Any one really playing Del Mar ????

[Igeteven]

I normally play on Saturday, but I have passed for the last 2 weeks due to the track conditions from fast to slow, etc, etc, etc.


The track is next to the ocean, due to the moisture from the water, these create a nightmare for the player to handicap this Mickey Mouse Track.


Anyone else quit, gone some where else. I personally quit California tracks. They got my last dollar out of me.

Anyone else has any comments.

[dansan]

mostly play everything but cal tracks unless i see a spot play and i 'm from cal

[horseraceguy101]

I actually prefer cali tracks. Although i don't care for Santa anita, and oaktree which is basically the same thing. I still don't really get that. Hollywood park is my favorite cali track. But I do like the meadowlands harness, and northfield. As nothfield is my home track.

[so.cal.fan]

I only play Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Del Mar and Fairplex.
It's probably not the most optimal circuit, but I know it well.
I try not to focus much on the "track bias". I just try to find the best class horse in today's race, whatever that may be.....if I can bet against the favorite......and like another horse, I play.
Getting about 2 bets a day.....holding my own, although hardly making a "corporate" salary! :D

[Dan H]

... twice live and today at a simulcast. For each visit, I put about a hundred dollars through the windows and got less than that back. I don't want to make a living off handicapping Del Mar (or any other track for that matter). I don't object to the All-Weather-Surface and agree with the trainers (Miller and O'neill) when they call it "fair." I suppose winning jockeys, trainers, and handicapper consider any surface fair as long as they're winning on it. I cheer when my horse wins, and cringe when a horse/jockey goes down, yet I will reserve judgement on the safety of poly until science says it's un-safe.

For the growing number of ex-California handicappers who protest the surface with their patronage, I respect your choice, after all, it's your money. But, it still must bother those who've shunned the poly that someone out there (not me) has an edge that you don't. Someone has adapted their system, their software, their art, their science to win money at Del Mar. Someone is going there this year that didn't go last year (attendance is up). Someone is putting dollars through the windows that didn't last year (handle is up). And someone is seeing a race on poly different than you do.

So, if the intent of the original poster was to gain momentum in the anti-poly arguement, count me out. I will probably play Del Mar about three more times this meet.

[WinterTriangle]

Dunno. I'm doing great at Delmar.

And real bad at Saratoga, which is weird, since I love dirt tracks.

[DanG]

The first year of the surface switch [2007] I was slaughtered and from my perspective it had the feel of a roulette wheel (or maybe even a crapshoot :) ). I was slaughtered every year (before and after) at Keenland, so I thought non-turf Del Mar was gone forever.

Since then it’s been very playable imo with this year by far the easiest track profile to read. Of course nothing applies to everyone equally; so the player who felt comfortable year one may not like the current winning model and vice a versa.

For the record I wrote more bias notes at this year’s spring dirt Belmont then I’ve written for the last several years of Del Mar combined. Again; all very subjective and that's separating a basic track model from daily fluctuations.

[racingplanet]

As an experienced UK handicapper we have been betting on artificial surfaces for over 20 years now. We have Polytrack at 3 tracks, but due to the different configuration of each track it is difficult to generalise on how the surface rides.

We have 1 flat left handed oval track (Wolverhampton), and for 8f races which is one circuit you definitely want to be drawn low. The ideal profile would be a stalking horse drawn 3-5 with a jockey savvy enough to get the horse settled and to leave enough in the tank for a sprint finish. In sprint races (1 turn) the bias is not so pronounced, but if you could choose you would pick stalls 3-5.

If you were being totally professional you would handicap first 2 races on each day without betting and then make an assessment on how the track was riding. The speed varies due to weather and harrowing, particularly in UK Winter where they can be racing just above freezing and the track gets harrowed very deep meaning slow times and favouring closers. If the track gets wet it speeds up as it becomes a bit firmer, the oposite when its very warm and dry. I think the micro biases are a very powerful tool for the handicapper, and after 2 races you can get a good feel for the type of horse you need to be playing that day. If the market agrees with you then play small, but when you feel that the bias has been overlooked by the betting public then be prepared for a serious wager.

I havent seen much of Del Mar mainly as they dont start racing until 10pm UK time, but the general principles of Polytrack handicapping apply anywhere. Rather than looking for a bias that you can apply to the track as a whole you should be looking for micro biases on each individual day and even over specific distances.

[statepierback]

I've played the races twice this year and the track is as fair as its been since Polytrack began. However I still do not have confidence in my handicapping over this surface to wager any real money. I find the races are interesting to watch and learn, the gambling aspect for me is nil compared to seasons past.

[so.cal.fan]

According to trainer Ron Ellis and others, Del Mar suface is different as night and day to Hollywood Park. I do suspect that's true, I avoid trying to compare races there. I'll go back to Santa Anita surface, which is also different.
It's too confusing for me to ponder this down to a science, so I sort of generally consider it, but not too much.
I'm not going to argue the value or lack of- the synthetic surfaces offer.
I don't believe they are "safer" the statistics just haven't proven that to be true. Horses are still getting injured, and they probably would even if they were running on cotton balls.
The only thing I know for sure about Del Mar is that the morning workouts are always done on a faster surface than the afternoon races. Del Mar has unique weather. It's cool and damp early mornings, gets very sunny and warm around 11 am, then slowly cools in the afternoon.
I've been following Del Mar for over 40 years, and it's ALWAYS been this way.
Dirt or synthetic. Lots of theories, tides, etc, who knows? It just has always been that way.

[kitts]

Last year I made a profit at HOL, AP and DMR. Guess I like synthetics. This year profitable HOL and AP but not DMR yet.

[GMB@BP]

Nope, dont play del mar...hard to believe three season ago on dirt I bet about 18k....they dont need my money anyways.

[positive4th]

I'm playing it, have played it live twice so far, will probably be there 2 more times this meet.............I don't know, I more or less accept the fact that its a weird beast, and focus more on the fact that very mediocre favorites are getting WAYYYY Overbet several times per card, so you can find other value pretty much based on that............so far I've gotten $2.17 for every $2.00 put in, which has been just enough to make it kind of fun (nobody's gettin rich here) when I've gone.