Been a bit more disciplined with the gallops lately instead of just backing whatever looks nice in the market, and a few things have stood out pretty quick. For me the biggest one was track condition. I used to glance at it and move on, now I’m properly checking which runners have actually handled soft or heavy before, and it’s saved me from a few dumb bets. Same with distance jumps too — some look great over 1200 then get found out late once they step up.
Speed maps have probably helped me more than most of the fancy stuff. If a runner is drawn to get a soft lead or sit just off it without doing any work, I’m way more interested, especially at tighter tracks. Barrier on its own doesn’t mean heaps unless you match it with racing pattern. I’ve also been paying more attention to jockey changes and whether the stable is having a decent run, not in a magical way, just as an extra clue if I’m stuck between two.
Sectionals and trial replays are useful too, but I reckon they can chew up your whole arvo if you go too deep. These days I’m mostly looking at recent runs, track/distance stats, map, and whether the price is fair enough. Curious how other punters here do it — do you keep it pretty simple, or are you deep into ratings, tempo stuff, and video? Keen to hear what actually moved the needle for you.