Saskia van der Berg

I came to racing through the Dutch tracks and the long flat gallops of the surrounding countryside, where my grandfather would talk me through a card hours before the first runner went down to post. He never bet to chase a winner; he bet to test whether he'd read the race right. That distinction — process over result — is the thing I carried into everything I write now. My work is patient form study above all else. I want to know how the ground is riding on the day, where the early speed has drawn and how that should shape the tempo, whether the trip and surface genuinely suit, and the trainer and jockey patterns that sit underneath the bare form lines. I lean heavily toward each-way and place value, because across a full season a properly mispriced runner pays far better than a short one that only looks secure. Thirteen years in, I have a healthy respect for how much luck rides on a single race — a slow break, a wide trip, trouble in running at the worst moment. So I anchor to a sound process and a fair price, and I would always rather explain why a horse appeals than promise you a winner I can't guarantee. — Saskia van der Berg