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A Q and A with The Form Guy

Steve V, The Form Guy was our Tipster Competition winner at the end of 2020 and continued to proof his selections as Guest Tipster to our Platinum Members in January of this year.

Steve has seen both sides of the coin, as a bookie and as a punter and tipster so is well placed to offer us words of advice when it comes to where best to place our hard earned money for a profitable outcome.

We gave a brief introductory profile to Steve back in out January issue, but we felt it only right to offer him the opportunity to answer our Q and A, so we could glean a little more about the man behind The Form guy.

1. Hi Steve and many thanks for joining us this month, Steve what first attracted you to the world of horse racing and what do you enjoy most about the sport?

My first involvement with horse racing came at an early age watching my uncle train his horses on the beaches of Great Yarmouth. Throughout the summer months the horses would run out of Newmarket with the trainer Robert Armstrong, then in the winter my uncle would bring them home to look after them himself.

On Course Profits free Horse Racing magazine

As a sport horse racing has always fascinated me, as have many of the characters I have met on the track!

2. Would you say that you have a “typical” working day, and how would you describe it?

A typical day for myself would be to read the Racing Post followed by the BHA website. There is some fantastic information into horses running styles, and reports with the on course vet into the performance and excuses from trainers/jockeys.

After that I’ll make a shortlist of runners before checking the odds along with stats and value before deciding on the best bets,

I’m confident in my selection process as most of the horses I back are value. I am simply not interested in even money shots as I strongly believe by backing value horses you will maintain a decent level stakes profit throughout the season.

3.What traits do you think a good racing tipster should possess and what do you think the average punter is looking for from a tipping service?

Tipster v Punter is a very good question.

I’ve been on both sides of the fence so answering this question is relatively easy for me to answer.

As a tipster, you need transparency and discipline, with easy to follow instructions for the punter to follow – transparency is pivotal in running a successful business therefore when sending selections to members I like to add my reasoning on why I’m backing a horse. Losing runs will always occur, that’s why we have starting banks, to cover losses, it happens in this game, but it’s all about that long term profit!

As a punter I’m looking for easy to follow instructions and not too many selections daily. Also, If I need to contact a tipster via email, I expect an acknowledgement. There are some services I have subscribed to in the past that have taken days to reply, and sometimes there has been no reply at all, which is not good practice.

I also don’t expect tipsters to send me short, priced favs either which will lead me to the poor house 4/6, 9/4, 8/11, 1/2 I can manage to pick them myself.

I’d look for a service that does all the homework for me and will earn myself a second income with solid LSP profits over a period of time.

4. What do you think of the world of sports tipping in general and what do you think people are in search of when it comes to their hunt for a successful tipster?

Sports betting has changed so much over the years, gone are the days of spending afternoons in the betting shop, everything is done online now and it’s relatively easy getting the best odds by visiting oddschecker.com.

You ask what customers / punters look for when choosing a tipster service! Good question.

I can only answer for myself and friends I’ve spoken with, and we all basically came to the same conclusion. Subscriptions costs, and the biggest discussion was about selections and the number of bets a service may send out on a daily or monthly basis and the stakes advised Personal preference is 1pt bets £10 per point

5. New and old punters alike can struggle to make a success of their betting. If you could give them just one piece of advice to improve their profitability, what would it be?

My one piece of advice for any punter would be a very simple one, learn from your past mistakes.

I always suggest that you keep a proper record of your betting and that you don’t expect to get rich quick by placing multiples or chasing and backing a horse in every race.

I’ve learned by my own mistakes as a tipster and backer of horses that if you want to make a successful income from the sport, the one thing you need more than anything else is discipline!

6. Do you regularly bet yourself? What style of approach do you take to your betting? What do you think of staking plans, loss retrieval systems etc.?

I’m not a punter who likes chasing losses as they will naturally occur, the aim is simple, to find the value and stick by your principles.

I’ve a system that’s proven profitable over a period of years and believe this will continue to prove successful. That’s why punters have betting banks. I’ve doubled my betting bank in the few months I’ve been providing selections for OCP ! 

7. What would you consider to be a highlight of your racing experience to date? Do you have any personal racing / betting experiences which when reflecting back brings a smile, or for that matter any which bring a grimace; you can share with our readers?

I guess the highlight for myself is pitting my wits against the bookmaker and finding where there is value to be had.

My betting nightmare still haunts me to this day!!

Grey swallow costing me more than 300k for small £4 bet that even made the news on Channel 4 Racing with big John McCririck fighting my corner.

I needed Grey Swallow as a last leg of an accumulator, but connections pulled the horse out a week before Epsom with the horse heading instead over to Ireland for the Derby and winning there by 10 lengths. My gut would suggest that it was pulled out deliberately as the bet had been placed with Jack Brown bookmakers, and the trainer, Dermot Weld was married to Jacqueline Brown.

That bet is one which will haunt me forever!

8. The racing industry is coming in for some severe criticism regarding the number and quality of race cards, is this something you have an opinion on?

Racing’s governing body, the BHA, needs a total overhaul as do the fixture lists in my opinion. There is just too much racing which is leaving punters with small field races.

Less racing naturally means more competition, and let’s not forget that before bookmakers became greedy with 24/7 racing from around the world, we would have 2/3 meetings a day with every race of a competitive field size.

9. What do you do to relax and unwind? What interests have you outside the world of horse racing?

I enjoy travel and watching West Ham play football, I also enjoy cooking various foods from around the world. Due to lockdown and food shortages in the shops I started learning how to make my own Italian sausages.

I am a big animal lover, and I am missing my dogs. Prior to lockdown I was in Thailand with my family, I have a house and family there in Ubon Ratchathani. Unfortunately travel restrictions left me a dab hand on FaceTime and Line ID but I am hoping to return in February 2022 after restrictions being lifted, when I have the time.

I also enjoy flea markets and antique fares, and I am a collector of Art Deco style period pieces.

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