FORM POINTS by Tom Hambleton

[First_Place]

While reading the Allways User's Manual I found mention of Hambleton Form Points and his book:

FORM POINTS
Author: Tom Hambleton
Published: 1993 by Tom Hambleton

This is the first I've heard of it. Has anyone read it? Comments?

Below is what was mentioned in the manual:

HAMBLETON Form Points

All horses start with 10 points and are given extra points for factors that measure the horses current form. The maximum points a horse can earn is 24. Points are subtracted for certain negative form factors, so a horse can end up with less than 10 points.

and

Hambleton form points detail

REC Points for recency

REC BNS Bonus points for recency

CLO Points for being up close

CLO BNS Bonus points for being up close

TRK Points for performance at track

DST Points for performance at exact distance

CLS Points for performance at class level

CLS DRP Points for a class drop

2nd 3rd Points for this being 2nd or 3rd race of career or after long layoff

FAV Points for being favorite last race

WK Points from workout analysis

NO WIN Point deduction for no wins

NEG DROP Point deduction for negative drop (good last race but drop in claiming price or move down to claiming ranks from allowance company or drop from Maiden Special Weight to Maiden Claiming)

4 YR RSE Point deduction for 4 yr. old rising in class (last race not good but taking a rise in BRIS Race Rating)

1st RTE Point deduction for first route

1st SPR Point deduction for first sprint

HAM TOT Total HAMBLETON form points

LO Layoff indicator (ìLî)

Of course, the manual doesn't go into anymore detail. Just how many points for each rating and what are the criteria?

Anyone?

Thanks.

FP

p.s. Oh Dick Schmidt...if you're out there...do you know?

[Trijack]

Sorry wrong answer

[midnight]

The book is only a waste of money if you're buying it hoping to produce some magic rating or black box from it. I read the book a long time ago, and I got quite a few good ideas out of it. It was well worth what I spent on it. Admittedly, it's pretty basic, and adhering to it will put the player on a lot of chalk.

Just my two cents: copying the method outlined in the book and sending it to somebody else is violation of copyright.

[Dick Schmidt]

FP,


Ya, I know about the book. In fact, I wrote the forward for it. It was a very good effort and probably still some of the points are valid. However, in 1992 and 93, we didn't have big databases to work with, so most of the form criteria are based on Tom's long and careful observation of the races. Also, racing has changed some since then, though not as much as many people think. A good addition to any handicapping library, and a grand starting place to investigate form if you do have access to a database.

Dick

P.S. llegend39, those who believe in courtesy and respect, at the least, to living authors don't make offers like that. Welcome to my ignore list.

[llegend39]

WELL WPOULD YOU RATHER ME COPY IT AND CHARGE THE GUY $25 LIKE A MEMBER IN HERE DID TO ME I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE HELPFUL AND SHARE INFO NO DISRESPECT INTENED

[Lasix1]

If I'm not mistaken, ALL-Ways, available through BRIS, includes Tom Hambleton's Form Points automatically calculated. But, as others have noted, it's not a stand-alone system. That being said, I did learn a great deal from it, especially his contention that horses that are up-close at the stretch call of their previous race--3 lengths in springs and 5 in routes, and within certain date parameters-- is a very useful indicator of form. Form remains one of handicapping's most enigmatic factors.

[andicap]

I hate it when PA takes down a post -- what the hell did llegend39 say or offer?? Inquiring minds want to know.
If you take down the first post, take down the follow-ups -- it leaves the rest of us who didn't see the first confused and worse yet, intensely curious. :) :)

[cj]

Andi,

He basically posted he would copy down the rules and mail them for the cost of postage.

[Doug]

Don't have a copy of the book, but it seems to me (from memory) that the hype on this bood was something like "didn't want Hamleton to write this book and let the cat out of the bag".

In my opinion there was no "cat in the bag" in this book to begin with.

Just a hastily put together method with not much research behindit.

Doug