Off The Bridle is a new to market mutli-sport tipster service that is operated by one Josh Large in conjunction with an apparent team of tipsters behind him.
Introduction to Off The Bridle
There is a lot of dross that comes to market in the tipster/betting system industry. There are a lot of different reasons for that, but ultimately, I feel like it comes down to the fact that there just isn’t that much accountability. Anybody can launch a site, charge £30 for tips, and then send out a few tips from the papers every day. I know this to be factual because… well, I’ve seen it done. With so many questionable services out there, it isn’t very often that you see something launch in a big way that actually seems to be above board.
I am very excited then to be looking at a service that actually seems to be just that. But today’s review subject appears to be something that may well be above and beyond the norm. Off The Bridle could well have the potential to be a huge player. This isn’t just because Josh Large and his team cover pretty much all of the bases that you might want from a tipster service, but they also do so in a fashion that is above and beyond what you see from various competitor services. This really is like… gold standard stuff.
Of course, all of this comes at a cost. Off The Bridle isn’t something that you can necessarily jump into lightly. But, and I don’t find myself saying this very often, it is possibly one of the few tipster services I’ve looked at that may be worth that significant investment. The fact is that there is a lot of ground to cover with this one (probably more than I realised as I’ve started to look into this). So, let’s get down to business.
What Does Off The Bridle Offer?
This is the third time I’ve tried to start writing this review proper, because I don’t really know where the obvious starting point for Off The Bridle is. Effectively, Josh Large is offering 3 different services here. There is a sports group, a UK Horse Racing group, and an International Horse Racing Group. Of course, you can also sign up to all of these at once for a discount. It’s not a lot to get your head round, but it… well, it’s just a lot.
For all intents and purposes, I feel like the focus of this review has to be the UK Horse Racing. This is because in my mind, this is where Josh Large seems to focus a lot of his energy. That doesn’t mean however that the additional services don’t warrant some additional coverage. After all, Off The Bridle is ultimately the sum of all it’s parts.
First things first, I want to talk logistics. The UK Horse Racing package actually comes with quite a lot (which you’d expect given the cost). It is also exceptionally managed. Contrary to most modern tipster services, Josh Large isn’t running Off The Bridle through email. Instead, he uses Telegram, a group messaging app. Something that serves up multiple benefits for you as a user.
The most obvious one is that you don’t get your bets to a bloated (at least in my case) email address. Them arriving directly on your phone makes it easy to see what is what. The other advantage of using Telegram is that it is the fastest messaging app on the market. Combining these two things means that in theory, you have the greatest possible edge in terms of getting bets on and maximising value.
But it isn’t just the way that tips are sent out. Plenty of tipsters use Telegram. What Josh Large does that really gives Off The Bridle an edge is includes a write up of all bets. These include the bets themselves (usually win, each way, or the occasional Trixie) staking advice, odds, and an explanation of why a horse is being selected. The detail is really pretty good and it demonstrates that this is being operated by somebody who knows what they’re talking about (but more on that later).
You also get access to cheat sheets. These little newsletters (of sorts) give you access to additional insight to different horses and events. Whilst it isn’t betting advice (something Josh Large is keen to highlight), it does add a little extra bang for your buck with Off The Bridle. It also provides a decent jumping off point for those who are wanting to start going it alone a bit.
Jumping off from this, I want to touch on the International Horse Racing. This is a similar set up, the focus is just on… well, it’s on international racing. Predominantly, this is focused on the US, however, you may see bets from elsewhere around the world. Josh Large also offers cheat sheets for this element of Off The Bridle, they’re just focused on US racing, as you might expect.
Across both horse racing systems you see a variety of different staking involved. Generally speaking, Off The Bridle doesn’t tend to go above either 0.5 points each way (on the longer shots, of which there are a decent amount) and 1 point on the win bets. With an advised betting bank of 100 points and generally no more than 3 bets per day, Josh Large does a good job of managing the financial risk.
This only really leaves one thing to talk about and that is the Off The Bridle Sports Group. This is much more independent of the two horse racing services which have a lot of overlap. It provides selections for football, tennis, and UFC. There are a wide variety of bets advised here with multiples and bet builders featuring alongside singles.
How Does Off The Bridle Work?
The obvious answer when addressing how Off The Bridle works is to highlight the obvious. Namely that selections come with their own individual write ups on why they are being selected. Of course, that isn’t always helpful given the fact that you have to be paid up and subscribed to receive this information. Not that this detracts from the value I would hasten to add. There is ultimately little better than being given a complete breakdown of every bet.
Fortunately, Josh Large does give us some broader insight into things. He says that the team behind the service has been providing “Inside Knowledge and in depth analysis tips on horse racing for 6 years”. Well, that is at least something, and between the cheat sheets and the write ups, I am very much inclined to believe this.
We are also told that Josh Large has “worked with a number of top class racing stables over the years so I know the ways in which racehorses are trained and how they can be “waited with” before taking advantage of handicap mark and factors such as track, distance and ground conditions”. There are a few things that jump out at me about that statement. Namely the “working with stables” part. This is backed up by a later claim that Off The Bridle uses “private contacts”.
