Bill Bradshaw of the Daily Express (2nd Jan 08)
wrote how good  Computerman had done in the
Racing Post National Tipsters Challenge.
Can't find any league table of results.
Any URL?
Just what profit would I have made if I'd
put a £1 bet on each of Computerman's
tips for the year?
Obviously the tabloid tipsters have the time,
the incentive, backing in the form of the
tabloid buying any software needed, access
to all the premium rate lines. Plus of
course they can go to the courses, and
are in touch, so to speak with the horse
racing fraternity.

So their selections should do outstandingly
well, far better than the average punter with
little or no info on which to base his
selections.
 So how much profit does following the
tabloid tipsters return?

On Thu, 2008-01-10 at 15:53 퍍, ato_zee@hotmail.com wrote:
> Can't find any league table of results.
> Any URL?

Try browsing through the tipsters section of the Racing Post site -
pointers from here... 
http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/home.sd
You have to register and log in to see the data.

Assuming that they are doing better with their naps than with all their
selections (which data is also available - in part), you should probably
ignore them completely.
Of the 50-odd listed in the naps table, just 14 are in profit to a £1
stake for the season - only 2 in double figures.

Rgds

wrote in message news:47863f8d$0$13927$fa0fcedb@news.zen.co.uk...

>  So how much profit does following the
> tabloid tipsters return?

Very little if any.

Otherwise they'd be keeping all their knowledge to
themselves and living off their betting. Rather than
having to churn out a column every day, even on wet
Monday mornings when there's clearly nothing worth
backing, and they'd rather stay in bed.

Being a newspaper tipster provides a regular wage
providing you don't do spectacularly worse than
all the others, for say more than 2 years running.

The tipsters tables change every year, with new winners
and losers just as they would if they were tossing coins
instead. Some get lucky for a couple of years and then
fall back down the ratings again.


michael adams

...

> >  So how much profit does following the
> > tabloid tipsters return?
>
> Very little if any.

As I suspected. Although Bill Bradshaw
the sports editor regularly writes how good
Computerman is, particularly after a 33 or 66 to 1
win, he doesn't reply to emails to the
email address that heads his sports section.
It may well be that a £1 bet yields a -ve
return.
So I was interested in getting values for
the other tabloid tipsters.

michael adams wrote:
>  wrote in message news:47863f8d$0$13927$fa0fcedb@news.zen.co.uk...
> 
> 
>> So how much profit does following the
>>tabloid tipsters return?
> 
> 
> Very little if any.
> 
> Otherwise they'd be keeping all their knowledge to
> themselves and living off their betting. Rather than
> having to churn out a column every day, even on wet
> Monday mornings when there's clearly nothing worth
> backing, and they'd rather stay in bed.
> 
> Being a newspaper tipster provides a regular wage
> providing you don't do spectacularly worse than
> all the others, for say more than 2 years running.
> 
> The tipsters tables change every year, with new winners
> and losers just as they would if they were tossing coins
> instead. Some get lucky for a couple of years and then
> fall back down the ratings again.
> 
> 
> michael adams
> 
> ...
> 
> 
> 
> 

Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that 
tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?

Some newspapers certainly don't. About 15 years ago, a young 
female friend of mine was trying to get into racing journalism.
Her knowledge of the game was high, but she found it very 
difficult to get a start. Her first break, and her last, was 
from one of our leading dailies which offered her the job of 
ghosting the daily jump racing tips of a recently retired 
famous jockey for about 10 days.

They had no record of her tipping prowess but knew she was at 
least sound. So she had great fun for a while writing brief 
reasons for her daily choices which would next day appear 
under the name of this famous ex champion. She was probably 
ghosting for a ghost who was on holiday, who knows?

LC

> Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
> tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?

So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
are when the select the occasional long shot winer.

Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
astrology column.

wrote in message 
news:47873b82$0$21092$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>
>> Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
>> tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
>
> So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
> negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
> are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
>
> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> astrology column.

Anyone reading them and taking the content seriously deserves them ffs
They are an irrelevance in the real world.
-- 
David

"That Damn Butterfly"

wrote in message news:47873b82$0$21092$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>
>
> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> astrology column.

Well, the Daily Sport employed Fred Archer as a tipster.

He won five Derbies and was champion jockey 13 times
before his suicide in 1886. Afterwards, just the tipping.
http://www.horseracinghistory.co.uk/hrho/action/viewDocument?id=973

-- 
John.

wrote in message news:47873b82$0$21092$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>
> > Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
> > tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
>
> So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
> negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
> are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
>
> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> astrology column.

It's not just the tabloids. Most tipping services, some
of them quite expensive, don't do much better. And as with
newspaper tipsters they regularly change places in the table.
The only difference being that these will go out of business,
whereas a newspaper may simply employ a different journalist
to write under a particular pen name.

A few years back the guy behind this site

http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/index.htm

used to publish free statistics on tipster performance year on
year on his site, some of which I saved at the time for 2000
and 2001

Basically over the course of a year, the top 6 made a profit
averaging around 10%

in 2000 The best Mathematician A + B were out on their own and made
60% profit - the next year they lost 30%. While the remaining
16 all lost. And a different 6 made a profit the next year

Maybe it's still free if you sign up for the newsleeter
dunno


Another thing mitigating against newspaper tipsters or anyone
getting a large following is that this in itself might depress
the prices. I think studies have been done on this, although
this never stopped Peter O'Sullevan regularly topping the naps
table and making a healthy profit when writing for the "Daily Express".
At the time, a very popular paper only outsold by the "Daily Mirror".


michael adams

...

wrote in message news:47873b82$0$21092$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>
> > Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
> > tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
>
> So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
> negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
> are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
>
> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> astrology column.

