MEET DANIEL CRIPPS

Misfortune often creates opportunity, and for Daniel Cripps that was the case after a sickening football injury inadvertently paved the way for him to follow his true calling.

Cripps, who runs the Cripps racing subscription service was left with a lot of downtime, and a bank of knowledge built from years of studying racing.

“April 2019 was a bit of a sliding doors moment,” Cripps said.

“I broke my leg quite badly playing footy, and that gave me a month of doing nothing, as bad as it was. I couldn’t work and had my laptop and was able to focus on punting full time. After I got out, I jumped on a tram for 40 minutes to head to work, my leg was sore and I thought this is not for me. So I quit my job and began focussing on this.” Cripps recalls.

When reminiscing on how it all came together he noted, “I didn’t have a plan at that point to run a subscription service, that opportunity just grew, and Cripps racing was born.”

Cripps, had been a casual punter, with a love of sport and racing, but his interest had been growing through an association with esteemed ratings analyst Daniel O’Sullivan.

“I’ve been in the racing industry and wagering for the best part of 12 years now. Doing it full time since 2019 so 5 years full time.” Cripps said.

“When I left school I just loved wagering, whether it was racing, sport, dogs or harness. At the end of 2016, Daniel O’Sullivan was running a tipping service. I had a few mates who signed up and they were raving about him. I thought I’d give it a go. He got us on a heater straightaway and I was hooked.” Cripps recalls.

“It wasn’t so much his tips, but he has a series of educational articles which are still up on Betfair today. I was hooked on learning from those. He gave me inspiration to think, why can’t I make something of this? Why can’t I succeed? But the learnings through his articles. Discipline, data, systems and to try and do it like a professional were so valuable for me,” He added.

When talking about what he has learnt over the years, Cripps said, “As you get older you get more experience and you get a bit smarter. One thing I always did, I always kept a record to keep myself accountable. Things gradually progressed from there.”

Cripps does have racing in his blood, with a lineage that goes back four generations.

“My great grandmother was Sheila Gwynne, who was a pioneer in Women’s racing. Her daughter, my grandmother (Sally Oakes) was a breeder who had a stud farm. My parents loved horses but not racing, they were into eventing and equestrian,” he said.

“It’s a tough game. No matter how good you are you are going to go through winning and losing runs,” Cripps noted.

“We’ve all been through not knowing where your next winner is coming from. You have to stick fat and stick to your processes. The game evolves too and you have to evolve with it or you’ll get left behind.”

When asked about his form process and what differentiates it from other analysts, Cripps said, “I don’t think any form analysis I do is overly cutting edge or reinventing the wheel. Form is like a big jigsaw puzzle. We have so many angles and thoughts but you’ve got to put it all together.”

“I focus a lot on runners who settle on pace. Nearly 100% of my profit in recent times has been on leaders. Horses who settle in the first five, and horses who run well against the day’s pattern, and defy what’s been happening. If you see that, look for them next start if they get a softer run,” Cripps said.

When it comes to analysing the impact of jockeys and trainers, Cripps added, “I love to keep up to date with jockeys and trainers and their form. A big thing is to look at trainers in good runs and avoid those in lean times.”

“The ratings come into it as well, you just piece it all together. You follow that by setting prices and finding the advantage,” he said.

Cripps, an avid user of the Exchange, had this to say when asked what Betfair is to him.

“When it gets to close to the jump, Betfair is betting really. You don’t realise how important it is until you guys have some technical issues and might be down for a meeting. No-one knows what to do. They are looking at each other waiting for someone else to make a move,” Cripps joked.

“I love watching Betfair’s markets. There is so much market intelligence. The sharpest guys and the smartest punters in the game are using it. If a horse is first up and they are easing in the market, you can be confident the horse needs the run based on the yard without even seeing the yard. Someone is watching and the market reflects that,” he said.

When it comes to tools that can help him with his wagering, Cripps said, “I don’t bet in-play, but the one thing I really like is the Betfair starting price with the minimum odds function”

“For example, if a horse I like isn’t at the right price, I can set minimum odds on Betfair, and if it hits that mark you are on, and if it doesn’t you are fine,” he explained.

“You also might notice a track pattern that doesn’t suit your horse, you can just move the price to something you know won’t be taken. Or vice versa.”

Cripps had this to say when asked how the Exchange and Betfair are on the side of the punter.

“Betfair is on your side because they are not like everyone else in the market who is trying to cut off and restrict winning punters. That has never been worse with the corporates at the moment.”

“The good thing with Betfair, it doesn’t matter how successful you are, there are no restrictions, and the more turnover you create the better it is for Betfair, so they have your best interest at heart,” he added.

Cripps, now in his 5th year of running his tipping service, Cripps Racing, had this to say when asked what advice he would give to punters starting out on the Exchange and mobile app today.

“Jump on it and have a look around. You’ll realise how useful it is. It is great to watch. I would suggest you watch a group race market and see how much is being traded. In-play fluctuations on sport for example.”