Pizzolla master Magician seminar

[redhorse]

any feedback on the recent pizzolla master magician seminar that was held in vagas last week.

[kitts]

Arguably the best seminar I have ever attended. The "ValueTech" concept is a great idea. I hope nobody else catches on to it. Michael Pizzolla always puts on a good seminar. He is alive and enthusiastic and makes money playing the horses. He has software and data to sell but spends very little time selling. A lot less selling than at some other seminars I have done in the past. He had a user (Bob Harris, a contributor here) explain how he uses the various concepts and how he often disagrees with some numbers and how he compensates for that. The "contributing user" I have heard at other seminars rarely have any negatives at all. Overall, a worthy experience.

[NormanTD]

I concur.

Kitts also did not mention that Michael and Eric both made every one of their bets while being video taped and recorded. These men are very brave in my opinion.

[Tom]

Originally posted by NormanTD
I concur.

Kitts also did not mention that Michael and Eric both made every one of their bets while being video taped and recorded. These men are very brave in my opinion.

Video taped?
I smell a package deal coming out soon <G>

[Kappa]

What wasn't taped was at the start of the lunch break Saturday, Michael noticed the software had a long shot on top in Belmont Park's 9th race. About twenty-five of us went down to the book to see Michael in action (and, maybe catch a little action too). The 12 horse came in and paid $93 to win (which Michael had many times) and he put the 12 over the favorite (once again, several times) for a $642 exacta. None of us (I think) had the exacta, but there were several win tickets in the group.

[cato]

Actually, it was my good fortune to have a $1 exacta box and $10 on the winner to collect about $786. It was a nice break (!).

The seminar was great--many good ideas and MP is always an excellent, energetic and articulate speaker.

And the enhancements they made to the Master Magician are most excellent.

Our own Bob Harris also made a helpful presentation about how he uses The Master Magician program.

Overall it was a great experience--I'm ready for the next one.

Take care, Cato

[Tom]

Did you use MM on the BC yesterday?

[JimG]

Originally posted by Tom
Video taped?
I smell a package deal coming out soon <G>

Tom,

Be interesting to see what kind of "deal" it is.....my guess is 3 c-notes, minimum.


Jim

[NormanTD]

I'm not sure what the offer will be for those who did not attend the workshop but for those who did attend...

It was pretty dirt cheap and included version 1.5 of the Master Magician software. Version 1.3 is a free upgrade that includes the valuetech module and 1.5 includes the ability to use ITS charts files to see results (uh, AFTER the race, not before and yes that question was asked by Michael himself "I keep asking Eric why can't we get the results BEFORE the race is run")

Eric proposes having some additional database capabilities for queries and such added to the program in the next year or so.:)

[Myhorse1]

Isn't Michael a wiz???. He has a mind that would boggle 99% of us. I don't think that there is any one else that can think as quickly as he does.
It is too bad that all of us can't do as well as Michael at the track, but all he tells you is from the heart, no Bulls---t, no lies, he tells it how it is.

He is indeed the best handicapper/teacher that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing.

I still think that ITS (ie: Eric) could have done someting about the Master Handicapper as a DOS program to upgrade for their customers after spending $1,250 for the program, and I am still angry about that, but I never will take anything away from Michael. He is the best!!!

Kappa: Which day was that??. I got the Belmont Park, but didn't get the date for the $93 longshot.

MyHorse1

[Kappa]

Yes, Michael is a ball of energy. I got winded just watching him!! This was my first time meeting him, and I was absolutely amazed at his intensity. I can understand how he is successful. I can't imagine anyone else making documented selections and standing behind those selectons (both winning AND losing picks).

The race was the 9th at Belmont on Saturday, Oct 19th. Below is a link to that day's charts.

http://www.tsnhorse.com/cgi-bin/instant.cgi?type=inc&country=USA&track=BEL&date=2002-10-19

[Bob Harris]

I thought the biggest difference between this seminar and the last one was that nearly everyone was using the Master Magician and Michael didn't get bogged down explaining how to construct all the figures by hand. Most of the seminar involved the best way to use the software under different situations...I certainly learned a couple of new tricks!

