Horse racing was one of the first sports to restart in the UK after the lockdown, and looking at the TV viewing figures, it seems to have taken advantage of the empty playing field. The figures for three of the biggest events in the racing calendar (the 2,000 Guineas, Royal Ascot, and the Derby) shows …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
An experiment in forecasting Premier League relegation (Part 2 – bad teams are really bad and embracing the uncertainty)
When the Premier League restarted I decided to develop a model to predict relegation. The model was based on an assessment of the quality of the opposition and their likely motivation. Four rounds of games might be a bit early to re-assess things, but I think I have learnt enough to make some revisions. After …
Derby Dynasties: how one breeding line came to dominate Epsom
Owning or breeding an Epsom Derby winner is perhaps the pinnacle of horse racing on the flat, and the good news for any multi-millionaires out there is that things are getting easier. The last fifteen years has seen a concentration in the number of sires producing winners. In the fifteen years from 1990 to 2004 …
Continue reading “Derby Dynasties: how one breeding line came to dominate Epsom”
Liverpool are setting new records in the Premier League
There is an almost comic irony about the fact that Liverpool set a new record for wrapping up the Premier League in the shortest time during a season that will go down in history as the longest ever. When Manchester City lost to Chelsea on Thursday night it meant Liverpool had won the league with …
Continue reading “Liverpool are setting new records in the Premier League”
Lockdowns, eSports and an experiment in football management
The current lockdown has seen the growth of a new type of eSports. This is where Sports and teams have used the existing professional gaming infrastructure to provide entertainment for fans starved of anything to watch. For example, the Formula 1 eSports Challenge brought together current and retired drivers, along with celebrities and professional eGamers, …
Continue reading “Lockdowns, eSports and an experiment in football management”
Reasons to be cheerful
After 100 days, the restart of the Premier League feels like the start of a new season. And just like the start of the new season every fan can feel a sense of hope that this time things will be different. Below is one reason to be cheerful for every fan. Admittedly some are better …
An experiment in forecasting Premier League relegation (Part 1)
With the re-start of the premier League we can finally get back to action rather than talking. This also means it is time to put all these lockdowns theories to the test. Previously I had looked at the relegation picture by comparing the fixtures of the bottom six teams. While others such as Opta have …
Continue reading “An experiment in forecasting Premier League relegation (Part 1)”
The changes in Bundesliga form since the re-start
At the time of writing this blog Bundesliga teams had played either five or six games under the new post-lockdown rules. Having a look at performance it is perhaps not surprising how teams towards the top and bottom of the table are faring better than before the lockdown. The graph below shows the difference in …
Continue reading “The changes in Bundesliga form since the re-start”
The week the Bundesliga reigned supreme in the UK
When BT Sport acquired the rights to show German Football in the UK they never thought they would end up with the hottest ticket in town. But for one week in May that was the case. The graph below uses Google Trends to show the popularity of searches for “Premier League” and “Bundesliga” in the …
Continue reading “The week the Bundesliga reigned supreme in the UK”
How best to prepare a racehorse for their main target – stats show different horse racing cultures in France and England
When Victor Lodorum won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains this week, the first French Classic for colts, it reconfirmed his two-year-old form following a disappointing appearance at the start of the season. After the win connections mentioned how the horse had needed his prep run to get him ready for the main event. Comparing the …
Sport.dat 