Flat Racing is a new to market horse racing tipster service which is operated by one Ben Collins. He claims that over the last few flat seasons, he has made some pretty substantial profits.
Introduction to Flat Racing
There is a lot to be said for having a solid idea of an angle when it comes to betting. What this ultimately means will vary hugely from one service to another, but I feel like there are much worse starting places. The truth is that most of the actually successful tipsters and bettors that I look at are successful by focusing on a certain niche. Because the bottom line is that the only way to beat the bookies, is to know more than them. And you can’t know more about everything than them.
With that in mind, I feel like it should be relatively apparent why something like Flat Racing is interesting to me. Because Ben Collins is simply focusing on that flat racing area of horse racing. The reason this is a cause for excitement in my book is quite a simple one. Flat racing is probably the most consistent and predictable of horse racing. Which means that, in theory, dedication to the discipline carries potential to produce the consistent long term profits that I love to see from a tipster service.
With that said, whilst I think there is undoubtedly some potential based off how Ben Collins presents Flat Racing, I am also not entirely sold on this. Just because something looks good on paper, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is going to work well in reality. In actual fact, whilst this really does appear to be a great offering at first glance, there are actually a number of elements here that rather worry me. Especially in terms of some of the “back end” stuff. So, with all of that on the table, let’s get to it.
What Does Flat Racing Offer?
As far as horse racing tipster services tend to go, Flat Racing is actually quite a complex thing. Ben Collins talks a lot about… Well, everything, if I’m really honest. Which is a good thing. But it also means that there is a fair amount to consider before you start weighing up if this is for you or not.
First things first, I want to talk about the logistics of the things. Effectively, Flat Racing is an independent tipster service. And the way everything is set up is very much what I have come to expect of services of this nature. That is to say, it is all incredibly simple and straight forward. This is one of the few times that I think I’ll say that in this review.
As you might expect, selections are sent out directly via email. Ben Collins usually sends these out the evening before racing, typically between 9pm and 11pm. This is a very clear positive giving you plenty of time to get the bets placed and also seek out the best possible odds (a point I will be returning to very shortly). It also means that Flat Racing is more open than other services, especially if you are working a 9-5.
Now, I mentioned the odds thing. Ben Collins advises using a bookmaker that offers BOG wherever possible. However, rather uniquely for something like this, he also talks about taking advantage of an odds comparison site (here, specifically, he mentions OddsChecker). Of course, this is something that I have been recommending for a long time.
Getting these right odds is really important with Flat Racing. You see, the odds that you are betting at actually impact a number of different elements of the service and Ben Collins’s approach to betting. You see, all bets that are advised through Flat Racing are win bets with the exception of very specific types of bets.
If a bookie is paying out 1/4 terms for a race and the selection is over 9/2, it becomes an each way bet. Likewise, if 1/5 terms available and the selection is over 11/2, that should also be backed each way. In theory, this makes sense and wins from a horse placing should help keep your betting bank afloat.
Of course, one of the big questions here is just how often you will actually be betting on horses with these kinds of odds. I’ll be really honest here and say that it is still early days with Flat Racing. As such, talking about what kinds of odds you can expect to see moving forward are still up in the air. However, from the small data sample that I’ve seen, you are generally looking at pretty middling odds. I wouldn’t put too much weight behind this though.
Something that is quite important in terms of all of these different bet types are the stakes that are involved. Ben Collins says that if a bet is being simply backed to win, then you should be staking just 1 point on that bet. The each way bets are 1 point each way, meaning a total of 2 points on the bet. Naturally, all of this can start to add up.
That isn’t to say that Flat Racing is a particularly high volume tipster service mind. As I said earlier, it is still early days here, but what I have seen so far suggests that you will be dealing with a small handful of tips each day. It just means that it can start to add up quite quickly, especially if you are following Ben Collins’s abetting advice with Flat Racing and staking £20 per point.
This only really leaves the strike rate for Flat Racing to talk about, and incredibly frustratingly, there isn’t really any information on this available. This is despite the fact that Ben Collins clearly talks about his progress over the course of the last few years. This all suggests to me that this information should be available, which only makes it more concerning that it isn’t.
How Does Flat Racing Work?
Whilst there is undoubtedly a lack of certain types of information available, one thing that Ben Collins does do well is present a very feasible sounding system. He talks quite well about horse racing, and he also provides a hell of a lot of insight and information. All of which makes for a pretty compelling argument as to why you should buy into this.
Not at all surprisingly to me, one of the first things that we are told is that there is a focus on flat racing because Jump racing can be unpredictable. Something that I have seen play out more times than I care to admit. We are told though that flat racing is takes away risk because you don’t have to worry about a rider being unseated or a horse falling.
