Your personal racing consultant….

They say it takes 10,000 hours to develop expertise – and that’s probably a conservative estimate….

Even if you study horse racing for 20 hours a week it’s going to take 10-years to bank that time. 10 years! And whose got 20 hours to spare?

When you need a legal opinion, you don’t go to law school. Instead, you consult a lawyer. You piggyback on his knowledge and experience. That’s the smart move….

Think of me – Nick Pullen – as your personal racing consultant….

I’ve already put 10,000 hours into the racing game – and the rest. And I continue to put in the time – all year round….

I’m a full-time racing analyst dedicated to digging out quality information that big-field handicap punters can put to profitable use in the markets…. 

Access my findings in ATC….

>>>> I can help you….

My name is Nick Pullen….

I’ve been betting the horses for 30+ years – and since 2007 I’ve written the Against The Crowd (ATC) service….

My column goes out Monday to Friday and caters to racing punters who bet the big-field handicaps on the flat and over the jumps – the toughest betting puzzles on the racing programme….

My simple objective is to provide readers with high-quality information, insights, advice, and opinions they can put to profitable work in the big-field handicap markets. No more. No less….

I reckon I do a pretty good job of it. My track record says as much. And I reckon plenty of readers would agree….

But that doesn’t mean I’m an infallible genius who knows everything and always gets everything right. Not at all. I’m far from that….

I don’t mind telling you straight off the bat that I’m wrong a hell of a lot more times than I’m right….

That’s always been the case and it always will be….

I don’t pick the winner of every race I target for bets at the weekend or at the big midweek Festivals….

I don’t get it right with every observation I make….

I don’t get it right with every opinion I share….

I don’t get it right with all the advice and recommendations I give....

I get plenty wrong. But I don’t worry about it. And I certainly don’t apologise for it….

Getting things wrong is part and parcel of playing the game. It’s par for the course. To be expected….

After all, we’re talking about horse racing – a sport that revolves around largely unpredictable half-ton animals made of flesh, blood, muscle, and bone running around a field….

Nobody gets everything right. Nobody could hope to….

The important thing is to get enough right at sufficiently good prices to make the game pay across the long term….

And I most certainly get that job done. I’ve been doing it for 15-years. And I can tell you for sure that my readers – past & present would happily confirm that….

But, at the end of the day, they don’t need to. Because it’s all a matter of incontrovertible record….

Make your betting pay more across the long-term….

>>>> Take Arecibo, for instance….

At the start of the 2021 flat season Arecibo was officially rated 91….

You might recall, he had come over from France to join David O’Meara’s yard back in the spring of 2019 – starting off his British career at Ripon on a mark of 100….

Two runs in, O’Meara gelded the horse and two runs after that Arecibo won a C3 handicap at Ayr off a mark of 91….

It was the only time he won for the O’Meara yard in 24 runs. It’s fair to say he’d been difficult to win with. The 6yo was headed into a new season with a career record that read just 3 wins from 36 runs @ 8.3% on the turf flat….

But he was very much on my radar – and I told my ATC readers why….

I also alerted readers to the fact that Arecibo had something else in his favour. He’d recently moved to Robert Cowell’s yard….

I pointed to Cowell’s work with another cast-off sprinter – Raucous. He’d looked like a horse on a terminal decline heading into Cowell’s yard. But within 18-months he’d banked a stack of prize money for his new connections and gone very close to winning a Wokingham and a Stewards Cup – the top races on the sprint handicap scene….

I gave my readers the bottom line….

It turned out to be very good information for readers who took note….

Arecibo won first-time up for Cowell at Newmarket – sent off at 9/2. He won again at the same track in May – sent off at 85/40….

Then he really hit his straps – going very close in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot. He finished 2^nd that day sent off at 28s. But he’d been much bigger that same morning and was easy to back at prices as big as 50s….

He placed next time at Sandown sent off at 8s. Later in the same season he placed again in France….

It was quality information that I gave to ATC readers – even if I say so myself. It was information you could put to profitable use in the market. And many ATC readers did just that….

One of them – TN – had this to say….

Get better racing information direct to your inbox….

>>>> Or consider Copper Knight….

Arecibo was no flash in the pan job….

Tim Easterby’s Copper Knight was another horse I was very interested in for the 2021 flat campaign….

Here’s what I told my readers on Monday, 12^th April….

Again, it turned out to be a good quality lead for punters – one that paid dividends in the markets across the season….

Copper Knight ran 13 more times between May and the end of October – winning three times and placing in an additional four races….

Two of those wins – banked in C2 handicaps at York and Doncaster in fields of 14 and 17 – paid out at 18s and at 22s ….

So, we’re not talking about some odds-on cert dotting up in a 5-runner race against vastly inferior horses….

If you’d backed him in each of his runs during the season to the tune of 1 point each-way at SP you’d have banked a profit of 47.5 points….

That’s A1 betting business by any standards you want to apply – and it started with good-quality information….

