The Melbourne Cup field is a level of difficulty challenging even the most seasoned punter.
Picking a winning horse with a blindfold, a pin and a list of runners can be a better strategy than an analytical deep dive crunching the form from multiple directions.
For a bit of fun, our friends over at full service media agency This is Flow, the AdNews Media Agency of the Year, have looked at historical data and media sentiment as a possible predictor.
The quantitative model allocates weighting and ratings across multiple factors, including a horse’s current form, make up (age, colour, country of birth), prize money, odds and jockey performance.
This, the theory goes, allows Flow’s data minds to see how similar a current running horse is compared with all historical winners of the Melbourne Cup.
The agency has included media presence into the model by looking at how many times each horse is being talked about, and the public’s sentiment to it through online mentions.
“While we are much better at buying media than picking horses it is all done in fun and hopefully gives everyone something to chat about come the big race," says Jimmy Hyett, founder and CEO, This is Flow.
This is Flow's outlook, with a top five prospects for the big race:
(Note: All data provided is done so in the name of fun and cannot be relied upon for picking a winner. If you’re going to take a punt, don’t bet more than you can afford to lose.)
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
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