complement from the stalls, with seven-year-old Walton Street (Doyle) actually a shorter price at the departure than Buick’s mount, Yibir.
Both horses had been sent to North American on September 18 for their previous races. Walton Street was off first in Canada (10.35 p.m. UK time) for the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine which he won in a canter by almost six lengths.
Ten minutes later (10.45 p.m.) it was Yibir’s turn at Belmont Park and he comfortably put away six fellow three-year-olds in the Jockey Club Derby Invitational. This race as yet carries no official Grade category – it was merely a very valuable Conditions race – and Yabir beat a field including Bolshoi Ballet, who finished sixth on Saturday.
That made it more than £500k for the two September 18 races in ten minutes. Yibir’s strong finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf to peg back Broome, who had raced into what looked like an invincible lead in the straight, alone earned a second-best prize of the weekend of £1.5 million and change.
All three Godolphin winners won convincingly. Modern Games and Yibir both came wide under Buick from some way back and finished very strongly. Contrastingly, Space Blues was always close to the lead and held off a late challenge to win by half a length. He had been singled out by Appleby as the likeliest winner and in fulfilling that prophecy has earned a deserved place at stud after 11 career wins from 19 starts. As a son of Dubawi he will have every chance of making a success as a stallion.
The best Coolmore Ireland position was Broome’s second to Yibir on a day when Japan, the country, not the horse who was fourth to Yibir, posted (like London buses) its first two wins at the Breeders’ Cup. Broome all this year has worn the silks of M Matsushima, a partner in the five-year-old along with the Magnier, Tabor and Smith triumvirate. [Coolmore did record a score, via Wesley Ward, more of which anon]
A son of Australia, you would imagine Mr Matsushima might want to stand the horse in Japan one day. The racing fraternity will be euphoric after trainer Yashito Yahagi’s double that almost matched the exploits of Appleby and Buick. Japan is spectacularly the best-endowed racing authority in the world. While its industry traditionally has been inward-looking, these so-visible wins will provide more of their top owners and trainers with the confidence to target the biggest prizes all around the world.
Easily the more authoritative of the Japanese triumphs was the fast finish provided by Loves Only You in the Filly and Mare Turf race, extended this year to 1m3f to take account of the configuration of the Del Mar Turf course.
It hadn’t helped Audarya’s attempt at a second successive win after her victory over 9.5 furlongs at Keeneland last year. William Buick – guessing wrong for the only time over the two days – dropped her in from her widest draw, got across nicely and in good position on the rail only to run into an equine brick wall turning for home. In the circumstances, fifth and 40-odd grand would have been consolation for the Swinburn and Fanshawe families.
Love’s route could hardly have been worse, three wide all the way. She had the class to strike for the lead in the straight but was soon challenged and in the end could manage only fourth as Loves Only You brought her earnings within a UK Group 1 success of £5million. A five-year-old daughter of Deep Impact, she has a wonderful turn of foot.
No UK-based jockey has as strong an association with Japanese racing as Oisin Murphy, who spends as much of his winters – and collects as many billions of Yen – as he can riding over there. His association with Deirdre, now a seven-year-old on whom he won the 2019 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood, was a comparable breakthrough to Saturday’s at the time.
Oisin was seen congratulating the Japanese rider Yuga Kawada straight after the Filly and Mare Turf and two hours later he joined the party in his own right, partnering Marche Lorraine, also a five-year-old, in the Distaff on the dirt track.
This race was supposed to be a private affair between some fast locals, but they went much too quickly, cancelling each other out and all giving in before the straight. Oisin could be seen halfway down the back going best, his red cap moving forward while his mare, a 50-1 shot, was still under restraint. That collapse up front meant he got the lead too soon and in the end it took a triple champion’s ability to keep her going for a short-head verdict.
I loved the day’s final race, the Classic, where Knicks Go beat Medina Spirit, and I also very much enjoyed Life Is Good, runaway winner of the Dirt Mile and Golden Pal, flying winner of the Turf Sprint, the last named for Coolmore America and Wesley Ward.
Also, I’ve never seen a horse running in a million plus dollar race but not for betting purposes. The former favourite too, Modern Games bolting up to a chorus of boos from the crowd who had been obliged to give back their tickets for refund as the horses waited to go. [Worse still, our esteemed editor had ‘singled’ Modern Games in the last leg of a Pick 4: his sole option re-routing to the non-winning favourite in the race!]
No boos from the Doncaster crowd on the final day of the 2021 turf season at Doncaster. John Butler’s Farhan, the 9-2 favourite for the season’s final big event, the November Handicap, ridden by Hollie Doyle, bolted up. The only piece of luck was that the three-year-old son of Zoffany squeezed in exactly as number 23 at the foot of the weights. The triumph (and landed gamble) was delivered with military precision by trainer and rider on probably Hollie’s last year not to be asked to ride at the Breeders’ Cup.
Butler has another important assignment this week. On Friday Poetic Music, an easy bumper winner on debut at Market Rasen, is lot number 1 at Tattersalls Cheltenham post-racing sale. A big filly, she looks the type to figure in black type juvenile fillies’ races for the rest of the season. So bid away – you will be making someone very happy!
