Chapter 8

 CHAPTER 8  

 Race Preview and Review  

​

 The sharpest review begins before the first race, with notes prepared to measure what the day reveals.  

 How you organise your form before a meeting will shape the quality of your review afterwards. Preview and review should work together, creating a practical record that complements the traditional form guide rather than replacing it.  

 

 Racing Australia remains the most reliable central source for written form and race‑day information. Used properly, the Racing Australia desktop site becomes the backbone of a reliable preview and review process. 

 

Key Points in Assigning Benchmark Ratings 

• Not all official Benchmark 64 races are truly Benchmark 64 races. 

• Assign Benchmark rating to Class, Listed & Group races. 

• Adjusting the ratings band now helps to compare future form. 

• Re-amend your ratings band after scratchings if necessary.

 

 Assess Recent Form Depth 

 I keep it simple: record finishing positions from the last three starts, including first-up, second-up, or lost rider last start. The runs prior to a spell still count. If you prefer five starts of recent form, use five starts. 

​

 Post‑Meeting Review 

 Preview sets the day. Review becomes an aid for future formguides. 

 

 The post meeting review is your time to collect as much data as you deem necessary. Even noting data now that may not seem important at the time may help you down the track. I like to note the winner and the official time with the last 600m of the race. I also like to note the winner’s barrier stall and official benchmark rating. Using colours to highlight different information helps the data to standout.  

Instead of reviewing the meeting in racebook order, reorder the races by distance, with the lowest class first. This keeps the start position consistent and makes it easier to compare distance and class on your results page. I like to work my pre‑meeting form the same way. 

 

 Recording these factors helps to identify trends worth following and can also flag future winners who were beaten by those factors.  

 

 For example, a horse beaten early in its prep by a runner on a seven-day (or less) back-up may simply have run into a race-hardened rival. Likewise, losing to a last-start winner can mean the horse struck one in peak form. Getting beaten by a last-start maiden winner is not usually a good sign as they often reveal weaker form races. 

​

 These insights become valuable when reading future form and save time cross-checking the strength of past races. 

​

​