The Racing Portfolio seemed like a good fit for a Betfair Exchange trial, with Lucrative Racing saying in one of their videos that their systems are good for exchanges.
David tested the portfolio for three months and sadly he found that this was not the case.
He recorded a loss from 5 out of 6 of the systems and when added up, it was a total of -200.05 pts at Betfair prices at 10.00am and -154.82 pts at BSP for the whole trial.
I checked the results reported on the website, which used normal bookies, and they had added up to a total profit of 33.4 pts. The difference in profit mostly came from Flat Flyers and the Shortlist.
One thing that David picked up on was that Lucrative Racing don't include Rule 4 in their results, so this could have inflated their profit figures a fair bit. It could well be a lot less profit than what they report.
Here are his results for the whole trial:
| Betfair results | Bets | Won | SR % | Betfair P/L | Bank growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 131 | 36 | 27.5% | -7.71 | -7.7% | 378.91 | -2.0% |
| Flat Flyers | 218 | 18 | 8.3% | -68.67 | -68.7% | 413.00 | -16.6% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 27 | 3 | 11.1% | -7.87 | -7.9% | 48.00 | -16.4% |
| AW Warriors | 57 | 6 | 10.5% | -27.87 | -27.9% | 116.00 | -24.0% |
| Hidden Winners | 123 | 8 | 6.5% | -94.77 | -94.8% | 204.00 | -46.5% |
| Shortlist | 754 | 137 | 18.2% | 6.84 | 6.8% | 1,253.44 | 0.5% |
| Totals | 1310 | 208 | 15.9% | -200.05 | -33.3% | 2413.35 | -8.3% |
| BSP results | Bets | Won | SR % | BSP P/L | Bank growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 131 | 36 | 27.5% | -8.66 | -8.7% | 378.91 | -2.3% |
| Flat Flyers | 218 | 18 | 8.3% | -49.08 | -49.1% | 413.00 | -11.9% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 27 | 3 | 11.1% | -3.89 | -3.9% | 48.00 | -8.1% |
| AW Warriors | 57 | 6 | 10.5% | -34.21 | -34.2% | 116.00 | -29.5% |
| Hidden Winners | 123 | 8 | 6.5% | -96.19 | -96.2% | 204.00 | -47.2% |
| Shortlist | 754 | 137 | 18.2% | 37.21 | 37.2% | 1,253.44 | 3.0% |
| Totals | 1310 | 208 | 15.9% | -154.82 | -25.8% | 2413.35 | -6.4% |
Here's what David had to say about his experience testing The Racing Portfolio:
"I’m extremely sad about these results. I’ve always had a soft spot for Lucrative Racing. Michael and his team give among the best customer support in the industry – if not the best – and he and his team have been quick and unstinting with their advice and guidance over several years.
He does a lot right for Exchange users. Apart from excellent support, he issues tips at 10.00 a.m. every day, which is the best time for placing bets on the Exchanges, and it means his odds are easy to match.
Sadly, though, his video claim that his systems are good for the Exchanges hasn’t proved so on this 3-month test. I’ve also struggled in the past with some of his systems, as has Amy.
I also query why he claims that his tips have been proved to be unproductive on Mondays, which is why he doesn’t issue any tips on that day. I’ve checked my results on Mondays with other tipsters, and can find no variation in results (the same applies to Sundays but, in fairness, tipsters are entitled to a day off, just like anyone else).
He also keeps promoting that bettors should give a tipping system at least a year, but doesn’t qualify that by putting a loss-limit on the bank. That is worrying.
First, if a system is inherently flawed, one could lose a lot of money in a year unless you have a bank-loss cut-off. Secondly, it’s unrealistic because, in practice, how many bettors will give a losing system anything like that long?"
Summary
To sum up this trial, I would steer clear of using the portfolio on Betfair Exchange.
The prices are clearly lower than what is advised, especially for the Flat Flyers and Shortlist systems, but for all of them in general. Hidden Winners was quite close for both bookies and Betfair, but it had lost more than 90 pts in three months either way.
It is a shame that this trial didn't work out, but it was definitely one that was worth doing. With these trials, finding out what to avoid is just as important as finding out what works.
Update Two: 4th September 2023
It has been another disappointing month for David in his trial of The Racing Portfolio with 15.6 pts lost at Betfair prices in the morning and 57.2 pts lost at BSP.
In total, that means his bank has decreased by 15.5% and 22.8% respectively.
The one system that had been flying in month one, with 64.98 pts profit, went completely the other way and lost all of that profit and more. I couldn't believe it when David sent his results over!
Now the only system showing a profit on the whole is the Shortlist, with a 16.1% bank growth. I will take that with a pinch of salt though, as it seems like the results are quite volatile.
David and I will be comparing these results with what Lucrative Racing achieved at the bookies at the end of this trial.