One happy camper – and he always has winners when in the US for the Breeders’ Cup – was my already mentioned editor Matt Bisogno, who runs the Geegeez syndicates. Their mare Coquelicot was an easy winner at Chepstow last week, adding a first jumps success to three including a Listed in bumpers. The only way is up, Matt!
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/ModernGames_BCJuvTurf.jpg320710Tony Staffordhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngTony Stafford2021-11-07 23:05:502021-11-07 23:05:50Monday Musings: Breeders’ Cup Digest
Geegeez chief writer - and founder/creator - Matt Bisogno has been named on the four man shortlist for Specialist Writer of the Year at the presitigious Horseracing Writers & Photographers Association's Derby Awards.
Matt, who was also nominated last year - the first time this award was presented - is the only writer to have been nominated in both shortlists. He is joined in the Specialist Writer category by elite scribblers and multiple Derby Award winners, Chris McGrath and Bill Barber, as well as newcomer Franck Mourier.
Matt's submissions were:
Not gonna lie. I am *exceedingly* chuffed to again get shortlisted for this gong.
Also proud to represent independent writers - our space very much needs more of them.
This year's Derby Awards, normally held in a West London hotel after a copious lunch, will be presented virtually and broadcast on Attheraces from 3pm this afternoon.
Other categories include Racing Writer, Racing Reporter, Emerging Talent, Photographer, Broadcaster, and Photograph of the Year. The full list of categories and nominees is below.
Good luck to Matt this afternoon!
Racing Writer of the Year
David Carr
David Jennings
Peter Thomas
Jonathan Harding
Racing Reporter of the Year
Bill Barber
Chris Cook
Lewis Porteous
Lee Mottershead
Broadcaster of the Year
Ed Chamberlin
Niall Hannity
Nick Luck
Jamie Lynch
Specialist Writer
Bill Barber
Matt Bisogno
Chris McGrath
Franck Mourier
Emerging Talent Adam Houghton
Callum Jamieson
Nick Seddon
Josh Stacey
Photographer of the Year Mark Cranham
John Hoy
Tracy Roberts
Hugh Routledge
Picture of the Year
Francesca Altoft
John Hoy
Tony Knapton
Tracy Roberts
Flat Jockey of the Year
Hollie Doyle
Tom Marquand
William Buick
Jim Crowley
Flat Trainer of the Year
John Gosden
William Haggas
Aidan O’Brien
Marcus Tregoning
Jump Jockey of the Year
Rachel Blackmore
Brian Hughes
Barry Geraghty
Paul Townend
Jump Trainer of the Year
Nicky Henderson
Willie Mullins
Paul Nicholls
Fergal O’Brien
Owner of the Year
Hamdan Al Maktoum
JP McManus
Marie & Joe Donnelly
La Pyle Partnership
International Trainer of the Year
James Fanshawe
William Haggas
John Gosden
Kevin Ryan
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/hwpa1.jpg320830samdarbyhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngsamdarby2020-12-10 12:08:122020-12-10 12:08:12Geegeez Writer Shortlisted for Derby Award
We're at the start of a busy period of development within Geegeez Gold just now, and an early part of this work is to bring a couple of rather clunky elements of the visuals into the 21st century.
Specifically, we've smoothed our draw and pace chart curves; and we've made the pace heat map a bit less 'blocky'.
There is also a new view on the Pace tab - and a very interesting one at that.
Gold users can now see which parts of the draw are favoured by the respective run styles, as well as which horses sit where against that draw / run style underlay. It's quite difficult to explain, so have a look at the short video below and see what you think.
Plenty more coming soon!
Matt
p.s. the user guide has been updated accordingly and you can download the latest version from your My Geegeez page.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/drawcurves.png320830Matt Bisognohttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngMatt Bisogno2020-02-12 13:34:512020-02-13 11:46:30New and Improved: Draw / Pace Display
Saturday saw us reach the end of the fifth full calendar year for Stat of the Day, which was Geegeez' first real venture into daily tipping.
We know that we acquired lots of new subscribers over the year thanks to previous years' successes, so a brief overview of SotD is as follows...
Whilst form and other variable parameters come in to play when normally making a bet, SotD's first port of call is find runners who fit a stat ( or usually a number of stats) suggesting they will go well.
We aim to have the selection online by the time most people rise for breakfast, where possible and it's usually done well before midnight the night before the meeting.
We try to find runners priced around the 3/1 to 6/1 mark at BOG prices and look for some value in the odds achieved. A large proportion of our selections run at much shorter odds than we advise and constantly beating SP is a key in making long-term profits. Basically, our profit figures aren't massaged by some freakishly long priced winners, nor is our strike rate bolstered by a string of odds-on jollies.
What we do have is a consistent approach that aims to highlight one value selection per day and although this "one-a-day" stats-based approach to bet selection suffers all the obligatory peaks and troughs associated with betting on horses, we have managed to make a profit yet again this year.
Without blowing the collective trumpets of myself, Matt and now Steve, we're very proud of the figures accrued to date and we can safely say there aren't many (if any!) better services around. In fact, most paid-for services would kill for our figures.
Where possible, I'd like SotD to cover your subscriptions to Gold, making the rest of the site free to use as you see fit and in 2016, a level stake of £5.38 was all that was needed to cover a £249 per year annual subscription.