And let’s not forget that the profit stated above is calculated to SP. Chances are you’d have got even better prices early doors, at Betfair SP or on the tote….

I don’t get everything right but – like I say – the things I do get right tend to pay well. And that’s the kind of high quality information racing punters appreciate....

Here’s what ATC reader DC told us….

Be better-informed than the punters you bet against….

>>>> Hey Jonesy was another big-priced highlight….

As part of the ATC service, I draw attention to these kinds of horses – horses ready to oblige at big prices – year-on-year….

In 2020 it was probably Hey Jonesy who provided the highlight for readers….

During lockdown and ahead of the racing restarting, I’d taken an in-depth look at Kevin Ryan’s horse and on 14^th May I reported my conclusions. I told readers this….

My assessment was spot-on and paid big dividends….

Just five weeks later Hey Jonesy struck in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot on his second run of the season. He was sent off unloved and unfancied at 18s – but had been easy to back at bigger prices earlier in the day….

Plenty of ATC readers had taken note and were on. MR, for example – who had this to say….

And AF was just one of many more who made hay that hot June day….

Smarter thinking – smarter info – smarter betting….

>>>> How we cashed in on Frankel progeny….

And ATC is not just about highlighting individual horses….

I also dig out little-known betting angles you can exploit and make profits from….

Just like the one I shared ahead of the 2021 Royal Ascot meeting – one that revolved around Frankel progeny….

Here’s what I told my ATC readers….

That was high-quality information – a pre-meeting steer that led ATC readers to profitable bets at the meeting….

Here’s what ATC reader NH had to say….

Terry weighed in too….

Angles that deliver profit….

Nick thinks differently- that’s why I publish him….

‘Me and Nick go back 25-years. We met through work. We were both in the financial newsletter business…. 

Later, when I needed a racing writer, Nick was the first person I thought of…. 

I didn’t want the same-old-same-old. I didn’t want some hack going through the motions. I didn’t want somebody regurgitating news stories or trotting out second-hand opinions…. 

I wanted a racing writer with a mind of his own. Someone with self-generated thoughts and insights. Someone who can think out of the box…. 

I wanted a writer capable of delivering a unique and useful racing service that readers would benefit from…. 

Nick’s a racing fanatic – always has been. You have to be that way to produce a good service. You can’t play at it... 

But the big thing about Nick is the way he thinks. He’s got his own way of going about ‘the game’ – his own way of looking at it. He thinks differently – and that’s why I publish him….’ 

Dave Gibson – Publisher – January 2022

>>>> Profit angles at ALL the big meetings….

Royal Ascot 2021 was no special case….

I make a point of providing betting angles and pointers ahead of ALL the big meetings – on the flat and over the jumps….

And not just any angles based on some ‘feeling’ in my gut. I don’t do guesswork. I don’t do posturing. I don’t do make it all up as I go along….

I provide high-quality information, insights, and observations – based on the cold hard facts in the historic record, the formbook, races run and the performances of horses that run in them….

…. information which will help you build informed opinions and judgments you can capitalize on in the markets….

And – let me be straightforward – an informed opinion is a definite edge in the markets. Make no mistake about that. Most punters don’t have one. That’s for certain….

For sure, every man and his dog has an opinion when pushed for one….

But most opinions aren’t worth a carrot….

The vast majority are borrowed from some third-party. Most of the rest are ill-conceived, ill-considered or the product of glorified pin-sticking….

Informed opinions are a true rarity – believe me. And getting an informed opinion is just about the smartest move any punter can make….

Of course, I’m not trying to say that everybody but me is a fool. There are quality racing punters out there – for sure….

Punters who know what they think and know exactly why they think it…

Punters who can back up their opinions and their betting decisions with arguments that hold water and which are based on facts and clever observational insights….

Punters who know the nitty-gritty of the racing game….

Punters familiar with the nuts and bolts of putting decent bets together….

Punters who can understand a form card…. Punters who can read a race…. Punters who can figure out what’s hidden between the lines….

But these punters are in a very small minority – because getting to that point – reaching that kind of level as a punter – requires a serious investment of both time and effort….

And for one reason or another most punters cannot or will not make that investment….

Some punters simply don’t have the time to devote to the subject – fair enough….

Others are just plain idle and choose to play the racing in the same way they might play a fruit machine – put the money in, press the button, watch the reels spin, and see what happens….

No problem. I’m a live-and-let-live kind of guy. People can play the game however they want. It makes little or no difference to me….

But I stand by what I said earlier. I won’t be shifted on it….

How you make out as a racing punter will ultimately boil down to one thing – the quality of your opinions….

And the quality of your opinions will only be as good as the quality of the information you’re working from. It’s as simple as that….

Let me put it another way: a plant grown in poor soil won’t produce good flowers – if indeed it grows at all….

Add high-quality information to your betting formula….

251.85 points to the good....

Every weekend - and at all the big midweek festivals - I stick my head above the parapet and highlight my selections for all the top-level big-field handicaps....