One important thing to note though is that David noticed that they do not account for rule 4 deductions in their results, which could have a big impact on profit long-term. I was quite surprised by this, as most tipping services include rule 4 in their results as standard.
| Betfair results | Bets | Won | SR % | Betfair P/L | Total bank growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 47 | 9 | 19.1% | -66.75 | -1.8% | 144.91 | -46.1% |
| Flat Flyers | 84 | 9 | 10.7% | 29.38 | -16.9% | 151.00 | 19.5% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 7 | 1 | 14.3% | -3.71 | -18.8% | 13.00 | -28.5% |
| AW Warriors | 29 | 4 | 13.8% | -9.41 | -19.6% | 59.00 | -15.9% |
| Hidden Winners | 45 | 3 | 6.7% | -33.81 | -52.1% | 78.00 | -43.3% |
| Shortlist | 265 | 48 | 18.1% | 68.70 | 16.1% | 449.00 | 15.3% |
| Totals | 477 | 74 | 15.5% | -15.60 | -15.5% | 894.91 | -1.7% |
| BSP results | Bets | Won | SR % | Betfair P/L | Total bank growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 47 | 9 | 19.1% | -73.44 | -8.2% | 144.91 | -50.7% |
| Flat Flyers | 84 | 9 | 10.7% | 14.30 | -28.6% | 151.00 | 9.5% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 7 | 1 | 14.3% | -3.62 | -20.6% | 13.00 | -27.8% |
| AW Warriors | 29 | 4 | 13.8% | -11.23 | -26.6% | 59.00 | -19.0% |
| Hidden Winners | 45 | 3 | 6.7% | -36.61 | -54.0% | 78.00 | -46.9% |
| Shortlist | 265 | 48 | 18.1% | 53.40 | 1.1% | 449.00 | 11.9% |
| Totals | 477 | 74 | 15.5% | -57.20 | -22.8% | 894.91 | -6.4% |
Here's what David had to say about the second month of his trial:
"August again was a loss overall, although this time only 2.6%. Also, this month two of the six systems showed a profit which, although poor, was still better than only one profitable system last month.
Sadly, the one profitable system last month (Haymaker), wiped out all its profit in August and went into slight loss. On the other hand, the Shortlist, with an excellent profit this month, managed to turn last month’s loss into a small profit overall – the only system now in overall profit.
BSP, as one would expect, did not perform as well as odds taken at the time (between 10 and 11 a.m.), showing a 9.5% loss on the month compared with the available odds’ 2.6% loss.
We are now entering the final month’s testing, and the Racing Portfolio will have to show a big increase in performance to make up for results so far."
Summary
At this point in the trial, I feel like I am going to be none the wiser when David sends his third set of results in.
It has been so turbulent so far that if he presented me with a batch of results that showed a profit, I would still be unsure if the service would be good to follow or not.
If the portfolio shows a loss again, I'm not sure it would be worth continuing with the trial. That would be up to David!
Let's see what happens...
Update One: 8th August 2023
It hasn't been a great start to David's trial of The Racing Portfolio as his overall bank for all of the systems has decreased by 12.9% in the first month.
All except one of the systems finished the month with a loss based on both the available Betfair prices and BSP.
There was actually an extra two systems included with the portfolio that I didn't realise when I wrote the introduction to this trial, so below you will also see results for Haymaker and Shortlist.
Haymaker turned out to be the only system to make a profit for the month and it was a fantastic one at 64.98 pts.
| Betfair Results | Bets | Won | SR % | Betfair P/L | Bank Growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 40 | 16 | 40.0% | 64.98 | 65.0% | 112.00 | 58.0% |
| Flat Flyers | 70 | 6 | 8.6% | -46.23 | -46.2% | 133.00 | -34.8% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 10 | 0 | 0.0% | -15.04 | -15.0% | 17.00 | -88.5% |
| AW Warriors | 13 | 1 | 7.7% | -10.14 | -10.1% | 27.00 | -37.6% |
| Hidden Winners | 37 | 3 | 8.1% | -18.31 | -18.3% | 60.00 | -30.5% |
| Shortlist | 232 | 42 | 18.1% | -52.62 | -52.6% | 375.00 | -14.0% |
| Totals | 402 | 68 | 16.9% | -77.36 | -12.9% | 724.00 | -10.7% |
| BSP Results | Bets | Won | SR % | BSP P/L | Bank Growth | Staked | ROI |
| Haymaker | 40 | 16 | 40.0% | 65.24 | 65.2% | 169.00 | 38.6% |
| Flat Flyers | 70 | 6 | 8.6% | -42.86 | -42.9% | 133.00 | -32.2% |
| Hurdle Heroes | 10 | 0 | 0.0% | -16.98 | -17.0% | 17.00 | -99.9% |
| AW Warriors | 13 | 1 | 7.7% | -15.40 | -15.4% | 27.00 | -57.0% |
| Hidden Winners | 37 | 3 | 8.1% | -17.40 | -17.4% | 60.00 | -29.0% |
| Shortlist | 232 | 42 | 18.1% | -52.35 | -52.4% | 375.00 | -14.0% |
| Totals | 402 | 68 | 16.9% | -79.75 | -13.3% | 781.00 | -10.2% |
Here's what David had to say about the first month of his trial:
"The overall bank for The Racing Portfolio being down only 12.9% is hardly disastrous and it could easily be pulled round.