As well as that, Ben Collins also makes mention of his “Form Valuation Approach”. This we are told means weighing up the recent form over a similar distance against his own speed ratings. The idea here is that a horse with a fast speed rating may not actually win a race if they lack the stamina for any extra distance. Again, it makes sense, and it paints Flat Racing in a very compelling light.
Unfortunately, there isn’t really any proofing or evidence demonstrating Flat Racing’ abilities. We are given a list of results for the last 4 years, but these aren’t really broken down or anything. If I’m honest, this is something that is very frustrating for me. Because the way Ben Collins talks it is clear that this information should be available. As such, it only really forces me to really question why it isn’t (a topic that I will be returning to a little later on).
What is the Initial Investment?
If you want to sign up to Flat Racing, there are two different options available. The first of these is a monthly “subscription”. This is priced at £30 plus VAT and is a none recurring subscription. That means that if you wanted to sign up for a second month, you would have to repurchase it every month.
Alternatively, Ben Collins has made Flat Racing available for the rest of the flat season,. This is priced at £110 plus VAT. This represents a pretty significant saving of £100 on the monthly costs, however, it does mean signing up for that longer term.
Now, something that really stands out to me about Flat Racing is the fact that Ben Collins fails entirely to mention that there is a money back guarantee in place for the service. Because it is being sold through Clickbank, you have a full 30 days to claim a refund if you aren’t happy with the service. Something that Clickbank are generally pretty good at honouring.
What is the Rate of Return?
With all of that out of the way, let’s talk profit. The headline figure is that last season, Ben Collins make £5,968.80 using £20 stakes. That all sounds very modest, and with a points profit of 298.44, it isn’t necessarily outside of the realm of possibility. I am however a little more sceptical of the claims of 364.35 points, 406.17 points, and 289.72 points for previous years.
The problem that I have with all of this is something that is a bit apparent all throughout Flat Racing. Namely, there is a distinctive lack of… Well, anything. Ben Collins doesn’t actually provide any proofing for any of these periods, there is no breakdown of anything. All that we’re told is that you’re averaging 48.52 points profit per month. Double what I would expect from a decently performing tipster service.
Conclusion for Flat Racing
I am always interested to see how different tipsters approach betting. And make no mistake, it is always good to see an approach to betting that makes sense in the way that Ben Collins does with Flat Racing. I am all too aware of speed ratings, and I actually agree with his statement that they aren’t the be all and end all. But they can be a good starting place.
Combine that with the idea of looking at form over distance and I genuinely think that you have the beginnings of a reasonable system. As such, it doesn’t surprise me that this is very much front and centre when it comes to the marketing material for Flat Racing. Which, you might think, makes it a shoe in for some consideration, right?
Well, not entirely. Here’s the thing, just because I can respect what Flat Racing is about, and I can appreciate the fact that Ben Collins may well have a decent sounding idea, that doesn’t make it an open and shut thing. I actually have a few concerns surrounding this, especially in terms of the claimed income.
You see, a minimum of 300(ish) points every flat season isn’t inconceivable. But I would generally consider a service to be having a good year if it’s made sat… 250 plus points. Which Ben Collins seemingly smashes with Flat Racing having an average annual profit of almost 340 points. But all that you can really do there is take his word on that.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that there simply isn’t any proofing backing this up. And for a seemingly professional tipster who is claiming 4 years of past results, you’d expect there to be proofing for the last year or so at the very least. But it’s hard to ignore the fact that there is nothing. Simply the claim of the one person who stands to benefit from you signing up to Flat Racing (who conveniently doesn’t inform you or a money back guarantee).
Where this becomes really problematic for me isn’t anything obvious, but at the back end. The vendor who is selling Flat Racing is one that is well known to me. They have put out a good few tipster services over the last few years. In fact, there have been 2 in 2021 alone. Which given it’s only April doesn’t exactly bode well.
If those other services were still available and turning a profit, that might be OK. But they’re not. What almost inevitable ends up happening is the services are quietly closed (always after any refund period that Clickbank offer, conveniently), usually leaving people with quite heavy losses.
So, when you bring it all together like that, having a good idea for a system doesn’t seem to look like a great reason to buy into a tipster service. Especially one that isn’t necessarily that cheap. Sure, you’re only outlaying £30 for the system, but there are plenty of services out there that are legit, above board, and can demonstrate a profit, all for similar money. Which begs the question, why would you choose Flat Racing? I just can’t find a reason to.
