Value Betting Guide by Gordon Boyce

It's Derby Day and everything is now live for members.

Today's VBG Guide features a busy list of 12 official VB Bets alongside the interactive race cards, VB Ratings and live Value Scores that update with the market throughout the day.

One thing I've always tried to stay disciplined about is only putting up horses that qualify through my normal process. That means neither The Dash nor The Derby feature among today's official VB Bets.

That said, it's impossible not to get involved with two of the biggest races of the Flat season, so I've had a small each-way double for a bit of interest:

Lexington Blitz (13/2) - The Dash
Bay Of Brilliance (14/1) - The Derby

Lexington Blitz arrives in top form after a career-best performance at Goodwood, travelling strongly before putting the race to bed in impressive fashion. Epsom's fast five furlongs should suit that style well and he looks capable of another big run.

Bay Of Brilliance appeals as a c**t who is still improving. He was only narrowly denied in the Lingfield Derby Trial on his return and shaped as though the extra distance of the Derby would bring out even more. His pedigree also points firmly towards stamina, making him an interesting each-way proposition at the prices.

For members, today's package includes all 12 VB Bets, full previews, proprietary VB Ratings and the interactive race cards with live Value Scores, giving a completely different, data-driven way of reading the day's racing.

If you'd like to have a look, there's a free race card available every day and new users can try the full service completely free for 7 days. Memberships beyond that start from around £8 per week.

Good luck to everyone having a play and enjoy Derby Day.

The Derby Festival gets underway today and our full VB Bets are now live for members.

For anyone wanting a look at how the service works, today's free race is the 5.15 at Epsom, where Greek Mythology makes plenty of appeal. He has improved with each of his three starts, ran with real credit in Listed company last time, and still looks a c**t with the potential to take another step forward. Our VB Ratings and live Value Scores have him coming out as one of the more interesting value angles on the card at around the 5/1 mark this morning.

Members receive the full daily VB Bets, interactive race cards for every race, complete VB Ratings for every runner, and live Value Scores that update through the day to help identify where the market may be offering an edge.

If you'd like to see what it's all about, there's a free 7-day trial available, and if you enjoy it, membership packages work out from the equivalent of around £8 per month.

I'll put the free race card in the comments below.

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The quality of racing continues to build as the week progresses and attention is already beginning to turn towards Epsom, where the Oaks and Derby meeting gets underway on Friday. The recent rain has started to soften conditions and that could become a significant factor by the time the weekend's feature races arrive. It promises to be a fascinating few days.

For today, I've got five VB Bets live for members alongside the full suite of VB Ratings, Interactive Race Cards, Data Centre tools, Value Generator and live Value Scores. New users can still access everything free for seven days.

Today's free race comes from Ripon at 19:42 where I've sided with Fortamour at around 3/1 this morning.

Few horses have a stronger affinity with a particular track than Fortamour has with Ripon. A six-time course-and-distance winner, he returned to something very close to his best when narrowly denied here on his latest appearance. He travelled strongly, finished off his race well and looked a horse ready to take advantage when the right opportunity presented itself.

The figures support the case. He sits at the head of my VB Ratings, carries a maximum Value Score of 5 and my tissue makes him considerably shorter than the current market. In a race lacking obvious pace, proven course form and race positioning could prove particularly important.

Glory Hyde arrives in good heart after a recent victory, while Magic Boy looks one of the more interesting alternatives from a value perspective, but Fortamour appealed most as the horse whose profile, conditions and market position all point in the same direction.

Away from the flat, Shug Pearce has his National Hunt preview live. His NB is Arctic Voyage in the 4.30 at Newton about at around 10/3, who arrives seeking a hat-trick after winning both completed starts for his current stable. He now steps into handicap company but remains a horse with obvious scope for further progress.

My Memorial Tournament golf preview is also live. Muirfield Village presents one of the sternest tests on the PGA Tour schedule and with the US Open only a week away, this feels a particularly significant event in the golfing calendar.

Yesterday continued a productive spell, with both the Nap and Longshot delivering for members, and hopefully we can keep that momentum moving in the right direction.

Details of all the above and how to take up our hassle free 7 day trial available on the website, link in bio.

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There is a decent spread of flat racing across Britain and Ireland today and I've got six VB Bets live for members as we look to build on yesterday's profit after landing a 12/1 winner.

Members now have access to today's VB Ratings, Interactive Race Cards, live Value Scores, Data Centre tools and full daily analysis. If you've never looked at the service before, today's free race card offers a good example of the data-led and value-focused approach that sits behind everything we do. Membership starts from the equivalent of around £8 per month, keeping value at the heart of the service, while new users can still access everything free for seven days.

Today's free race comes from Wolverhampton at 21:00 where I've sided with Initial Blue.

His recent Southwell second suggested the return to six furlongs on the all-weather has helped rekindle his form after a quieter spell. More importantly, he travelled and finished that race with much more purpose than we had seen previously and the performance hinted that he remains on a workable mark.

The ratings strongly support the case. Initial Blue sits at the top of my VB Ratings and comes through with a maximum Value Score of 5 against the current market. My tissue has him considerably shorter than the available odds.

