BRIS Premium PP's

[karlskorner]

Now that BRIS's Premium PP's have been reduced to $1.00 has anybody been using them ?

I browsed through their library explaing the Premium PP's and they have done some interesting things.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Karl

[smf]

Karl,

Are you sure you're not thinking of the 'Ultimate' pp's? The 'premium' pp's have always been a buck.

If you're using drf now, the premium's may be a step up, imho. I don't have anything against DRF's pp's, but if you're a pace player, the bris pace figs should be a nice help. If you're a trainer player, the additional workouts shown are a huge plus. If you're a turf player, the bris speed figs are much more accurate.

If you play only one track, you may want to check out the Ultimate pp's. The "race ratings", and "class ratings" are awfully good for judging a mid-level claimer's ability.

If you go the "silver club" route w/ bris, it's $30 a month. That pretty much covers one track per month.

[karlskorner]

SMF

It looks like your right. I have been using BRIS's DRF Data files (single) and downloading them, for the past 2 years or so. For some reason I thought the Premiums were $3.00.at one time, never really checked it out.

There certainly is more info on the Premium than the BRIS DRF Data files, for what it's worth. What I like about the DRF Data file, is you can choose what race you want to print out, how many lines etc. Tried the condensed version for the past several weeks, but that is a little too drastic.

Thanks for your reply.

Karl

[KyRacer]

Karl,

I believe that the BRIS's DRF Data files (single) and the Premium PP's now contain the same information. The BRIS's DRF Data files (single) file format was updated in January and contains Bris Prime Power and pedigree ratings among other information.

I assume you are using the Bris PP Generator to print out the pp's. Be sure to have the latest update or you might not be see the new information. I like to use the MutiCap data file (cost $2 for silver club members) but also includes the Bris Race and Class Ratings for each pace line plus the printouts you get from MutiCaps, but with the Ultimate PP's only $1.50, I have been using them more lately because of the summary and added comments and better trainer/jockey information.

Karl, do you use any other software with the BRIS's DRF Data files?

[gambler844]

I have the email address of the man who wrote the software for Multicaps. He is very interested in comments. I found a problem with it and he was going to fix it. If you would like his email address, let me know and I will give it to you.
Good Luck
ed

[karlskorner]

KyRacer:

The only change I can find in Premium PP's is that they added Prime Power (don't see Pedigree ratings) I have noted that the #2 horse seems to do much better than #1 in Prime Power.

I had a problem last week when printing PP's, I was getting a message (can't verify files), e-mailed BRIS and they recomended upgrading Adobe 4.0 to 4.0.5, it seems to have solved the problem.

The only software I use is a program I worte on a Commodore 64 back in 1985, a friend converted it to PC and at that time we added the program from the back of Charles Carroll's 1991 book (Handicapping Speed), which gives me an independent rating on final speed, mine is a pace program. I have to enter manually.

Now comes the blashpemous part to fellow handicappers, I don't know from variants, speed ratings, track profiles, modeling, data bases, bias and all the other methods that others use. I rely heavily on my charts, PP's and "key races". "Keep it Simple" has kept me and my family afloat for 17 years.

Karl

[MikeH]

I have seen a fair amount of confusion over BRIS's "Premium" vs. "Ultimate" PP's.

A lot of it has to do with BRIS's extensive product line. BRIS makes both products available in several formats in Acrobat "PDF" files. (They have the "Ultimate," "Ultimate with Summary," "Quick Plays," etc. etc. etc...)

The alternative to the PDF files is to use their PP Generator program, and download the "Software Data files" instead of the PDF files. I personally think that this is the much better way to go. First of all, the Software data files are much smaller and download much quicker, and you have the ability to scratch horses. You also can select, at print time, to print 3, 6 or ten races back, but you still have all ten on your computer, so you can always reload PP Generator and look at someting that you didn't print out.

However, the real power of PP Generator is when you use it in tandem with a software analysis program like Multicaps, Allways, HTRF or any of the other programs that read BRIS's data files. Because the software uses the same figures that are in front of you in the PP's, you can SEE where the numbers are coming from, and get a real good sense of the quality of the data in the reports.

I'm surprised that Handicappers Data Warehouse and/or HTR/Ken Massa don't write something like this for their products. In my opinion, it is the most powerful combination in handicapping.

[Dave Schwartz]

Karl,

Are you saying that you have supported your family for 17 years from wagering on horse races?

If so, my hat is off to you. And I would be interested in hearing whatever you have to say.

[karlskorner]

Dave Schwartz;

I sold my business in 1980 and for 5 years sat with the people who wrote the tout sheets such as The Owl, Green Sheet, Clocker Lawton (who by the way just about controlled the tote board at Aqu & Bel back during the 60's}, the people who hand clocked for the Sheets and later for Thoroughgraph. They all had winners, but for different races. I kept asking myself how is it possible that we are all reading the same information and yet not coming up with the same races ?There had to be a common thread, the obvious, everybody had, 1st or 2nd on their sheets. Each had a different method. Andy who published "The Owl" use to go out on the track and measure the mositure content, others clocked from the gate rather than the light, others added together the SR/VAR from the DRF. There has to be a common thread. I finally decided it was the Pace. Call it momentum, velocity or what ever, in one form or another pace was the basis for their calculations.

I put aside variants, speed ratings, direction of the wind, pars and all the other numerous factors that various handicappers use and concentrated on pace. Along the way I became best of friends if Mike Fiori who published "How to beat the horses" back in the early 70's, this was before Beyer and all the rest, I truely believe Beyer got most of his ideas from Fiori's book. We concentrated on pace, day and night. Maybe it's peculiar to S.Florida, as I have never played another track, but I don't believe there is such a thing as a variant, maybe because of our weather the track does not change as in other areas. I bought a Commodore 64 and had a terrible time putting the program together, but after many changes it worked. That onl;y thing that was added as a seperate factor was the program from the back of Charles Carroll's book "Speed Handicapping". Since then he mas made many changes, non for the better as fas I am concerned, originally he did not have variants or speed ratings. We have e-mailed back and forth and he is beginning to wonder. I am inclined to believe programmers try to put too many factors into their programs so that they can say I have 76 factors and ALLWAYS has only 73. or what ever. As I said in my earlier post, keep it simple.

[smf]

Karl,

Just to echo what Dave said; Congratulations, and continued success to you!

[JimL]

Karl, I am curious do you use the pace charts provided in the Fiore book? How is he doing?

[karlskorner]

JimL;

Mke Fiori has been dead at least 10 years, was a retired High School math teacher, he was well into his 80's. No I did not use his charts.

Interesting side note, the original title of his book was "How to win at the races" (something close to that) when he went to DRF to advertise, they would not accept the title and he had to change all the covers. Fortunately his son was in the printing business, (if you have his book the cover was embossed, so it became quite expensive).

DRF advertising rates were "killers" and when it was all over he made less than $300.00.

Karl

[JimL]

Karl, I want to thank you for the reply. I find his book useful even today. It is sad that he only made 300.