Best PDF chart?

[the_fat_man]

Looking for some feedback as to the best PDF (result) chart out there.

Is it Equibase or DRF and why?

(Assuming the BRIS/TSN are essentially the same as DRF)

[Tom]

DRF are better, IMHO, because they consisently give you the temp rail placement for turf races while BRIS doesn't. Also, if you subscribe to Simulcast Daily, you can gets older charts - like maybe a year back - for free ( well, for the sub price).

[betovernetcapper]

I like the HDW charts in part because they list the horses handicapping factors prior to the race, examples

LRI lightly raced improving
dalw drops from alw race
B+ blinkers on
1r 1st route

and about 70 other codes. It also lists the horses running style and prob' break position prior to to race and it's break position and running style in the race. :)

[Paging]

DRF are better, IMHO, because they consisently give you the temp rail placement for turf races while BRIS doesn't. Also, if you subscribe to Simulcast Daily, you can gets older charts - like maybe a year back - for free ( well, for the sub price).

Have to disagree with you here per our conversation we had before about the turf rails. DRF only uses the pre-race header - they never update it where the rail actually was. Far too many rail set errors in DRF if you're looking at turf races and where the rail is set.

[thebeacondeacon]

TSN -- because they list the saddle cloth/program numbers.

Pain in the a-- to download in volume, however.

thebeacondeacon

[takeout]

Looking for some feedback as to the best PDF (result) chart out there.

Is it Equibase or DRF and why?

(Assuming the BRIS/TSN are essentially the same as DRF)
I notice that the TSN/BRIS ones have the breeders in them as well as the owners and trainers.

I wish they would all make them like the PPs with the lengths behind the leader (instead of in front of the next horse) so one could see at a glance how the race was run without having to add up the beaten lengths at the various calls.

[Tom]

Have to disagree with you here per our conversation we had before about the turf rails. DRF only uses the pre-race header - they never update it where the rail actually was. Far too many rail set errors in DRF if you're looking at turf races and where the rail is set.

How do you know this? The rail info comes out the morning of the race. Are you saying they change it during the card?

[the_fat_man]

I wish they would all make them like the PPs with the lengths behind the leader (instead of in front of the next horse) so one could see at a glance how the race was run without having to add up the beaten lengths at the various calls.

I agree. I really like the Equibase Chart Plus 'cause
it provides the split times
and
the Past Performance Running Line Preview
which is the lengths behind for each horse

The problem, however, is that a tabular representation of the positions/beaten lengths is not the most efficient way to see the race shape.

I'm assuming that this particular chart is NOT ENCRYPTED ---since you pay for it.

I wouldn't bet on it, however.

In any event, you'd still need to parse it to pull out the data.

Any way you look at it, you'd have to do work.

[takeout]

I really like the Equibase Chart Plus 'cause it provides the split times and the Past Performance Running Line Preview which is the lengths behind for each horse

I like them too but the deal breaker for me was that the Past Performance Running Line Preview section didn’t have the horses in the order of finish. That kind of defeated the purpose for me. I still think they’re the best though.

Trackmaster has (had?) a text chart that is done like the PPs but with decimals instead of fractions. It’s also a pay for.

I still use the free ones from DRF, TSN or BRIS but I don’t do anything technical with them.

[Paging]

How do you know this? The rail info comes out the morning of the race. Are you saying they change it during the card?

Not that they change it during the card but perhaps before the card starts.

If you go back to the thread about your study on the turf rails. I do remembered that I looked at the Drf charts for Arlington Park 8/25 and they were incorrect. Drf took the info from before the races and never updated it with the correct info.

Since then I looked at the drf charts a few times and found the turf rail sets to be incorrect too often for me to use.

[takeout]

(Assuming the BRIS/TSN are essentially the same as DRF)
I agree but was recently reminded of one minor difference that still seems to be in play concerning trainer names. Sometimes when there’s a trainer-name change, DRF doesn’t have it. The last time I noticed it, it happened to be a trainer’s first name that had been legally changed around the beginning of the year. The other resellers have the change, DRF still does not. They must have something that they are letting trump the EQ data. Fortunately, these days, it’s a very rare occurrence.