Winchurch rates a serious danger and also scores highly from a value perspective, while Giorgio M is another who isn't entirely dismissed by the figures. In a race where the pace forecast looks relatively weak, positioning and race shape may prove particularly important.

Away from racing, the golf season continues to gather momentum. Ben Griffin was beaten by just a single shot yesterday and while that was frustrating, it was another encouraging week overall. Attention now switches to the RBC Heritage before we move towards the Canadian Open and then the US Open later in the month.

With the Derby meeting, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, the US Open and the World Cup all on the horizon, there is an enormous summer of sport ahead.

The mobile app is now entering the final stages of development, plans are underway to expand the football offering for next season, and I also hope to revisit some of the betting strategy content that helped shape the service in its early days.

As always, thank you to everyone who supports, follows, shares and recommends what we do. Building a sustainable, responsible service while keeping prices accessible remains central to the entire VBG philosophy.

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It was a mixed day yesterday. Several horses ran well without quite getting the job done, but the Nap delivered and there were enough positives to take forward. Today the focus shifts to the Sunday Series at Thirsk, which has assembled a series of competitive handicaps on what should be ideal summer ground.

I've got seven VB Bets live across the three meetings and members now have access to all VB Ratings, Interactive Race Cards, live Value Scores, the Data Centre and the full daily analysis.

Today's free race comes from Thirsk at 18:15 where I've sided with Anniversary.

What appealed most was the combination of profile and price. He shaped particularly well when runner-up at Salisbury, staying on strongly after briefly looking outpaced, and that effort suggested today's return to 2m could bring further improvement. He remains relatively lightly raced over staying trips and there may still be a little more to come from him.

The numbers reinforce the case. Anniversary sits at the top of my VB Ratings and comes through with a maximum Value Score of 5. My tissue also makes him considerably shorter than the current market.

That doesn't make this straightforward.

Minstrel Knight looks the obvious danger after a recent success and also rates highly on the figures, while Artisan Dancer and New York Minute both become interesting once you start comparing their odds against their underlying ratings.

The Sunday Series often produces tightly matched handicaps and this looks another good example.

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After a stacked Thursday it feels a slightly underwhelming Friday, particularly with Haydock's weekend meeting having been lost earlier in the week.

Yesterday worked out well with three winners at decent prices from the seven VB Bets posted for members and there were plenty of encouraging performances elsewhere too. One horse that particularly caught my eye was Time To Turn at Sandown. While many were understandably impressed by the winner, I thought the Godolphin c**t emerged from the race with enormous credit. He never really saw daylight from the moment the stalls opened, yet still produced a sharp turn of foot to grab second. He'll have come on loads for that run and is one I'll be paying close attention to during the second half of the season.

Today's free race comes from Wolverhampton at 19:50 where I've sided with Dublin Bay.

This was one of the cleaner data cases on the card. He came out clear on my VB Ratings and, more importantly, the market was still offering a bigger price than my own tissue suggested was fair. At around 7/2 this morning, compared with a tissue closer to 9/4, there looked solid value built into the race.

The profile itself is straightforward enough to like. He returned to winning ways over this course and distance before finding a stronger Ascot handicap just stretching him on his latest start. That was still a perfectly respectable effort and the return to Wolverhampton looks an obvious positive.

Comprador sits very close to Dublin Bay on the ratings and is perhaps the most interesting alternative from a value perspective, while Night Mission also has claims in what looks a competitive Class 5 handicap.

Elsewhere, the golf positions published yesterday remain nicely placed heading into the weekend with what looks a very condensed leaderboard developing. Plenty can change over the next couple of days, but all of the selections remain firmly in the hunt.

Members now have access to today's VB Ratings, Interactive Race Cards, Value Scores, Data Centre, full daily preview and five VB Bets.

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Cracking race day today with the ITV cameras at Sandown tonight for the Brigadier Gerard meeting and some really decent supporting flat action through the afternoon as well.

Ripon in particular is one of those tracks that consistently suits my approach because natural speed, tactical position and track suitability tend to matter there more than at many more straightforward circuits. Most of today’s VB Bets come from Ripon and hopefully we can quickly put yesterday’s disappointing results behind us after a very solid spell beforehand.

Today’s free race comes from Fairyhouse at 15:17 where I’ve sided with Treasured Royal at around 10/3.

What appealed most at Naas last time was not simply the finishing effort, but the way the race unfolded for her mentally. The first-time hood appeared to help her settle far more efficiently and for the first time in a while she looked a filly travelling with proper composure rather than fighting herself through the early stages.

That potentially leaves room for improvement still to come.

She scores strongly on my VB Ratings, carries a Value Score of 5 against the live market and the slight drop in class also looks sensible. In a race where the pace forecast does not look especially strong, positioning may become important, and she still appealed one of the more interesting overall profiles in the field.

Baiana rates a serious rival and also comes out strongly on the numbers, but Treasured Royal still looked the cleaner fit for me when balancing profile, progression and current market position.

Sandown tonight revolves around Ombudsman in the Brigadier Gerard and he is most likely to prove too good, but from a betting perspective I found the Heron Stakes much more interesting.

