As January 2026 comes to a close my Personal Portfolio has taken a bit of a battering as you can see here.
The Shock ⇒ The Revelation ⇒ The Past ⇒ The Future
The Shock
Both tipsters, Underdog and Thebanker, have posted big loses. My £100 betting start has dropped dramatically to £40 with only one week left in January.
My faith in these tipsters was being shaken and tested this month. And this shock prompted further analysis that delivered a revelation.
The Revelation
Over the 5 years of tips from Januray 2021 to December 2025 Thebanker and Underdog Racing Tips appear to have seasonal variation that ties in with the racing changes from Flat Turf to Jumps.
Spring, Summer and Autum perform pretty well but the indicators say stay away in Winter.
If I had known this I would not have been betting either tipster during January 2026.
| Month | TheBanker Profits | Underdog Profits |
| Jan | LOW | LOW |
| Feb | LOW | HIGH |
| Mar | MED | HIGH |
| Apr | MED | HIGH |
| May | MED | MED |
| Jun | MED | MED |
| Jul | HIGH | LOW |
| Aug | HIGH | LOW |
| Sep | MED | HIGH |
| Oct | HIGHEST | HIGHEST |
| Nov | LOW | LOW |
| Dec | LOW | LOW |
The Past
Here’s how things might have been over the past 5 years following the strategy of not betting the poor performing months?
| FULL 5 YEARS | 5 YEARS EXCLUDING LOW PROFIT MONTHS | |||
| Bets | ROI | Bets | ROI | |
| Thebanker | 3582 | 36% | 1575 | 52% |
| Underdog | 9452 | 37% | 5676 | 85% |
Even as a high-level comparison it looks like there’s a lot to be gained from following these tipsters on a seasonal/monthly basis.
- Thebanker‘s ROI – can be increased by 40% on less than 50% of their tips.
- Underdog Racing Tips ROI – can be doubled using only 60% of their tips.
The Future
These two tipsters are clearly elite class and will stay in my personal portfolio. But they will now be switched off and on and turned up and down based on this seasonal variance.
I will create a new portfolio called Peak Seasonal Portfolio to replace the existing portfolio but maintain the records of the existing portfolio as a yardstick to measure the effect of these changes. The switch over will happen in February with Underdog Racing Tips.
And In the meantime I will try to find a third tipster who can profitably cover the November to January period to give me year round betting.
Or is taking 3-months off the better way to go?