Number of bets/selections/pts wagered: 294 (quite a few non-runners this year) Winning Bets: 70 Strike Rate: 23.81%
Yearly Profit: 46.24pts Profit on Stakes Invested: 15.73%
These are quite impressive figures considering we give a selection every day rain or shine, if we say so ourselves and we'll be doing our level best to maintain our success in 2017.
Thanks for sticking with us/SotD,
Chris, Matt, Steve and the whole Geegeez team.
***Stat of the Day is just one component of the excellent package available to all Geegeez Gold Members, so why not take your £1/30-day trial now?
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/sotd2.png320830Chris Worrallhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngChris Worrall2017-01-01 01:14:052020-05-02 06:51:37Stat of the Day: The 2016 Review
I don't usually like to "blow my own trumpet" about how useful, and profitable, the features in Geegeez Gold are... ...but yesterday I received an email from a Gold subscriber that I really wanted to share with you all.
It's not intended to gloat (of course), but rather, there are some very good pointers in there about how to use this particular report...
Hey Matt,
You might remember I emailed you a few months ago with some questions about your excellent Trainer / Jockey Combo report. I'd landed a 16/1 and 14/1 winner from 3 bets in a single day and was having to pinch myself after collecting £540 from my £2 each-way doubles. I wondered at the time if this was some kind of freak result, but I'm happy to report that it certainly wasn't!
Over the last few months I've continued to follow this report religiously and it's amazing how many big winners I've had from it. My best was a 25/1 shot, but I've had dozens of double-figure winners and at times I've managed to catch two or three of them in doubles and trebles too.
I've attached some screenshots for you to look at just from the last couple of weeks. This is by no means the best period I've had, but I'd been intending to email you anyway so started taking screenshots every day to give you something to back up my claims.
Each of the screenshots shows the selections I've chosen for the day opened up in the report. I tend to look for a strike-rate of around 30% and a place strike-rate of 50%+ wherever possible and I'm rarely interested in runners that are priced at 2/1 or under. You might see days on these reports where I don't have something with a high strike-rate open - this is usually because they're a non-runner, or the meeting was abandoned, which has happened a lot lately.
Something else to note is that I rarely touch the Irish racing. That's just a personal preference and I find that I usually get enough action every day from the UK racing so just haven't bothered too much with that. It might be equally profitable, but I can't say for sure.
I've written a little ditty for you to explain what happened each day...
22 January 2016
22nd January - 3 selections - All Body And Soul was backed from 16/1 into 11/2 and won. Barton Lodge won at 7/1 and the other was second at 5/1! I picked up £600 that day from £10 e/w singles and £2 e/w doubles and trebles! If the other one had won it would have been over £2500 - sigh!
26 January 2016
26th January - 4 selections - Some of these either didn't run, or were too short for my liking, so I only backed the 4 big priced ones. Dartford Warbler was backed from 25/1 into 10/1 and finished a decent 2nd. For a while I was thinking it might actually do it, but alas it wasn't to be.
27 January 2016
27th January - 2 selections - A quiet day, but He's A Dreamer was backed from 5/2 into 2/1 and won. The other was backed from 8/1 into 6/1 and finished a close second, only beaten 3/4 length.
28 January 2016
28th January - 4 selections - Three Colours Red was backed from 14/1 into 8/1 and finished 2nd. Guapo Bay finished 3rd at 9/1 and Reilley's Minor finished 3rd at 4/1. The other I should have left alone, because the place strike-rate wasn't really high enough, but hey ho.
29 January 2016
29th January - 3 selections - Logarithm finished 3rd at 7/1, Ragner was too short for me, Glan Y Gors was backed from 3/1 into 2/1 and finished 2nd and Wicked Spice was backed from 16/1 into 9/1 and finished 3rd. A decent profit made just from doing e/w singles and an e/w double on the bigger ones that day, but a bit of luck and it could have been so much better!
31 January 2016
31st January - 4 selections - These are the kind of days you remember. Cantlow was backed from 5/2 into 11/10 and finished 2nd. Askamore Darsi won at 5/1 from 11/2. Card Game won at 8/1 from 9/1 and Firth Of The Clyde won at 4/1 too. My £2 Yankee on the four returned over £900 and then £10 singles on top, but if the shortest priced of the lot had done the business the Yankee would have paid the ridiculous sum of... drumroll please... over £4,400!!!
By the way, even my (normally just Placepot loving) wife has been bitten by the bug and on Sunday she placed a £1 yankee and a few small single bets on each of the selections...
Including the £32 she got back for the placepot, she collected £599 for an outlay of £63, so between us we lifted over £1,700 on Sunday. That will keep me in the good books for a while mate! 😉
1 February 2016
1st February - 1 selection - Just one selection to kick the month off and Wavelet drifted from 2/1 to 3/1, but could only manage 2nd place. After the results from the day before, I wasn't too upset!
3 February 2016
3rd February - 3 selections - The day was off to a flyer with Prideofthecastle winning at 8/1 and I was full of anticipation, because I actually quite fancied the other two, but two 2nd places at 4/1 and 9/2 (from 6/1) was all I could manage. Still, an 8/1 winner every day would be nice!
