UK Sports Betting Tips Podcast

James Dooley says
So Joe, when you're tipping up horses in the Racing Post and you see WS1, which stands for the first time since they've had wind surgery, and WS2, which stands for the second run since wind surgery, is this something that could be a factor for finding value in the betting market or not?

Joe Norris says
Without a doubt. I think this is a positive factor. For starters, a trainer wouldn't bother spending the money on a wind operation if they didn't feel it would benefit the horse. The data shows that it is normally the second run following the wind op that you want to look out for. I also looked at some research that suggests wind surgery is often more effective in the National Hunt sphere than on the flat. I guess that's because they're running over further, so you see the benefits more clearly.

But again, it's always price related for me. If you can get a 20 to 1 shot having its second run after a wind op, that can represent good value. If it is a favourite off the back of a second wind op, you can sometimes see the opposite effect where people overbet it because they’ve spotted the WS2. It always comes back to price, but in terms of the factors we’re discussing, this is definitely one of the more important ones to watch for.

James Dooley says
Yeah, I completely agree. This time it's actually the first run after wind surgery that I would want to back, as long as you're getting value in the betting market and you think the horse can outrun its odds. There are lots of different types of wind operations as well, but I completely agree with you Joe. It is a positive. An owner or trainer wouldn’t put a horse through wind surgery unless they felt it would yield extra improvement moving forward.

Joe Norris says
That's it.