Public vs private information

This business about inside information comes up time and again, and imho, we often talk past each other.

I think there is a difference between 'public' information and 'private' if I may call it that.

I would define private info as that between the owner and the trainer. The owner of the horse is entitled to all knowledge about his horse. And I guess there is a spill over with other owners' horses in the same stable because horses are tested (legally) against each other. I say legally, because maybe not everyone knows that it is against NHA rules to test your horse out with another trainer's horse.

Public information is the type of information which establishes a horse's well being in a general way, for example it would be nice to know that animal X stepped on a nail and had a setback, or was sick or whatever. I think it's the type of information to prevent a punter from doing his money in cold blood, just because he's not in the know.

In other countries, many systems are in place for punters and the media generally provide that information. Some countries, a horse always appears for work with their name displayed. In the US every workout is timed and published in conjunction with which steroid it got and when AND most betting is on the tote. This is not so in the UK which has many private yards and you pretty much need touts with binoculars to spy, and therefore you need bookies (not tote) in order to take the advantage.

Telly Track might ask a trainer or jockey early in the day (probably only if they've won a race) about runners later on, and may even ask pretty pointed questions. The poor trainer/jock may have to take flack if they try to dodge in any way, a tip off itself. But I think it's easy enough to just miss the interview if you want by way of no-comment.

We do have incredible form guides here, much helped by the slow pace of nominations to scratchings to raceday, which comes to weeks rather than days in Aus and the UK which comes down to 48hrs.

My opinion is that sectional timing may be a single and affordable aid to punters, especially if any training work on tracks fitted with timing devices is also public knowledge. That way, if the connections insist on a coup effort they would have work without the best facilities to avoid the timing publicity, and if you want access to the best facilities, then you have to go public with your work. It would be a great step forward away from the UK system toward the US system, and leave punters a way to figure it out for themselves, in addition to much more intelligent race results.