Of course, not every day is a winning one Matt and some days I struggle to find anything worth backing at all, but I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how impressed I am with my subscription to Geegeez Gold and especially your Trainer / Jockey Combo report.
Just in the last couple of weeks I've paid for my subscription 10 times over!
All the best,
Andy
Pretty good, eh? I love hearing about subscribers' success, and this was a cracker of an email!
Remember you can sign up to Geegeez Gold for just £5 for your first 14 days and that will give you complete access to everything on the site, not just the Trainer Jockey Combo report, so why not do yourself a favour today and click the banner below to join now...
[Oh, and keep in mind that TJ Combo is free to all registered users every Saturday - you're welcome 😉 ]
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/profit-from-geegeez-gold.jpg320830Matt Bisognohttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngMatt Bisogno2016-02-04 09:57:452018-05-09 16:52:40Just One Way To Profit From Geegeez
Last Friday saw us reach the end of the fourth full calendar year for Stat of the Day, which was Geegeez' first real venture into daily tipping.
We know that we acquired lots of new subscribers over the year thanks to previous years' successes, so a brief overview of SotD is as follows...
Whilst form and other variable parameters come in to play when normally making a bet, SotD's first port of call is find runners who fit a stat ( or usually a number of stats) suggesting they will go well.
We aim to have the selection online by the time most people rise for breakfast, where possible and it's usually done well before midnight the night before the meeting.
We try to find runners priced around the 3/1 to 6/1 mark at BOG prices and look for some value in the odds achieved. A large proportion of our selections run at much shorter odds than we advise and constantly beating SP is a key in making long-term profits. Basically, our profit figures aren't massaged by some freakishly long priced winners, nor is our strike rate bolstered by a string of odds-on jollies.
What we do have is a consistent approach that aims to highlight one value selection per day and although this "one-a-day" stats-based approach to bet selection suffers all the obligatory peaks and troughs associated with betting on horses, we have managed to make a profit yet again this year.
Without blowing the collective trumpets of both myself and Matt, we're very proud of the figures accrued to date and we can safely say there aren't many (if any!) better services around. In fact, most paid-for services would kill for our figures.
Where possible, I'd like SotD to cover your monthly subscriptions to Gold, making the rest of the site free to use as you see fit and in 2015, a level stake of £3.32 was all that was needed to cover a £24 per month worst case scenario.
Number of bets/selections/pts wagered: 287 (a large number of non-runners this year) Winning Bets: 81 Strike Rate: 28.22%
Yearly Profit: 86.8pts Profit on Stakes Invested: 30.2%
This is no flash in the pan freak year, as the abovce figures take the last two years results to 165/592 (27.87% SR) for 175.18pts profit at an ROI of 29.59%, showing remarkable consistency over a sustained perod of time.
These are quite phenomenal figures, if we say so ourselves and we'll be doing our level best to maintain our success in 2016.
Thanks for sticking with us/SotD,
Chris & Matt
***Stat of the Day is just one component of the excellent package available to all Geegeez Gold Members, so why not take your free trial now?
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/stat_of_the_day_white_letters-e1460311997762.jpg319830Chris Worrallhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngChris Worrall2016-01-05 12:07:462020-05-02 06:51:54Stat of the Day: The 2015 Review
Data won’t tell you everything about why horses fall, writes Tony Keenan. There are too many intangible factors at play, variables that can’t be number-crunched. Race flow plays a big part; horses can be drawn into mistakes by how the race unfolds, be it the pace it is being run at or simply by being distracted by another runner jumping alongside it.
Physical issues can affect jumping; an underlying injury can be found out in the heat of battle while the effort of in-race exertion can cause a fresh problem. That’s not to mention mental issues: some horses seem unable to concentrate on jumping consistently or lack the self-preservation instinct to get from one side of a fence to the other.
But numbers can still tell us plenty, not least because of a large sample size of chases and fallers/unseats each season. Unless otherwise stated, I have looked at all Irish chases since the start of the 2003/04 season until the end of the 2014/15 campaign (in hurdle races, jumping just isn’t as important with fewer and smaller obstacles).
In that period, there were 4,932 chases with 57,626 runners; 6,107 horses fell or unseated, a faller rate of 10.6% with an average of 1.24 falls/unseats per race. When I refer to ‘faller rate’ I mean the combined number of falls and unseats.
Irish and UK Chase Faller Rate by Season
Season
UK
Ireland
2014/15
7.7%
9.9%
2013/14
7.1%
9.3%
2012/13
7.1%
8.7%
2011/12
8.3%
9.6%
2010/11
8.1%
10.5%
2009/10
9.3%
11.3%
2008/09
8.7%
11.9%
2007/08
9.1%
11.1%
2006/07
8.8%
10.3%
2005/06
9.6%
10.5%
2004/05
9.4%
11.7%
2003/04
10.4%
11.8%
The first thing that stands out is general downward trend of faller rate in the UK and Ireland over the period covered; there are some blips along the way as the table above shows but the broad picture is clear. On the whole, fences in the UK appear to be easier which isn’t the greatest surprise; the animal rights lobby, regardless of what you may think of them, are certainly stronger there than in Ireland.