It's not just the tabloids. Most tipping services, some
of them quite expensive, don't do much better. And as with
newspaper tipsters they regularly change places in the table.
The only difference being that these will go out of business,
whereas a newspaper may simply employ a different journalist
to write under a particular pen name.

A few years back the guy behind this site

http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/index.htm

used to publish free statistics on tipster performance year on
year on his site, some of which I saved at the time for 2000
and 2001

Basically over the course of a year, the top 6 made a profit
averaging around 10%

in 2000 The best Mathematician A + B were out on their own and made
60% profit - the next year they lost 30%. While the remaining
16 all lost. And a different 6 made a profit the next year

Maybe it's still free if you sign up for the newsleeter
dunno

Here's a link to the 2000 results which still seems to work

http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/proofing2000.htm


Changing the year in the address doesn't seem to work.


Another thing mitigating against newspaper tipsters or anyone
getting a large following is that this in itself might depress
the prices. I think studies have been done on this, although
this never stopped Peter O'Sullevan regularly topping the naps
table and making a healthy profit when writing for the "Daily Express".
At the time, a very popular paper only outsold by the "Daily Mirror".


michael adams

...

Keep in mind that most of them have to pick every race on the card,a 
sure way to a losing record.

ato_zee@hotmail.com wrote:
>> Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
>> tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
> 
> So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
> negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
> are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
> 
> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> astrology column.

  I once suggested that a track to a free horoscope day or a free 
lottery ticket day as it is the only place I enjoy seeing clueless people.

wrote in message
news:9YKhj.34858$JD.24429@newssvr21.news.prodigy.net...
> ato_zee@hotmail.com wrote:
> >> Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
> >> tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
> >
> > So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
> > negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
> > are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
> >
> > Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
> > astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
> > astrology column.
>
>   I once suggested that a track to a free horoscope day or a free
> lottery ticket day as it is the only place I enjoy seeing clueless people.


Far from being clueless, following a tipster or tipsters you'd do no
worse than you would in following your own judgement - losing on average
the typical overround margin on all your selections. ( A bigger margin
if you or the tipster mainly select long shots etc.) Unless that is,
you spend hours studying form, or have inside information, and are
highly selective.

The only mistake is in thinking you can win*. But otherwise following
a tipster can save an awful lot of time, while maintaining an interest
of sorts at least. Providing that is, that you're not paying any more
for your tips than the price of a newspaper you'd be buying anyway.

* Otherwise all those who religiously follow newspaper tipsters would
all be stinking rich, and all the bookies would be broke.


michael adams

...

On 11-Jan-2008, "michael adams"  wrote:

> http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/proofing2000.htm

Thanks for the reply, although dated, I wanted a guide
to the actual figures.
Pity this or a similar site isn't running or kept up to
date.
I just want to judge whether having everything in your
favour, such as, the tabloid being able to invest in
software, pay for premium rate calls, being able to
fund travel to meetings, and developing contacts,
makes for a better tipster.

"michael adams"  wrote in message 
news:5upbbqF1hrpumU1@mid.individual.net...
>  wrote in message 
> news:47873b82$0$21092$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk...
>>
>> > Nothing changes, except the names of the leaders of that
>> > tipping lottery. Did anyone ever take these tipsters seriously?
>>
>> So not much point in following them if the tipsters give a
>> negative return, and hardly worth publishing how good they
>> are when the select the occasional long shot winer.
>>
>> Looks like the tabloida might do better if they let the
>> astrologers do the racing tips, and the tipsters do the
>> astrology column.
>
> It's not just the tabloids. Most tipping services, some
> of them quite expensive, don't do much better. And as with
> newspaper tipsters they regularly change places in the table.
> The only difference being that these will go out of business,
> whereas a newspaper may simply employ a different journalist
> to write under a particular pen name.
>
> A few years back the guy behind this site
>
> http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/index.htm
>
> used to publish free statistics on tipster performance year on
> year on his site, some of which I saved at the time for 2000
> and 2001
>
> Basically over the course of a year, the top 6 made a profit
> averaging around 10%
>
> in 2000 The best Mathematician A + B were out on their own and made
> 60% profit - the next year they lost 30%. While the remaining
> 16 all lost. And a different 6 made a profit the next year
>
> Maybe it's still free if you sign up for the newsleeter
> dunno
>
> Here's a link to the 2000 results which still seems to work
>
> http://www.racing-systems.co.uk/proofing2000.htm
>
>
> Changing the year in the address doesn't seem to work.
>
>
> Another thing mitigating against newspaper tipsters or anyone
> getting a large following is that this in itself might depress
> the prices. I think studies have been done on this, although
> this never stopped Peter O'Sullevan regularly topping the naps
> table and making a healthy profit when writing for the "Daily Express".
> At the time, a very popular paper only outsold by the "Daily Mirror".
>
>
> michael adams
>
> ...
>
Peter was in a class of his own and had the great advantage of not having to 
make a selection for every race. I think that his selections comprised his 
Nap another selection and an Each Way.
In the same era the Mail had Cameronian and the Scottish Daily Record had 
(possibly still do) Scotia. Like O'Sullevan they only tipped three 
selections a day.
Derek.