The Days
Steamer
What makes a steamer...
The steamer of the day, horse racing term for the best or
well backed horse of the day. There are not always the favourite
but can be and come about for a number of reasons.
Good vibes coming from a trainer or stable that have been
known to land a gambles can generate sufficient news stories to
convince the punter to latch on. This then creates a flood of
money and will reduce the odds as the bookmaker tries to reduce
there liabilities.
Why a horse has been made a steamer is not always easy to
answer as they may appear heavily backed but are not fancied.
This can happen if a punter places an accumulator bet and the
first three all win. The bookmaker will then tries and reduce
the price of the last selection by backing the horse on course.
Reducing the price in this way can significantly lessen the
final payout.
Another type of horse that can turn into a steamer is a
racecourse whisper that is passed around for a horse that does
not have a realistic chance. This will have an effect of
transferring some of the money from a good favourite.
This then gives the idea that the favourite is not fancied
and drifts in the market and thus putting more punters off. The
door is then open for the professional punter to step in and
back the favourite at a better price than it should have been.