It was really great meeting several of the PA posters and being able to put faces to the handles. Along with being genuinely nice people, there are some very sharp players on this board!

[azmike]

I looked at the Bel 9th race and I handicapped the race using my methods--I did not get the winner in my top 3. Nice hit for all attendees.

I am curioius as to what factor or factors caused this horse to be "on top" using this handicapping program.

[Bob Harris]

Originally posted by azmike
I looked at the Bel 9th race and I handicapped the race using my methods--I did not get the winner in my top 3. Nice hit for all attendees.

I am curioius as to what factor or factors caused this horse to be "on top" using this handicapping program.

Azmike,

In turf races, TMM takes the best PPF showing in the pps (as long as it's not aberrant). Quiet Ruler's +7 PPF from 3 races back was the best in the field.

The place horse, Whitmore's Conn, did not have particularly good numbers in the field (PPF +2) but was dropping down from 3 consecutive Graded Stakes (winning one of them) and was facing NY breds today. I can certainly see the argument for putting him underneath in exactas.

Bob

[cato]

I don't get too excited from a betting standpoint about Breeders Cup (too many great horses to choose from), so I was not all that serious about it. I did run Breeder's Cup through TMM, and here's what I cam up with:

Distaf: Azeri was ranked #2 on PPF, and tied for # 1 on odds line

Juvenile Fillies: Storm Flag Flying tied for #2 on PPF and 3rd on odds line

Mile: Domedriver-no ratable lines (Beat Hpollow was ranked #1)

Sprint: Orientate tied for #2 on PPF, #1 on odds line

Fillies and Mares: Starine #2 on PPF and #2 on odds line (I was VERY upset with myself when I did not bet this one correctly!)

Juvenile: No matter how you looked at it the #s for vindication were no good, but my wife spotted it as the "pretty one with lots of energy" so we cashed--better than a computer program...and much softer!

Turf: NO ratable lines for the only two contenders--High Chap and Golan

Classic: Valponi was pretty far down on my numbers. iF you really worked at it on a post mortem basis yu could get Valponi up to about 3rd. Apparently the Belmont 1 1/4 race (Jockey Club?) that many of the horses were in as a prep threw all the numbers off. If you tossed those numbers, Valponi came up 3rd in the program.

So if you were one of the theoretical handicappers that did everything right, you would have probably bet Starine and maybe Orientate and styaed out of the rest of them ...right....

Take care, Cato

[GR1@HTR]

Do any of you guys ever apply Handicapping Magics ideas to other SW programs you are using instead of using the Handicapping Magician program?

[azmike]

<<In turf races, TMM takes the best PPF showing in the pps (as long as it's not aberrant). Quiet Ruler's +7 PPF from 3 races back was the best in the field.>>

I went back using "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" and noticed the track at BEL was "soft". Then I noticed only 4 horses, including the winner (#12) had done well on such a surface. So the # 12 WAS "gettable"--at least with "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" :)

[Amazin]

Curious

Does the Master Magician Software only incorporate the theories of the book or are there other factors or criteria it uses not mentioned in the book?And if they are strictly similar,would you get the same results with pencil and paper as the software?

[Tom]

Originally posted by GR1
Do any of you guys ever apply Handicapping Magics ideas to other SW programs you are using instead of using the Handicapping Magician program?

I use a lot of the handicapping theory from the book, about forgiving running lines, etc. I always look a LLST and I like the two excuse method of form cycles.
I really like the idea of looking at the races using the filters in formulator and/or HDRF (early speed, form, distance, etc.) This is an easy way to logically look at a race, starting with only the early horse, deciding what they can do, then adding in the other horse and seeing how they compare to the best the early speed has to offer. I wish they had a filter for only winning races.
Not really part of the HM, but a part of Total Pace, I use the idea of a fulcrum a lot and mentally adjust the final fraction or final figure based on the "fulcrum." I really love to forgive races against a fulcrum faster than today's projects to be.
This doesn't work well with HTR pace/pefr numbers because they are not true pace and speed numbers, but I made up a little chart to convert velocity numbers back to pace/speed numbers and I use use this on the Velocity PP screen. Using an earlier Massa program MPH, with the Quirn figure add-n module is dynamite.
those are damn fine numbers in that ole dos sucker.