The DataBase Ratings is our free basic ratings service, covering all Australian horse racing.

These are a basic set of ratings designed to give an accurate, data-driven view of each runner’s chances. We do not expect them to win on their own simply by betting into every race. But they do give you a decent head-start on the market, shown by the pre-launch testing period where the top-rater won 28% of the time, and the ratings lost just 3% on turnover overall at Best Tote.

The DataBase Ratings are derived from our private analyst’s racing database, which captures over 40 different race-specific, runner-specific and track-specific form factors from every race. All recognised form factors are covered such as track, distance, conditions, time and weight.

These factors are combined to produce a number of different models that give a quantitative representation of how horses, jockeys and trainers perform in each race, and thus builds up a comprehensive bank of their respective capabilities.

When a race field is released, the models combine to produce the single DataBase Rating to give an accurate guide to each runner’s chances.

Crucially, the combination of these models, and hence the ratings, are ever-evolving.

Using artificial intelligence, the model learns which combinations of data are most successful and retrains itself on a weekly basis, adjusting the ratings calculation to suit. This is critical, as racing (and the edge needed to win) is always changing.