The Grand National fences are the most high-profile example of this but another interesting case, albeit with a small sample size, was made by Matt Tombs in his recent book ‘How to Bet and Win at the Festival’. Tombs points out that while there were 22 fallers at the 2014 Cheltenham Festival there were just eight in the most recent iteration, a marked decline. Irish faller rates are dropping too, though they remain higher than the UK which may help Irish horses on their raids as they are more tried and tested jumpers.
Irish Chase Faller Rate by Track since 2003/4
Track
Faller Rate
Sligo
6.0%
Naas
6.5%
Roscommon
6.6%
Tramore
7.5%
Killarney
7.7%
Ballinrobe
8.0%
Wexford
8.2%
Kilbeggan
9.1%
Navan
10.2%
Galway
10.3%
Fairyhouse
10.9%
Punchestown
11.0%
Tipperary
11.0%
Limerick
11.2%
Leopardstown
11.3%
Gowran Park
11.4%
Downpatrick
12.0%
Clonmel
12.0%
Thurles
12.0%
Cork
12.6%
Listowel
12.7%
Down Royal
15.2%
Faller rates at the various Irish chase tracks produced surprising results, not least the bizarre mix of tracks that comprised the bottom five. Down Royal is a big galloping track with one of the widest circumferences in the country and a few tricky downhill fences that are met at speed, Listowel is flat and tight but they tend to stick close to the rail over fences and racing room is at a premium, Cork is flat and galloping, both Thurles and Clonmel have downhill fences but beyond that have few similarities.
Perhaps the most encouraging finding is where the main winter jumping tracks fall in the table. The big four of Leopardstown (eighth), Punchestown (eleventh), Fairyhouse (twelfth) and Navan (fourteenth) bunch around the middle which is a good sign as they host the majority of our graded races. These tracks should be fair, a test without being an ordeal, and the numbers suggest this is the case.
Down Royal is the outlier here. Not only is their chase track top in terms of faller rate, it is also 2.5% higher than any other track in the country and there is no bigger discrepancy between one track and the next anywhere else in the survey as there is between the highest and second highest. The fences at the Ulster course have long seemed ultra-stiff and it’s probably not the place to run an iffy jumper or even to start one off over fences.
Irish Chase Faller Rate by Trainer since 2009/10
Trainer
Faller Rate
R. Tyner
5.5%
C. Roche
6.9%
C. Swan
7.9%
H. De Bromhead
7.9%
N. Meade
8.0%
F. Flood
8.2%
D. Hughes
8.4%
E. Bolger
8.7%
G. Elliott
8.9%
E. O’Grady
9.0%
P. Nolan
9.4%
A. Moore
9.4%
M. Morris
9.5%
M. Hourigan
9.8%
J. Mangan
9.9%
J. Harrington
10.4%
O. McKiernan
10.5%
T. Martin
10.6%
P. Rothwell
10.9%
J. Lambe
11.0%
W. Mullins
11.4%
C. McBratney
11.6%
C. Byrnes
12.0%
L. Burke
12.6%
J. Hanlon
12.7%
J. Walsh
15.8%
J. Ryan
16.7%
C. Murphy
18.1%
There is a host of contributing factors to why a trainer may have a high or low faller rate. The type of horses they typically handle plays a huge part; if they tend to get national hunt types, their faller rates should be lower as such sorts are more physically able to jumps fences while forcing flat types to do the same is a somewhat Sisyphean task. Good schooling facilities have to help too as would access to good jockeys, both for homework and on the track.
This table takes into account the top twenty-five trainers in terms of chase runners since 2009/10. Colm Murphy comes out worst on these numbers and he’s been cursed by some of the worst jumpers around in recent times. Zaarito (five falls/unseats), Big Zeb (four) and lately Empire Of Dirt (four) have all tried his patience though whether this is randomness or something to do with the trainer is impossible to say. The numbers suggest that Willie Mullins horses aren’t the best jumpers and the visuals back this up; a few of his stable stars have had their issues over fences but it hasn’t necessarily stopped them winning.
There isn’t a huge correlation between those with low faller rates and high return in terms of winning chases. I looked at trainers’ success rate in various types of races last month and the bottom five here – Tyner, Roche, Swan, De Bromhead and Meade – have a mixed record. De Bromhead (18.0% over fences since 2010) does very well, Tyner (12.0%) and Meade (11.7%) do ok while Roche (9.3%) is below average.
Irish Chase Faller Rate by Jockey since 2009/10
Jockey
Faller Rate
M. Walsh
6.4%
B. Geraghty
6.8%
N. Madden
7.1%
T. Doyle
7.2%
P. Carberry
7.3%
A. Lynch
7.3%
P. Townend
7.5%
B. O’Connell
7.8%
A. McNamara
7.8%
A. Crowe
8.1%
R. Power
8.2%
P. Enright
8.3%
R. Walsh
8.4%
D. Condon
8.7%
D. Russell
8.8%
J. Cullen
9.1%
B. Cooper
9.6%
D. Casey
9.6%
M. Ferris
10.0%
A. Heskin
10.5%
S. Flanagan
10.8%
M. Darcy
11.2%
P. Mangan
11.6%
The sample size for fallers with jockeys is bigger than for trainers and their faller rates have nothing like as wide a spread. Like the trainers’ table above it takes into account the top twenty-five jockeys in terms of chase rides since 2009/10. The two JP McManus-retained riders come out very well, particularly the much-improved Mark Walsh who tops the table.