I get plenty wrong. You can rely on that. And that's always going to happen because I put up plenty of horses at big prices....

A good proportion of those get beaten. But that's par for the course. Losers are part and parcel of playing the long-term 'value' game....

I don't worry about losers. I don't care about strike rates. I don't care about dry spells. When I hit a loser, I simply move on to the next race....

The objective is to hit enough winners (and/or placers) at sufficiently good prices to get in front on the bottom line across the long-term....

And ATC's track record reveals that I get the job done....

Had you backed every selection to the tune of 1-point e/w at advised prices from the start of 2016 - you'd have banked a profit of 251.85 points....

And bear in mind that those figures relate only to the selections I put up at weekends and at the big midweek festivals....

The information and opinions provided as part of ATC’s standard day-to-day coverage resulted in many more winners and winning opportunities over the same period….

ATC - information that delivers....

>>>> ATC = high-quality information you can use….

I’ve been writing ATC now for 15-years….

Racing services that go out 5-days per week simply don’t stick around that long unless they’re providing information that punters value and can put to profitable use….

Punters aren’t stupid. They know rubbish when they see it….

It doesn’t take long before they see through some slick-talking bullshitter. Punters know real from fake….

They know when an analyst is putting in the proper work and doing the hard yards. And they know when some clown is just going through the motions….

There’s an extensive archive on the ATC website where you can go back years and look at all the high-quality information the service provides – and which readers have put to work in the race markets….

I could probably spend the next 3-weeks doing nothing else but cutting and pasting all the best bits – putting together a highlight reel for the ages….

I could tell you about all the many clever observations and unique insights I’ve made about specific horses over the years – observations that led readers to multiple winners at big prices….

I could tell you all about the research and analysis I do and all the profitable betting angles I’ve shared with readers – angles based on rigorous interrogation of a unique 25-year dataset I personally compile, maintain, and study in forensic detail….

I could tell you about all the unique stats I compile, produce, and distribute in ATC – stats you won’t find anywhere else…. stats that illuminate complex situations…. stats that provide a window on hard-to-solve races…. stats that inform productive thinking…. stats that spark ideas…. stats that point the way to profitable bets….

I could tell you about all the heavily-fancied favourites I’ve picked holes in days ahead of the race – correctly advising readers on exactly why they won’t win and why they should be opposed in the betting….

I could tell you about all the winners I’ve put up in the big weekend races – and at the major midweek festivals….

And not just any winners. I’m talking winners at BIG prices. Dozens of them across the years at 16s, 20s, 25s, 28s, 33s, 50s – and bigger….

It might sound like I’m bragging. Or talking out of the back of my head. But it happens to be the truth. And it’s all a matter of record….

Don’t get me wrong. There have been plenty of losers along the way. Loads of them. Way more losers than winners….

And that’s the way it’s always going to be because I play the big-field handicaps (my area of specialization) – the most competitive races on the programme and the toughest betting puzzles that punters are confronted with….

And I never play it safe. I never back favourites. I always oppose the market. I always take on the most fancied horses….

I’m a contrarian punter – always have been and I always will be. I go against the grain. I swim against the tide. I march to the beat of a different drum….

I don’t follow the money. I find ways to oppose it. My modus operandi is always to seek out the value option in the market….

In every big-field handicap I target, my mission is to seek out the horse I believe is a ‘live’ contender – but which is underestimated, overlooked, and overpriced by the market….

That’s the kind of horse I like to bet in the big-field handicaps. The right kind of horse trading at the wrong price – a price that underestimates its true chances of winning….

I get it wrong frequently. But I get it right too. At BIG prices….

And over the years – with straightforward tips at weekends and at all the midweek festivals – I’ve got it right frequently enough at the right kind of prices to get in front on the bottom line across the long-term. And that’s no mean feat….

Yes, I could spill a great deal of ink telling you all that stuff in the kind of detail that might put you – or me – to sleep. But I won’t subject you to it….

Instead, I’ll let just a few of my readers take the stage for a moment – so that they can tell you in their own words what ATC is all about for them….

They do a better job of summing up what ATC is, what it provides and what it does for them than I ever could.

After all, they read ATC – Monday to Friday – every single week of the year. They know what they’re talking about….

See for yourself – test-drive my ATC service….

Integrity and honesty….

“Hi Nick, I just felt I had to give you my sincere thanks for the brilliant service you offer. This is my 3rd year and it just gets better…. The integrity and honesty in your service is to be commended and long may you continue to prosper.” BS

Let’s be straightforward, a lot of racing services are run by shysters – the type of people who can’t lie straight in bed at night….

Nick’s a different class of animal and readers are often pleasantly surprised to discover a service that plays it completely straight….

No false claims. No hyperbole. No weasel words. No lies by omission. No bullshit. No bending the truth into a shape that suits….

No whooping it up when he gets something right. No shying away from reality when he gets something wrong….

Nick’s a straight-down-the-line operator – and it’s a feature of ATC that readers really appreciate…. 

Try a ‘straight’ racing service….