Data Files and Databasing For Harness Racing

[DeanT]

http://pullthepocket.blogspot.com/2008/11/handicapping-betting-without-validation.html

I was wondering if someone who knows database programming would like to take a shot at it. I asked this once before a few years ago, but I might be ready to tackle it. Trackmaster has comma delimited files, which are costly, but I would like to validate some data and would probably jump in and buy a few years of data. Problem? I am about as useful as a parka in the desert with programming.

[Overcall]

Good News! the purpose of a database is NOT to do tedious calculations by hand. I also ordered past year pp.exe's ....they will give a price break for quantity (hundreds). I use Microsoft Access database, but only use a subset of the data. I save a matrix similar to what Ray2000 does with his Excel program. At the end of the year I'll test the 10,000 races in my db for best factors.

PP's consist of 8 dbf file...which is DBase (IBM). These 8 files would
have to be imported into your database as 1 record. (track/date) That a lot of data for a desktop. Think Access can handle 2 billion records... but it can get slow.

I'm sure the gang who sells pp's are doing this activity. Did you ever look
at the cal-expo pp's? ... as many as 20 race lines! They might take on your
project of determining the validity of situations you posted on the BLOG.

[DeanT]

Thanks OV!

So you have been grinding away? Would you think it would be worth it to buy some datafiles? I dont have a ton of time, but if I could get the comma delimted files in some sort of access, or visual basic thingy I would try. Do you find it shows you what you need, or is it too static to help?

[Ray2000]

Hey guys

I've thought about buying harness data files in bulk, (never actually priced them) mainly for the convenience of having 'times' and 'call lengths' fields in decimal form and not in min:sec or ancient DOS text drawing symbols and also I wouldn't have to remove duplicate lines when pulling data from pp.exe files.

But the need to maintain separate Driver/Trainer performance files and the lack of parimutuel results, (only post time odds are in the comma delimited files) has always stopped me from using them.

Might as well use the pp.exe files, cumbersome but more informative on Driver/Trainer data.

I'm basing this on their sample data files, maybe things have changed since I last looked.

Here is TMasters field descriptions for their comma delimited files.

http://www.trackmaster.com/harness/info/chtcomma.txt

[wilderness]

I would suggest some caution, at least in regards to a collective effort involving files from paid for and downloaded from a single account.

Read both Trackmasters and the USTA's User Agreements.
Even though Trackmaster dispenses the data (harness racing) in a vareity of formats, the data remains the property of the United States Trotting Association.

Purchase of downloadable files does not entail propietary rights to the copyrighted data. In fact quite the opposite. Passing a file (s) on to another (even for free) is a violation of User Agreement and could/would result in litigation.

Organizing a joint or commercial effort in an otherwise publicly available forum (i. e., Pace Advantage), merely attracts public attention to possible User Agreement violations concerning the data.

[DeanT]

So if I am reading this right (apologies if not) the best course of action is to get a whole whack of PP.exe files and load them into access? I think I would want place and show prices, so the delimited ones might not do the job.

[Ray2000]

I can only comment on the parimutuel results for place, show, and exotics. None of these numbers are in Trackmaster files, either their comma delimited format or the pp.exe format.*

However, since the USTA is now including mutuels in their charts (since 10/1/08), maybe this data will show up TrackMaster data files sooner or later. Check with them before you buy. (The Canadian charts have always carried the mutuels) Interesting enough, their thoroughbred data files do have mutuels but the All-breeds format doesn't recognize the Standardbred as a breed.:rolleyes:

Archived mutuel results for most tracks are available at other sites.

Another option is to focus on the Big M. Their charts include mutuels and are free at their site.

Other tracks may have similar data at their web site.

To get pp.exe files into Access would require some knowledge of data base handling but would give you more info on Driver, Trainer, Sires, Dams, Post bias.

Good luck

*that I'm aware of, but as I mentioned, I've never actually used them, just looking at their free samples.:)

[Tom]

It's amazing just how far behind the times harness racing is.
Compared to the T Breds, they are back in the horse and buggy days.....uh, never mind.

[DeanT]

Thanks Ray.

Tom, you got that right. You'd think giving bettors race results in a drf or xrd file to grow their own database and bet the sport is akin to splitting an atom.

