It was a wet old week to start with but of course, working from the lounge area of our luxurious 3 bedroom cottages at Raffertys, everyone was totally comfortable.

There was a small group of just four people for the first part of the Seminar, all intent on improving their punting performance, but in spite of the small numbers, the guests from Brisbane, Victoria and New Zealand were all 'switched on" to the learning process.

On the first day we allowed time to go to the local T.A.B. to view the 1998 Adelaide Cup so it was go go go from the start. The first question addressed was "Can you win at Racing?" In a series of examples featuring many past attendees, it was made very clear that "Yes you can!" But now to the "how do you select the winners bit."

Examples were given of how using time, you are able to select and bet on horses that the general public often miss. On the second day of the Seminar, for example, the last winner at Bathurst paid $41 for the win. This horse was selected on top using his best times for the distance.

Using a series of tomorrows races all attendees were required to work out the qualifying runs for each runner and estimate the best time each runner was capable of for that day. A full explanation of all the barrier, track, distance and time factors were given. Fortunately, all attendees came up with similar answers, revealing what a simple process it can be.

Our trip to the T.A.B. was not totally successful. We didn't get the winner of the Adelaide Cup, having decided to bet against the favourite. We did get second and third but that doesn't pay for Quinella's and trifectas. As we were about to go we noticed that our top three chances in the next race at the Sunshine Coast were all at very good odds.

A small bet on each was enough to all but cover our losses on the Adelaide Cup when All War saluted at better than 10/1.

Tutor turned "chef" Garry presented an evening meal of Italian flavor, washed down with local ales after rain prevented our welcome BBQ from taking place. An early night followed as attendees got to work on the next days racing.

Tuesday was more of the same with each session revealing more of the form puzzle. The group also managed to invest in a $128 quinella.

Bob from Victoria, was astonished, to say the least, when he realised that if we had wanted to we could have invested on every race on every racing day. Until now Bob concentrated on finding just one or two good bets each week. His experience lately, though, was that it was getting much harder to find those bets and he blamed this on the Sunday racing and other factors which have made it difficult to find good class races. How true!

Bryan from New Zealand (an internationally renowned accordion player who had just recently returned from London) was not a punter at all prior to attending and had usually bet mainly at the Casino. He was interested in everything we said and did. In fact Bryan brought his own notebook computer and each day summarized the lectures so he could review them at a later date. A computer programmer by trade, Bryan was very interested in the make up of the various punting programs and suggested changes that could benefit future purchasers.

Stephen from Brisbane, has his own mobile phone business and revealed very early what a haphazard punter he has been in the past. With the knowledge he obtained during the Seminar, Stephen was able to win back a substantial contribution to his Seminar fee less than one week later. As a person who enjoys the "buzz" of betting in lots of races, Stephen is on the turnover path. His bets will be less selective but he will prosper by seeking the many value bets that the Winform method provides.

On Thursday, Charlie provided the group with his professional "secrets" and in turn each of the attendees revealed their personal punting stories and how attending the Seminar would change their punting habits

Belle was the quiet one. While her work was accurate, she was more prepared to follow the selections as they came out of the computer once she delved into the method. Of course Belle has been working with Winform for some months and has already experienced the selection process.

In the evening we all viewed the Tulloch story. It highlights what a real champion racehorse can do. Tulloch was not a horse that raced well at 2 and 3 and then retired to stud. He was a true champion. We followed that up with our Pizza and Beer night, always popular, and we listened to the send up tape of "Monologue" by Andrew Martin. After a busy week so far, there was no homework to be done.

On Friday we were joined by Gary and Carey who attended the $100 per day plan session. After a series of lectures in the morning to explain the method, there were three teams assembled with each using a different method to achieve their $100 profit for the day.. This proved to be relatively easy, with the first team achieving a $146 profit by making best use of the market. Another team made $86 with a more conservative approach. All agreed that the method was simple to use and it was just a matter of getting used to the speed of the necessary calculations.

The evening was spent aboard the Cruise Cat while we all enjoyed a three course dinner as we cruised around the lake.

Saturday was back to business and after feeding the kookaburras the breakfast leftovers, we assembled for a group photo before heading off to the Broadmeadow Races where all the weeks theories were put into practice.

Sunday, was a time for farewells and a promise to stay in touch. For the Winform crew it was time to pack up until next time. It had been a great week once again and like so many previous Seminars it proved much more interesting than anticipated by the participants.

For dates of future seminars please enquire here.