Time To Turn looks overpriced to me at around 9/1.

Talk Of New York sets a very solid standard and is clearly respected by the market, but Time To Turn sits much closer to the top of my VB Ratings than the odds imply and also carries a maximum Value Score of 5.

The Horris Hill victory at Newbury last season was visually very taking. He travelled strongly, showed a smart turn of foot despite traffic and shaped like a c**t who would improve once stepping up to a mile. It is also slightly intriguing that he bypassed the Guineas route this spring while still retaining an entry for the St James’s Palace Stakes.

James Doyle returning to the royal blue silks for his seasonal reappearance only adds another layer of interest.

Elsewhere, my full Charles Schwab Challenge preview is now live on the Sporting Insights section of the site. Colonial asks a completely different golf question to last week’s setup and I’ve taken a detailed look at why approach play, patience and positional golf become far more important there. I've got 4 VB Bets against the field for this weekend's event.

Members now have access to all VB Ratings, interactive race cards, live Value Scores, the Data Centre, Value Generator and today’s VB Bets including Nap, NB and Longshot.

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There’s some decent flat racing around today and it feels the sort of card where discipline probably matters more than trying to be involved in everything.

I’ve got six VB Bets live for members alongside the full daily write-up and there are enough competitive handicaps through the afternoon and evening to make race selection almost as important as horse selection.

Today’s free race comes from Beverley at 15:15 where I’ve sided with Coolree at 4/1 as we look to follow up yesterday's 8/1 winner in the free race.

What interested me here was that the horse case and the numbers felt aligned rather than competing with each other.

Coolree arrives looking to complete a hat-trick and Beverley has clearly suited him. Both recent wins came over slightly further and dropping back in distance does introduce a fresh angle, but the way he has been seeing races out recently leaves me thinking this may not be as much of a concern as first appears.

He comes out at the top of my VB Ratings and still rates particularly well from a value perspective against the live market.

That does not make this straightforward.

Woodstock brings a solid level of consistency and Yermanthere becomes interesting once you start looking at price against profile, but Coolree still looked the cleanest overall fit for me.

Members now have access to today’s six VB Bets, the full preview, interactive race cards, VB Ratings, Value Generator, Data Centre and live Value Scores throughout the day.

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The Bank Holiday weekends always carry a slightly different feel.

There is volume everywhere you look over the next few days, but for me these are rarely weekends to become more aggressive. They are usually weekends to become more selective.

We have action across both codes, Irish Classic racing, strong UK pattern contests, competitive handicaps and the return of summer jumping at places like Cartmel where suitability and race shape can often become just as important as raw ability.

Today’s free race comes from Pontefract at 20:52 where I’ve sided with Arkenstaar at 5/1.

This was not one of those selections where one horse towered over the field. In truth it was a reasonable marginal call, but those can often become the more rewarding races because the market tends to leave more room for disagreement.

Arkenstaar comes out right at the top of my VB Ratings and still holds a strong Value Score. More importantly there is enough horse behind the numbers to justify it. Last season’s autumn campaign produced three wins including over this course and distance, and the Hamilton return suggested ability remains very much intact despite not everything falling ideally.

With a weaker pace forecast, race position and efficiency may matter more than brute force.

Elsewhere, Shug's jumps thoughts are now live and his NB comes in the 20:41 at Worcester with Playful Fox. His latest effort ended early through no fault of his own but the way he travelled into contention suggested there may still be more to come from this mark.

Members now have access to full VB Ratings, interactive race cards, live Value Scores, Value Generator, Data Centre and today’s VB Bets.

If you’ve been curious about the service, this Bank Holiday weekend feels a good time to make use of the free 7 day trial and see whether the tools add something to your own approach.

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There is a nice balance to today.

Ayr provides the free race, the wider evening cards offer a few interesting value angles, the golf moves from major examination into a very different type of challenge this week, and there is a European final tonight which should provide a decent watch whichever side you land on.

My free race comes in the 14:42 at Ayr where I’ve sided with Candonomore.

He arrives after getting back to winning ways in convincing fashion and I thought there was plenty to like about how that race unfolded. The move back up in trip appeared to suit, he travelled with more authority again and once asked to go and win the race, he did it efficiently rather than dramatically.

What appeals here is that the profile and the numbers seem to be telling a similar story.

He heads my VB Ratings for the race, still comes out positively on value, and there is enough in the broader profile to think this mark may not have caught him if that latest effort proves repeatable. His previous run had already hinted a return to form was close enough and the subsequent stable move adds another layer of interest rather than concern.

Ayr can often become tactical, especially when pace looks limited, so positioning may matter more than outright speed today.

Away from racing, the sporting side is busy too.

The CJ Cup Byron Nelson preview and this week’s golf VB Bets are now live after getting a decent run from Ludvig Åberg last week, and tonight’s European final also has its own angles covered on the site with Ewan's betting slip being dominated by a certain Scotsman.

Members now have access to all race cards, VB Ratings, Value Generator, Data Centre, today’s VB Bets including Nap, NB and Longshot, plus Shug’s jumps coverage.