I certainly won’t get into jockey bashing here when you consider that one fifth of the riders listed above aren’t riding any longer; David Casey, John Cullen, Davy Condon, Andrew McNamara and Tom Doyle have all retired recently. One thing that emerges is the overall level of competency across the board; even the worst faller rate is only 1.3% higher than the national average since 2003/04.
Today, New Year's Eve 2014, sees the end of the third full calendar year for Stat of the Day, which was Geegeez' first real venture into daily tipping.
We know we've acquired lots of new subscribers of late, so a brief overview of SotD is as follows...
Whilst form and other variable parameters come in to play when normally making a bet, SotD's first port of call is find runners who fit a stat ( or usually a number of stats) suggesting they will go well.
We aim to have the selection online by the time most people rise for breakfast, where possible and it's usually done before midnight the night before the meeting.
We try to find runners priced around the 3/1 to 6/1 mark at BOG prices and look for some value in the odds achieved. A large proportion of our selections run at much shorter odds than we advise and constantly beating SP is a key in making long-term profits. Basically, our profit figures aren't massaged by some freakishly long priced winners, nor is our strike rate bolstered by a string of odds-on jollies.
What we do have is a consistent approach that aims to highlight one value selection per day and although this "one-a-day" stats-based approach to bet selection suffers all the obligatory peaks and troughs associated with betting on horses, we have managed to make a profit yet again this year.
Without blowing the collective trumpets of both myself and Matt, we're very proud of the figures accrued to date and we can safely say there aren't many (if any!) better services around. In fact, most paid-for services would kill for our figures.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Stat-of-the-Day.png150150Chris Worrallhttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngChris Worrall2014-12-31 13:32:112020-05-02 06:52:11Stat of the Day: The 2014 Review
This is the end, beautiful friend
This is the end, my only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Jim Morrison had it about right, when he warbled the above with The Doors.
After deep consideration, and with a very heavy heart, I've decided that it's time for me to walk away from geegeez.co.uk.
I have every hope that the site will continue to exist, and most likely in a very similar format to the current setup. But that's assuming a buyer can be found who shares the vision and ethos you've come to expect from this little dot in the pointillist digital landscape of the internet.
There are two reasons I've reached this decision, and they're linked.
Firstly, I've subsidized geegeez to a significant degree from my other business interests over the past year, and that's not something I can justify any more. More on the paradox of this in a moment.
And secondly, I'm tired and I need a change. Frankly, I think geegeez probably does too. This has been my lifeblood for five and a half years now, and it's come a very long way since that first post in August 2008.
The very beginning...
Focusing on the first of those reasons for a second, I decided about this time two years ago to really kick on with geegeez.co.uk. It was doing well, providing me with a good living from talking gubbins about racing, and about betting systems and services. And it would have continued to do just that, but for one thing. I was bored.
geegeez virtually ran without input from me at the time, especially as I had help - firstly from Paul and, since June 2011, Chris has been my invaluable right hand man. That support gave me the space that every entrepreneur needs to stop being tactical - i.e. living from day to day, doing the same thing - and to start being strategic, i.e. develop a 'grand plan' for the way forward.
The grand plan had a simple mission statement: to make geegeez.co.uk the best free independent UK racing site on the 'net. I like to think we came close.
Of course, a business plan involves making money. After all, the first rule of business is that if you're not selling anything, you're not in business. (It's amazing how many businesses actually don't get that!)
geegeez was selling quite a lot of systems and services which had been reviewed on the site and our brilliant independent reviewers (thank you, guys!!!) were happy to recommend. It was thanks in part to their hard work that we were able to offer so much for so little. Or for free, to be more precise.
My new strategy involved publishing the racecards each day, and results, and having all sorts of cool - and easy to use - form study tools and reports. It also involved more interaction, through competitions and a tipping league.
Plus, I wanted to showcase some of the hottest new writing talent I could find. I couldn't afford the 'name' writers and, in any case, they've generally got too much to lose to say anything of real interest.
Indeed, the biggest 'name' I've been lucky enough to host on geegeez is Tony Stafford, senior member of the Fleet Street racing mob for many a decade. The cost of his services? A cup of tea and a bacon roll every other month. This tip top man, an absolute encyclopedia of racing, rises early most Sundays to pen some thoughts on the sport's to's and fro's of the last week or so. Plus, he hurls in a spot of Arsenal bluster here and there, but I can't begrudge him that! He does it gratis, bless him.
The writers published on these virtual pages have been expert in their areas, and have had pithy observations to make. Very little fence-sitting, but plenty of ballast to support their arguments. Just how it should be, and - though I say it myself - just how I wanted it.
But, Mr Stafford aside, they cost. Not fortunes, but they cost. Collectively, it comes to a fair sum each month. And there has never been any charge for that quality insight.
I'm sorry to say that I've had to stand the entire writing team down, with effect from the end of the month. Mal Boyle, the daily stats man; Andy Newton, and his Saturday TV and trainer trends; Tony Keenan's Irish views; Martin Pennington's excellent point-to-point knowledge; and, of course, Ian Sutherland, my news writer, for whom this particular news came in the week of his 1000th post on geegeez.
