NAP of The Day

Friday's Nap of the Day 

20:10 Sandown – Lyndon B @ 13/2

A little unlucky yesterday, with Warning Sign doing down by just a head having been well supported into 9/2. Onto today, where Sandown is the venue in focus.

The race we’re interested in at Sandown this evening is the 20:10, which is a trappy little one-mile handicap of the Class 4 type.

There are several in with claims, with last-time-out winner Love De Vega warranting respect, though he looks plenty short enough under a penalty, giving weight away all round. Indemnity is in as the early favourite, but he too won recently, looking held at this level from his new mark last time out.

One who has gone the other way in the weights in recent times is Lyndon B, who looks a little generously priced at 13/2. For my money, the eight-year-old deserves a bit more respect.

John Flint’s runner ran well from this mark last time out, finishing fourth (of 11) over this trip at Windsor. His rider dropped the reins late on that day, which meant he lost momentum when coming with a run. Don’t be surprised if he makes amends here.

This is a horse now 4 lbs below his last winning mark, who has twice won over course and distance, from higher in the weights. He’s placed here in better races too.

In terms of efforts on the clock, he’s right up there in this field, holding the best last-time-out speed figure, which incidentally is the top career-best effort among this lot.

With his rider claiming a handy 3 lbs, he really does look well weighted here too, while the likely pace of the contest should suit.

All in all, this is a horse who simply has more going for him than early odds of 13/2 suggest. He ought to be shorter and may well be by the time they leave the gates, so I’m getting in nice and early.

What is a Nap of the Day?

If you’re reading this and thinking “what the hell is a Nap of the day?” then don’t worry, here’s an explanation. Horse racing, particularly the betting side of horse racing, is awash with lingo that can seem hard to understand at first, but it’s all quite simple once you know what’s what.

So, what is the nap of the day? A nap, or “the nap of the day” in this case, is simply a way of saying that a particular bet is the best bet of the day. If you see a tipster labelling a particular tip as their “nap” or “nap of the day” then they’re talking about their best bet.

MFT Nap of the Day FAQ

How does the Nap of the day differ from other tips?

As mentioned above, a nap of the day is the best bet that a tipster/bettor has to offer on any given day. In this case, it’s my best bet of the day.

Now, “best” can mean a couple of things. For example, the nap could be considered the tip/bet most likely to win on that day. This is what is commonly understood when someone says the word “nap” in the racing community.

However, depending on who you speak to and their view on betting in general, “nap” or “nap of the day” can also mean the bet that represents the most value.

Not necessarily the bet most likely to win, but the bet that is perceived to be the most generously priced. In other words, it’s the bet that offers the most value for money.
What is the difference between a nap and an nb?

“Nb” or “NB” is another common term in the weird and wacky world of betting on horses, and it basically means “next best”.

For example, after the nap, the nb is the next best bet of the day. Therefore, if you see a bet or a tip put up as the “nb”, you know that this basically means that it’s the second-best bet of the day according to that particular tipster/punter.

What is a Nap of the day not?

It’s important to remember that there are absolutely no guarantees when it comes to betting on horses, or when gambling in general. A bet being called a “nap” doesn’t change this.

If a tipster labels a bet as a “nap” or as the “nap of the day” it means that the bet is their best bet of the day. It does not mean that the bet is guaranteed to win.

What is a value bet in horse racing?

I myself fit very much into the value category. What I mean by this is that my nap of the day is always the bet that I believe represents the most value, not necessarily the horse that I believe has the best chance of winning.

Of course, it’s not an exact science, but my method involves looking for horses that I think may be generously priced. Therefore, my nap of the day is the horse that I believe to be most generously priced.

How do I go about choosing my Nap of the day?

Well, for starters, it’s hard to get a proper handle on all the races on any given day.

There’s probably too much racing, so I like to narrow it down a little. I do this by primarily focusing on handicap races, and I typically (not always) focus on handicap races over sprint and middle-distance trips on the flat, while I tend to prefer handicap hurdles over the jumps.

I’m looking for a few things, but I guess what I seek in general are horses that have several things in favour, whether that be track, trip, ground, trainer record/form, handicap rating, course form, whether a horse is well handicapped/potentially been aimed at a race.

I’m also looking at performance patterns, while I’m very much interested in speed ratings and am a firm believer that factoring these in plays a big part in helping to identify value, especially on the flat.

I’m then trying to weigh up whether a horse has more in favour than the available odds have to offer. The horse that I believe has the biggest disparity between what it has in favour and the odds available goes down as the nap of the day.

I should also say that I claim no inside info. I’m not looking for easy winners, nor will I make any audacious claims. I’m simply a keen student of form with lots of experience when it comes to searching for and exploiting what I believe to be value.