Atacama Sky drops to midweek career for the first time
Punting Form Race Reports are a data-driven approach to understanding the relative strengths of each runner in an upcoming race. Using benchmark ratings, the reports feature the most recent performances of each competitor and their respective personal bests within the last two years, as well as a speed map indicating likely settle positions and computer-generated price assessments.
Benchmarking is the process of converting times into a standardised figure that accounts for prevailing race conditions to provide a means of understanding the relative performance of any past run. The figures are expressed in lengths and the smaller (or more negative) the figure, the better (faster) the performance.
Speed map positions are based on the average historical settle position for each runner as a percentage of field size, while prices are drawn from Punting Form Neural Ratings, which take into account a broad range of 20 statistical factors.
According to Punting Form, one of the most interesting Valentine's Day runners at Ascot Racecourse is Atacama Sky, which is the top weight for the Schweppes Handicap over 1,000 metres. First up after a 158-day spell, Atacama Sky drops to midweek grade for the first time in his 13-start career and, of course, he hails from the in-form Simon Miller stable. Atacama Sky boasts the most impressive Punting Form two-year personal best in the fourth race on the Ascot Racecourse card and he posted that rating over 1,000m, albeit at Belmont Park on a heavy track. The scratching of Puck Shapeshifter removes one of the main dangers to Atacama Sky, which placed second in the Perth Stakes as a juvenile galloper.
You can download the Punting Form Race Reports for all nine Ascot Racecourse races on Valentine's Day and they will appear in the club's racebook as well.