Next Best

NB is one of those racing abbreviations that crops up everywhere once you start following tipsters, and it’s dead simple when you know what it means. It stands for “Next Best” – basically a tipster’s second choice of the day after their main selection.

Every racing tipster worth their salt will give you their NAP selection, which is their strongest fancy for the day. The horse they suppose has the best chance of all their picks, usually based on form, connections, conditions, or just gut feeling after years of studying the game.

But, they’ll also throw in an NB – their runner-up choice that they still fancy but not quite as much as their top pick. You’ll spot NB written next to selections in newspapers, websites, or wherever racing tips get published. Usually appears in brackets after the horse’s name, sometimes with the race time and course.

Simple way for tipsters to rank their confidence levels without having to explain in detail why Horse A is better than Horse B.

The clever bit about following NBs is that they often represent better value than the main NAP selection. Think about it – if everyone’s backing the tipster’s number one choice, those odds will get hammered down pretty quickly. Meanwhile, the NB might be sitting there at decent prices because it’s not getting the same attention.

Let’s say a well-known tipster has napped the favourite at 2/1 in the feature race, but their NB is running in an earlier race at 4/1. From a value perspective, that NB could be the smarter play, especially if you trust the tipster’s judgment.

You’re getting longer odds on something they still rate highly.

Racing punters who follow tipsters seriously often keep records of NAP versus NB performance over time. Some tipsters are actually better with their second choices than their main selections, which tells you something about how the market reacts to their tips or how they assess value. Course matters with tipsters too.

Some are brilliant at certain tracks but hopeless at others. A tipster’s NB at Cheltenham might carry more weight than their NAP at a minor all-weather meeting, depending on their track record and specialities.

The timing element can be crucial as well. Early NB selections often offer better odds before the markets get going properly. By the time racing gets underway and punters start following the tips, those prices might have shortened considerably. One thing to watch for is tipsters who seem to have more confidence in their NBs than they’re letting on.

Sometimes they’ll give reasons that sound almost as strong as their NAP selection, which might suggest the gap between first and second choice isn’t massive.

There’s also “IWAC” that you might see floating about, which stands for “in with a chance.” This is usually reserved for longer shots that the tipster thinks could surprise people – basically a third tier below NAP and NB but still worth considering, especially for each-way bets. The key with following anyone’s NB selections is tracking their success rate over a reasonable period.

Some tipsters are genuinely skilled at spotting value, whilst others are just making educated guesses like the rest of us.

A few months of results will usually separate the wheat from the chaff. Don’t get too hung up on the hierarchy though. Racing’s unpredictable enough that plenty of NBs win whilst the NAPs trail in nowhere.

The tipster’s just giving you their opinion on probability – they can’t control what actually happens once the gates open. Smart approach is probably to treat NBs as part of your overall research rather than gospel truth. If you’ve done your own homework and it agrees with the tipster’s NB selection, that’s when it becomes interesting.

Two heads are better than one, especially in racing.