There have been others down the years too, but it's never easy to let people go, especially when they've not actually done anything wrong. It's a tremendous testament that some of the above named have offered to continue to write for free, a) because they love writing for people who actually show their appreciation for what they're doing, and b) because they'd like to write for the new owner(s), whoever that might be.
Then there's the racecards. For someone who spent ten years managing major software projects, it was an eye-opening experience getting those into being. Bootstrapping has been the order of the day. Scrimping on development costs by calling in favours from friends, and friends of the site who have become friends. My massive and sincere thanks go to Nige and Dave, whose hard work for little financial return - certainly compared to the market rate - has produced those things of beauty that help you find your picks each day.
Johanne, my intern, has created perhaps the biggest business asset in his year with me. A raw rookie in work experience terms, he came to me with a first in creative computing for his degree, and he's learned more in one year sat in the office with me than he did in three years at university (by his admission). I want to record my thanks to him too.
Even employing an intern and 'mate's rates', the development exercise was expensive. Especially so after a failed outsource operation (mostly my fault rather than theirs, I should add). It was also time-consuming.
And who knew that when you have all this clever stuff happening on your website, and people are actually using it, that you might need more than £2 a month hosting?! 😉 Well, I do now...
Whilst doing all this, I dropped the ball a little on the system/service review side. In other words, at the same time as spending a ton of money on developing the site, I also reduced the incomings from the review side. Careless on my part.
In the end, it's been a hell of a year with staff and an office and data licensing costs and project management and and and.
Oh yes, and there was the small matter of being dad to a fantastic little lad, and wanting to spend as much time as I can with him.
I'll be honest. For the first time since geegeez.co.uk squinted its virtual eyes into the bright light of cyberspace, it has felt like having a J-O-B this year. But not just any old job. No, a job where you work doubly hard, are responsible for the livelihood of other people, and earn almost no money, because you're ploughing it all back into the business.
And that brings me onto my point two above: I'm tired.
As well as being dad I have had the business to run, a double life which millions of men carry off with staggering élan on a daily basis. Fair play to them, but it's taken me to the outer limits of my capacity and, if I wanted that I'd have carried on being an overpaid consultant to over-earning financial institutions. That's what I left back then to do this...
I've been marketing director, chief correspondent, managing editor, third line customer support (and first line too), chief operating officer, accountant, clerk, secretary, syndicate manager, and a bit more besides. Again, plenty of people do that. After all, it's what running a small business generally entails. And most of those poor bastards don't get to watch racing every day!
So, no sympathy required. Rather, I'm trying to articulate how we... I... came to be where we... I... are... am.
I always said I'd give this project until the end of the year to 'wash its face', but it hasn't, and I need to be a man and walk away. The weird thing - for me, not for any potential buyer - is that having gone through the nuts and bolts over the weekend, 2014 looks full of promise.
Most of the heavy lifting - development costs, data licensing, and the like - is now done. With the vast majority of the development work to produce cool reports and tools for those who want to bet on horse racing completed, for someone - most likely an existing racing publisher, I guess - this will make a great 'turnkey' investment.
I've given five and a half years of my professional life to it, and to you, geegeez' visitors and readers: its loyal and valued subscribers and, in many, many cases, friends. It's been the second best thing I've ever done, and to all who have supported me down the years, your part will sincerely never be forgotten, in the same way that it's never been taken for granted.
But I have to face harsh reality. I've never borrowed a penny in this business, and the fact that I never will is why I have to stop. I'm not commercially aggressive enough to make the investment of this year pay in the very short term, even as I can see the point where investment and return on investment pass each other.
My biggest 'mistake' has ultimately been to give too much away for nothing, when it was costing me something. Cumulatively, a pretty something. I've always believed in being inclusive and my lack of background in marketing has found me out in the end.
So when I recently invited you to trial the Gold service, most of you politely declined. That might have been because you were busy doing other things (apparently something quite significant happens in December each year - the King George on Boxing Day?). It might have been because you've got no money, or no desire to pay for an upgrade. Or it might have been because you get all you need from the free stuff on the site.
There is one other possibility: it might (very well) have been because I did a less than stellar job of 'selling' the free trial to you. For instance, you might not even know that Gold trialists currently have a hot-off-the-press Harry Fry stable tour, with a very dark horse expected to win first time out after a long layoff and a change of stable... 😉 Oh, and I probably ought to have said something about the 6/1 winner for the little system on the Gold subscribers' page too...
You see, whilst I have a very good model for selling products on a one off basis - as plenty of my now peers in the industry can attest - I've never really quite nailed the 'building an asset base' side of things in the way I'd probably have liked to. And that's because I keep giving high quality stuff away. It's hard to feel bad about that, and I don't, but I do feel it maybe should have worked out better than it did in the finish. Anyway...
The options as it stands then are:
1 - Sell up and walk away
2 - Find an investor and re-visit the current 'free line'
3 - Downsize back to a little blog site
Option 2 is not really an option for me. I don't especially want to 'co-habit' with an investor. I don't want to have to consider someone else's opinion in key decisions (notwithstanding that I recognize they might be far better placed to determine the right path).
And I really, really don't want to re-visit the current 'free line'. Put another way, I would find it nigh on impossible to justify charging for something like the Race Analysis Reports, which have been adored as a free facet of the site. That would feel a bit like a pusher offering crack for a few months before asking for money. I guess.