The other thing that stands out at me is the idea that horses aren’t always running their best in a race. It is common knowledge that this sort of things happen in horse racing. Off The Bridle isn’t breaking new ground in highlighting and taking advantage of this, but when this is combined with the previous experience and that idea of inside contacts, it comes together. Importantly, I think there is a ring of truth to it all.
Ultimately, this comes down to the overarching approach to Off The Bridle. This is one of value. Whilst that is an incredibly simple thing to point out, few people get it right. Josh Large isn’t just taking a “sure thing” from a mate at a stable, but applying a process to it, something I welcome. Because to me, that value is undoubtedly one of the few ways that you can consistently beat the bookies in the long term.
What is the Initial Investment?
There are a number of different options available if you want to sign up to Off The Bridle (in all of its various forms). For the purposes of simple legibility, I am going to be focusing today on a service by service breakdown. I will also have a look at the costs of the Elite Package which provides access to everything.
For the purposes of this review, I have mostly focused on Off The Bridle’s UK Horse Racing package. There are monthly, quarterly, and six monthly packages available. These are priced at £50, £120, and £200 respectively. Of note is that at the time of writing, Josh Large is offering a 1 month trial for just £1 with voucher code 49OFF. How long this will be in place for remains to be seen.
The International Racing package is slightly cheaper as you might expect from a more niche service. Unfortunately, there is only one option available which is priced at £40 per month. This does mean limited options in terms of value.
The Sports Service does however come with that full complement of offerings. The monthly subscription is priced at £20 per month. A quarterly subscription is £50, and the 6 monthly subscription is the most expensive, but best value, at £90.
Finally, if you wanted to sign up for all of the services, Josh Large offers an “Elite Package”. This gives you full access to all tips for all of the groups. At £85 per month, there is no denying that this is a hefty price tag, however, it is also significantly cheaper than all 3 put together. If you wanted slightly better value, the Elite Package is also available on a quarterly basis at a cost of £225.
Just to drag the costing elements out even more, I think it is worth mentioning that there is no money back guarantee in place for Off The Bridle. Josh Large effectively says that you can cancel whenever you want, but there aren’t any refunds. This is generally industry standard and doesn’t really count against anything too much, but it is worth mentioning.
What is the Rate of Return?
Now we come to the really important part of Off The Bridle. How much money can you expect to make? Well, Josh Large has been operating the UK Racing Service since April 2015. In this period he says that there have been 65 profitable months out of 71. Furthermore, there have been profits of 5,500 points banked. A bloody impressive number (although it is noteworthy that this isn’t proofed).
The International Service has had 3 losing months since November 2018 and has recorded an overall profit of 1,250 points. Meanwhile, the Sports Service has produced a profit of 680 points since November 2018. Make no mistake about it, these are bloody big numbers. But once again, they aren’t actually proofed. I do however have some thoughts on this.
Conclusion for Off The Bridle
By far and away, the biggest problem with Off The Bridle is that lack of proofing. It doesn’t matter how you want to dress it up, the fact is that you are taking Josh Large’s word that he has made the money that he has made. Which begs the question… well, why would you take his word on it? It isn’t something I’d typically do.
Here’s the thing though, one of the things that I like about Off The Bridle is that whilst this is a problem, there is a decent amount of transparency. For example, you can sign up and given it a go for a quid. That trial by fire approach is ultimately better than any proofing. And to be fair to Josh Large, he does provide a lot of examples of winning bets throughout the website. They’re genuine as well. These aren’t the usual conveniently cropped Betfair result.
If you’re really on the fence though, there is a free community that is open to anybody that you can join. It’s definitely erm… on the laddish side. But once you get past that you see a community that is full of people who are passionate about betting, banter, and “booms”. This latter is a term used when a bet comes in, and you see quite a lot of it. The fact is that all of this means that whilst Off The Bridle doesn’t come with normal methods of proving itself, it does in other ways.
The fact of the matter is all of this. Josh Large genuinely seems to know his stuff. This isn’t the kind of blagger you usually see cropping up posing in pictures at races in a fancy 3 piece with a trainer like they’re best mates. Listening to him talk about horse racing and betting, he looks to be very much on the level. That isn’t something that you see very often. All of which bodes incredibly well for Off The Bridle.
Of course, you have to talk about the price. For the UK horse racing alone, you are right at the top end of what I would consider paying for a tipster service. Factor in the other stuff (if you are so inclined, of course) and the Elite Package puts it at more than I’d feel comfortable recommending. But for the UK stuff on its own, Off The Bridle squeaks by as potentially being worth a shout.
A big factor in that is of course the trial period. Get on board with Off The Bridle for a quid, make yourself some money in that period, and at that point you’ll just be paying with profit (in theory). That is what makes it an outstanding offer at the moment. At an outright cost of £50, there is a little more consideration, but I still think that this is ultimately pretty reasonably priced.
With all of that in mind, I think that that this is worth some serious consideration. If you’re on the fence, jump into the community, engage with them there. There are plenty of genuine people talking about how they’re getting on and it is generally positive. But the fact is that the results are solid, the costs aren’t prohibitive, and Josh Large really seems to know his stuff.
