Greco (right) finished seventh in the XXXX-Summer Scorcher on New Year's Day
Information is king and knowledge is power so Perth Racing has partnered with Punting Form to assist punters wagering on the club's Ascot Racecourse races.
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 standardised figures that account 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 derived from the Punting Form neural ratings, which take into account a range of 20 statistical factors.
According to the Punting Form race reports for Saturday's meeting at Ascot Racecourse, Greco stands out as an each-way betting proposition in the Irene Lugg Memorial over 1,400 metres after opening at TABtouch fixed odds of 14.00. Greco recorded his best-ever Punting Form figure on Western Australian soil last time out over Saturday's course and distance, he drops one kilogram, he maps as landing wherever Jerry Noske wants him to land and Jarrad's little sister has ridden him four times for one win and two minor placings this preparation. Conventional handicapping principles make it hard to make a case for Greco turning the tables on Warrior Of Justice from their Belmont Park encounter over 1,200m in September but the former should run well carrying just 54.5kg.
You can download the Punting Form race reports for all eight Ascot Racecourse races on Saturday and they appear in the club's official racebook as well.