It's not something I can do, and I don't feel any compulsion to reconsider that stance. So Option 2 is a non-runner.
Option 1 - sell up and walk away - is my preferred option. It would, of course, be conditional, as I have a duty of care to those reading this to ensure that a prospective buyer shares at least the guts of my ethos for geegeez. It is also conditional on my valuation being met. Because of the first condition, I am prepared to take a hit on the second. What I'm not prepared to do is, excuse me, be bent over on this.
Which brings me to the third possibility...
Option 3 - downsize back to a little blog site - has some appeal if my valuation isn't met. But things would change markedly, and you and other readers may not derive the same value that you currently do from such a route forward.
Firstly, those brilliant writers would be scarcely affordable. Secondly, it's quite likely that I'd have to tear up the data licensing contract and, thus, the racecards and related reports would go too. The tipping league is driven off that data as well, so that would be out.
Like I say, it'd be back to me writing random thoughts on horse racing, a few tips from Chris and myself (Chris is now more indispensible to geegeez than me!), and some system and service reviews.
Moreover, because I'm completely 'cream crackered', I'd have to take a month out - at least - to recharge my flat batteries. So it'd be a quiet time for a while.
My preference, as I've said, is for Option 1. But I'll not sell you - or me - short on that, which does bring in Option 3. After a rest. (Bizarrely, if someone does step forward to buy the site, I'll likely end up working with them for a couple of months to handover, but will most certainly take my leave of absence thereafter!)
I do have a prospectus for interested parties - serious enquiries only please, and some demonstration of viability will be required before data is divulged - so if you might be interested in what is a brilliant opportunity for the right company, either to synergize with existing titles, or to take a first step into the racing niche, then please do contact me.
****
I must start to close by saying that this is very sad for me personally. Very sad. And it's desperately disappointing that it's come to this. It's also been really difficult telling people whose contributions I value so much that I can no longer showcase their talent. But that's where we are, I'm afraid.
So what happens next? Well, for the next few weeks, you're very unlikely to see any difference, except that there will be less content on the site after the end of the month. That likely means I'll be doing a bit more writing myself, so apologies for that in advance. 😉
Gold membership and the racecards will continue, at least until April, when the break clause in my license can be activated. So need to do anything just yet if you're a member of that esteemed community. (And if you're not, now might be a fine time to register...)
Thereafter, during January, things will be winding down on the editorial side unless/until a buyer is found. If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please get in touch. Serious enquiries only please.
We've had a great run since 22nd August 2008 - five and a half good years. And before that, since 23rd February 2007 when I wrote my first post on nag-nag-nag. That's nigh on seven years of blogging. As a consequence of my digital scribbles, I got to write a weekly column for The Irish Field, and a Cheltenham feature last year for attheraces.com, as well as having geegeez.co.uk featured in the Racing Post (though the assertion that the site had "a few serviceable posts" still rankles!)
This year, the site has had 786,454 visits from 220,189 unique visitors. They - you - have collectively viewed 3,913,990 pages. And over 73% of you are return visitors. There have been over 10,000 posts, and 17,645 comments (none of which are spam, and all of which have been manually moderated by myself or Chris).
More good news for a potential buyer is that those figures are a step up on 2012, and offer solid evidence that the site's popularity continues on an upward curve.
Some tidy numbers for geegeez this year...
Since February 2007, I've personally written well over two MILLION words. In fact, with comment replies and the like, it's probably over three million!
Given that your average novel weighs in at somewhere between 80,000 and 120,000 words, that's close to thirty volumes in seven years. No wonder I've got RSI. (Did I mention I'm starting to get RSI?!)
So we've done a lot right. Unfortunately, I've done one thing wrong. I've not made enough money to pay the bills, and to keep my family in a way I'd want to. Bills which grew considerably in 2013, and a family which has also grown by 50%, as I've tried to take geegeez to the next level.
Although the bills will be a fair bit lower in 2014 with a number of one off costs now sunk, I remain knackered.
I don't regret trying, though I'm disappointed by my failure to achieve the business objectives I set out for geegeez. And it's perfectly fair to say that I under-estimated the enormity of the challenge, with all the management decisions - be they technical, marketing, strategic, or logistical - posted through one door: mine.
So, for now at least, many thanks for reading this post - and the likely large number of previous contributions you've perused at this virtual address - and please keep dropping by, as nothing will change in the short term. Plus, how else will I keep you updated of any developments on the future?!
In the meantime, if you'd like to encourage a potential buyer (or just help cheer me up!) by demonstrating the affection you have for the site, then please do leave a comment below. In any case, you have my heartfelt thanks for being a part of this adventure for so long, and I hope you understand my reasons for arriving at the crossroads I am now.
Thank you.
Matt
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.png00Matt Bisognohttps://www.geegeez.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/geegeez_banner_new_170x78.pngMatt Bisogno2013-12-16 07:31:392013-12-15 22:00:00A New Beginning for geegeez.co.uk?
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Geegeez chief writer - and founder/creator - Matt Bisogno has been named on the four man shortlist for Specialist Writer of the Year at the presitigious Horseracing Writers & Photographers Association's Derby Awards.