BSP performed only slightly worse overall, which is not my normal experience - but then this is only for 1 month.
Hurdle Heroes and AW Warriors are presumably out of season, which would explain their very low number of tips. I suppose this means we won’t get a proper picture of them until the Winter.
The Shortlist results fit in with your own review results and I would normally stop it now, because I generally stop a system if I lose half the bank. But, obviously, I need to continue with it for the purposes of the review (despite a good first two months before the trial started, Flat Flyers is also now perilously close to the cut-off point)."
Summary
It isn't the greatest start but as David said, it could easily change as it's early in the trial.
I am interested to see how he gets on in month two and whether those systems that didn't perform so well will be able to pull things back and generate a profit.
The next update for this trial will be early September, so be sure to check back then.
Introduction: 9th July 2023
The ultimate goal of The Racing Portfolio is to provide you with everything you could possibly need to transform your betting into a substantial and consistent income.
The Lucrative Racing team have reported over 785 pts profit on average per year from their selection of horse racing strategies. It is basically a ready-made betting portfolio, providing you a variety of services to follow in one package.
This is based on betting at the bookies, but in this trial I am going to be performing a different test, as I want to see whether it is possible to just use Betfair Exchange.
Michael from Lucrative Racing explained to me that using Betfair shouldn't be too much of an issue, although he would expect profits to be lower than using the bookmaker.
I kind of expected that, but still, it would be great to find a portfolio to use on Betfair even if it produces lower profits, as there would be the opportunity to bet higher with unrestricted stakes.
The one thing Michael did say is, betting at Betfair SP could be problematic, as the services are mainly “value based” so they are taking advantage of incorrect prices earlier in the day.
The strategies currently included in the portfolio are as follows:
Hurdle Heroes
- Focuses on National Hunt racing
- Average 3 selections per day
- 201 pts profit per year
- 35% strike rate
- 16.6% ROI
Flat Flyers
- Flat racing & NH flat racing
- Average 3 selections per day
- 166 pts profit per year
- 34% strike rate
- 11.94% ROI
All Weather Warriors
- Focuses on Polytrack, Tapeta and Fibresand races
- Average 2 selections per day
- 138 pts profit per year
- 36% strike rate
- 14.85% ROI
Hidden Winners
- Non-handicap races
- Average 3 selections per day
- 280 pts profit per year
- 27% strike rate
- 16.44% ROI
There are also extra resources included, including guides on bankroll management, staking plans and video tutorials.
Finally, there are 12 downloadable strategies included that cover place and lay betting, trainer angles and flat and festival racing, with new strategies added seasonally.
I actually started a trial of this service in 2020, but then the racing was cancelled due to COVID, and for some reason I didn't pick the trial back up again afterwards.
I'm happy to get this trial going again and I have a trusty volunteer, David, who will be recording his results at Betfair. Like many of us, David is restricted at most bookmakers so he is on a quest to find a service that works at Betfair.
I'll be posting an update of his first set of results in early August.
The Racing Portfolio link is not working on the review. I'm looking for their website so that I can see their previous results with a view to joining and starting to lay the selections to BSP. If they make a loss backing them to BSP then logically looking at it another way it will be profitable laying the selections to BSP (taking into account 2% commission of course). Please could you send me a link that works to access the 7 days free access offer.
Thanks for letting me know, it looks like they have changed the link so I have updated it. I’d be interested to hear how you get on with the laying.
Oh, looks like membership is full right now.
This review is interesting. Lucrative are promoting this portfolio approach now – £299 pa with a 500 point guarantee or the next year is free.
Lucrative have promoted a number of different services over the years and Honest Betting Reviews have passed one or two of them. Their offers are tempting like the one above but my personal experience of Lucrative has not been good so I restrain myself.
I saw that they had an offer on right now, but I didn’t feel right promoting it when I have an on-going trial that isn’t doing so well. That said, David is only testing the Betfair results at the moment and I haven’t compared them to the bookmaker results yet. It will be interesting to see!
I tried Lucrative, it's neigh impossible to get their quoted prices, gone in 60 seconds springs to mind. While they were 100pts in profit I was minus 60pts.
Hope this helps someone
John