I'm the same Globe, with a "portfolio" of horses I follow closely; mainly in the pacing game, but a few trotters too. You are probably the same as me, where after a while you get to really know each horse; it's best traits, what it prefers, what it doesn't and which type of race (stand v mobile) and distance it is best at. The draw and driver can often play a vital role too.
Race day statistics are there for all to see, and generally a good guide, but when one follows a portfolio of horses, and really follows them closely, including ontrack, watching their prelim, you get to know them pretty well.
Usually I will have no more than a dozen horses in the portfolio. They chop and change, every 3-4 months or so. This way it is managable to take notes and put all of your effort in to these ones and it generally ties in with an individual horse's prep too.
Then, when one of the horses does start, it is just an assessment of all of the factors at play, combined with the previous knowledge obtained regarding the horse. Just because I'm following the portfolio of horses, doesn't mean to say I'm not looking at the opposition on any given day too (to a much lesser extent admittedly). Horses that aren't yet in the portfolio, may one day end up there.
"Pricing up the event" - when the acceptances are out, I then think about price. At what price would I be prepared to take. I'm mainly an eachway punter, and will do a check of the betting percentage of the market (final field odds) if I'm looking at the NZ TAB. Then assess the "value" (chance) of my portfolio horse. Ideally I like to be on track for the race, to give it a good once over pre-race. And then use that knowledge and experience from months gone by, to determine if it's worth having a bet or not, at the current odds on offer.
At the end of the day, I like most, do it all for the enjoyment and it's been a life long hobby. I don't do it to try and make money as a professional gambler, and I only ever "invest" on what I can afford to lose on any given day. Also, I don't necessary bet on every horse within the portfolio on every start. Sometimes it is just a "taking notes" day.
So that's how I roll and so far the results have been more than pleasing. Rewarding financially and socially, I love it.
Good luck everyone.