The Weekly Scoreboard #1: Who leads, what moved, and machines v the old guard

Ask most AI tipping tools which one is best and they'll point straight at the mirror.

As a sport fan, a bettor and a numbers person, I wanted a straight answer: how do the new AI tools really compare with seasoned human tipsters, especially in horse racing? I went looking for somewhere to compare them. There wasn't one.

So I built it. AI Sports Ratings is a neutral scoreboard for tools, tipsters and data providers across all sports, rated on Performance and Transparency. It's for casual punters, serious bettors, anyone wondering whether paid tips are worth it, and companies choosing a sports data provider: a trusted place for the facts. For providers it's a better kind of mirror, showing where they can improve, because open records build trust on both sides.

Every Friday: the top spots by sport, the biggest climbers once we have the history, and Machines vs The Old Guard, AI against human, head to head.

Craig, AI Sports Ratings

Top of the table

Who leads, by sport

Highest Performance score per table (records with 200+ settled bets), on 29 October:

• Horse racing: UNDERDOG Racing Tips leads the tipsters on 92/100. Turfs Edge Tipping leads the AI tools on 60/100.
• Football: The Least Expected leads the tipsters on 67/100. OddAlerts Alpha leads the AI tools on 53/100.
• Tennis: Steviebets.com leads the tipsters on 56/100. Tennis Foresight, so far the only scored tennis AI tool, is on 53/100.

Why are the AI leaders further back? Most scored tipsters are independently proofed; most scored AI tools are self-reported, which counts for half as many bets in our score. The way up is open to all: more bets, published in full, checked by someone else.

See the full scoreboard →

Movers and shakers

Eleven days in

Our daily snapshots start on 18 October; since then no record ranked on both dates has moved more than two places. What did change:

• New #1: Steviebets.com now leads the tennis tipsters, up from 55 to 56.
• Straight in: 18 records earned a full score, including Grizzly Tips (#21 of racing tipsters) and EdgeDigger (#5 of racing AI tools).

Machines vs The Old Guard

Round 1: FormPick v Rob Wright (The Times)

One AI tool, one human tipster, same sport, both at starting price as each source reports it.

Round 1 · Horse racing
Starting price (SP)

The Machine

FormPick

AI tool

52/100

Performance score

• ROI +1.78%
• Bets 12,955
• Price SP

Transparency score 50/100

Transparency score

Recomputed by us

VS

The Old Guard

Rob Wright

The Times · Racing Post Press Challenge

36/100

Performance score

• ROI −12.17%
• Bets 8,001
• Price SP

Transparency score 80/100

Transparency score

Independently proofed

Running tally: Machines 1 · The Old Guard 0

Transparency scores are shown for context; the round goes to the higher Performance score.

Logos belong to their owners and are used only to identify them; no endorsement is implied. If you'd like a logo or any detail changed or removed, contact [email protected] and we'll sort it promptly.

FormPick: 52/100, +1.78% ROI over 12,955 bets at SP. Rob Wright: 36/100, −12.17% over 8,001 selections at SP. Round to the machine.

How they differ. FormPick is a model; its record is its top-rated horse ("Model #1") in each race, over a rolling 365 days. Rob Wright, The Times's tipster, picks in every race with a Racing Post selection box, in 2026 to date. Tipping every race is the hard way to beat the bookmakers' margin, and he is the best of all eight newspaper tipsters we track.

How the records are kept. FormPick lists every pick on its own results page; we rebuilt the year line by line. The Racing Post records every Press Challenge selection independently; we see totals, not a bet-by-bet file. Transparency: FormPick 50 (timestamped picks, losers included, four checklist items unconfirmed), Rob Wright 80 (no download or written method). FormPick costs from £9.99 a month; Rob Wright's tips come with the paper.

Why starting price? It's the one price both records use: anyone can get it at the off, and it can't be chosen afterwards. Each source reports its own starting price, and FormPick doesn't say whether its SP is the bookmakers' or the exchange's, so read this as a close comparison, not an exact one. Advised or early prices depend on when they were taken; we show them where published. Neither record here has one.

The wider picture on 29 October: at SP, 2 of 8 scored AI tools and 3 of 11 scored tipsters were in profit (medians −5.2%, −13.9%). At advised odds: 48 of 49 tipsters, 12 of 19 AI tools (+10.7%, +3.5%). Different groups, sizes and periods, so not a ranking, but price matters.

See FormPick's record →

Check it yourself

A 30-second test for any ROI

Next to any ROI, look for the price (SP, Betfair SP or advised odds), the number of bets and the dates. Without all three it can't be compared. Every scored record on our site shows them.

That's it for this week

Next Friday: the top spots, the movers and round 2. Run one of these records? The quickest way up our table is a complete, checkable record. Tell us at [email protected].