[Overcall]

"Would you think it would be worth it to buy some datafiles?"

I used to handicap on Platinum Plus print-outs Each race took 40 minutes
to do all the calculations.... ugh Now I can do a whole card in 5 minutes.
I ordered pp.exe's of the hundreds of manually handicapped Platinum Plus programs.
In your case, it sounds like you've witnessed an occurrence that may happen frequently.
You now want to know ROI of this event. If you haven't recorded when and where that
happened, buying a bunch of pp.exe's could be just a shot in the dark.
With respect to using Access and VB, it works for me. With VB, like Ray2000, you
can stuff the 8 dbf's into arrays. Then with the basic language, you can perform any
calculations you can dream of. I use Access at work. Got a bunch of requests to transfer
data between the Office suite (Excel to Access, Word to Access etc), which Microsoft
calls Office Automation (plenty of help files)... So it seemed logical to export my result
matrix to a database. Now you can run reports, who the fastest horse in North America
tonight, see trends etc.

"Do you find it shows you what you need, or is it too static to help?"

I'd never bet without it. There's a lot of results I'm proud of and a lot leave me scratching
my head. I like to double up on stakes races, as you can eliminate the question: Is he gunna
go tonight?

btw the comment of Trackmaster file usage is a given...they can't be passed about

[Overcall]

I might be missing the point. Are we talking about trackmaster result files or Race files (pp.exe). If you mean race programs, you crunch the numbers with VB, C++ etc. Your results are saved to a database for reports, regression etc. If you're buying results only, they too could be stuffed in a db too. This will take a lot of time if your new to Access or VB.

[Overcall]

I'm not a Tbred player. It always amazes me as how infrequent the run. Fewer datapoints, as a HH runs 20 or more times a year. And those several distance events. Glad harness is 99.9% run at 1mile. The few odd distance races kill my
program.

[wilderness]

btw the comment of Trackmaster file usage is a given...they can't be passed about

Nor may the compliation of any secondary dataset that was derived from those primary files as a source for the secondary dataset.

These are issues that have been clarified through previous litigation.

[Overcall]

Speaking of TM.....FYI


This Friday & Saturday we are offering a FREE preview of our new reports to give you a chance to check them out and let us know what you do or don't like about them. We look forward to hearing what you think! Please email your comments and suggestions to feedback@trackmaster.com (feedback@trackmaster.com)

Click here (http://www.trackmaster.com/cgi-bin/axprodlist.cgi?tfp) to go to the FREE preview page or copy and paste this address: http://www.trackmaster.com/cgi-bin/axprodlist.cgi?tfp

[DeanT]

Those are quite good. Does TM give ROI's for their various ratings? I figure they would be too scared to, but maybe I am mistaken.

[Ray2000]

TM says in their information web page:
http://www.trackmaster.com/harness/info/ratings.htm (near the bottom)

That they provide historic results for power ratings for individual tracks.

I think this is in their free 'Plus software' for use with p.exe type files but I've never been able to get this software to run on any of my computers (XP or Vista), so I can't be sure.

and frankly I haven't tried that hard since I prefer my own speed ratings.

Perhaps someone else has experience with this, I'd be curious also.

[mrroyboy]

I don't like trackmaster"s ratings either. How do you do your ratings?

[DeanT]

I think this is in their free 'Plus software' for use with p.exe type files but I've never been able to get this software to run on any of my computers (XP or Vista), so I can't be sure.


Me neither. I think we in harness racing need a Commodore 64 to run data.

[Ray2000]

DeanT: LOL I might have one in the attic:D


mrroyboy:

For each PP line that shows no breaks or interference I use the this formula:

Horse's actual race time in seconds (116.8)
minus... 0.6 x number of wide marks in the line (º)
minus... (Track Variance ÷ 10)
minus... modpost ÷ 5 (modpost is starting post unless trailing, 1st trailer is modpost 1.5, 2nd trailer is 2.5)
plus... an adjustment for who drove (.6 to 2.0) time is adjusted up for good driver and down for poor driver
plus... (120 minus my track speed rating constant)



The track speed constant that I use can be found here..http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46006