Rip Van Winkle Here

[On Spec]

It's been 25+ years since I last went to the track. Then, a few weeks ago, I went back and . . . well, this ain't my Grampa's game any more. It was a big shock in many ways -- for example, I knew about simulcasting because I still read about racing from time to time, but was unprepared for how different this made a trip to the track.

Still, I want to learn more about what has changed and how to play the ponies once again, but fear that the game is far too different for me to enjoy.

So, while my nostalgia for playing nine a day at Santa Anita back in the '80s is still fresh -- what changes have taken place in the last 25 years that I should know about to be a knowledgeable player? and where can I get most quickly up to speed on these changes? websites, books, blogs, etc.?

I know this is a ridiculously open ended question and you may not know where to start -- but if you can help someone who wants to play this game again before it goes away (and my goodness, it's depressing to read about racing's future), I'd appreciate your responses.

[GameTheory]

Did you have a particular methodology you used back then? Was it successful?

[nijinski]

That title woke me up . I thought for a minute the horse RVP was coming
out of retirement and letting PA know first .
Guess you missed his career though.
Well welcome back to the races . There are some very good handicappers here whom I believe can help you.
There are alot of changes , and new faces on the track , but there are a few things that never change.
There is a handicapping section that you might want to check out as well .
Good luck !!!

[nijinski]

Couldn't edit , meant RVW!

[DSB]

One thing that hasn't changed is the takeout rates.

If memory serves me correctly, most W.P,S takes are around 17% and havent budged in 40 years.

Most gimmick bets are at least 20% - 25%, much as you probably remember.

Still a hard game to beat, given how the pools are cut, for sure...

Good luck

[RaceBookJoe]

If i had to give you 3 changes it would be this :

1. How the money is bet. Lots of late minute simulcast money now. I have found that toteboard reading got a little tougher.
2. More turf and synthetic track racing.
3. Huge amount of information access now. The computer/internet
has made a big change in the info area.

Welcome back to the world of horseracing...pick 1 topic at a time and do a search here. There are some really sharp minds on this site, i have learned some really useful things and those ideas have helped me tweak my game to the next level. rbj

[PhantomOnTour]

Horses don't run as often as they did 25yrs ago. The top horses may run about 5-6 times a year if you're lucky.

[Tom]

A good read for you might be Davidowitz's new book ( you will probably recognize a couple of chapters from last time you played! :D)

But a lot of changes in the game are covered enough to get you back up to date. Class is going to be your big surprise!

[Tom]

But a lot of changes in the game are covered enough to get you back up to date. Class is going to be your big surprise!

Wow - must be PAIHL timing in effect! :eek:

I was going to add, the new optional claimers can be really confusing, but offer good opportunities is you read the conditions and look for horse who may have and edge not readily apparent.

[PaceAdvantage]

Wow - must be PAIHL timing in effect! :eek:Exactly...you're good... :lol:

[Valuist]

That title woke me up . I thought for a minute the horse RVP was coming
out of retirement and letting PA know first .
Guess you missed his career though.
Well welcome back to the races . There are some very good handicappers here whom I believe can help you.
There are alot of changes , and new faces on the track , but there are a few things that never change.
There is a handicapping section that you might want to check out as well .
Good luck !!!

LOL. I was thinking the same thing. My next thought would be, where would he turn up? In some bizarre starter race at Turfway going 1 1/2 miles?

[thaskalos]

It's been 25+ years since I last went to the track. Then, a few weeks ago, I went back and . . . well, this ain't my Grampa's game any more. It was a big shock in many ways -- for example, I knew about simulcasting because I still read about racing from time to time, but was unprepared for how different this made a trip to the track.

Still, I want to learn more about what has changed and how to play the ponies once again, but fear that the game is far too different for me to enjoy.

So, while my nostalgia for playing nine a day at Santa Anita back in the '80s is still fresh -- what changes have taken place in the last 25 years that I should know about to be a knowledgeable player? and where can I get most quickly up to speed on these changes? websites, books, blogs, etc.?

I know this is a ridiculously open ended question and you may not know where to start -- but if you can help someone who wants to play this game again before it goes away (and my goodness, it's depressing to read about racing's future), I'd appreciate your responses.My best advice to you would be to become a specialist in the type of races that you feel most comfortable betting on...and to forget about the rest.

With all these races coming our way every day, you can specialize in your favorite races...and still get all the action that you can handle.

[JustRalph]

you are playing against computers and guys with tons of data at their disposal now. If you don't work for it.... there are no gimmies when everybody has the data

[On Spec]

Thanks for all the replies. You've given me a lot to consider.

I was sort of a Tom Ainslie fan back in the day -- Andy Beyer at the time was the upstart kid. But I sort of took away from Ainslie that there were a lot of approaches that could work, if you looked for the right opportunities and passed on the rest.

It looks like a lot of players are pretty heavy into the computerized database approach nowadays -- or did I just happen to stumble upon the one handicapping forum where they all hang out?

This simulcast thing is pretty fascinating, though -- and I'm sorry if I sound like a total rube. But even the idea of playing more than nine races a day is a little liberating. Maybe if I pick my spots, I could get something to go.

I was at Santa Anita today for the Sunshine Millions -- pretty nice crowd, more reminiscent of the track I remember than the nearly empty Santa Anita I visited earlier this month. But do people really bet serious money at the track anymore?

And I can't be the only one who doesn't know what "post time" means any more. Some tracks seem to be more casual than others, Gulfstream being the best example. It seemed most GP races today started three to four minutes after post time until the last race -- which started before post time even arrived! Maybe I'll get more used to watching the feed for clues to when to get my bet in (I try to get the latest odds I can) and this will seem like a dumb question, but I'm surprised how inconsistent tracks are about this. Are some tracks more consistent about this kind of thing, or does anyone but me care?

[Tom]

Spec, great thing about so many simulcast races going on is that you never have to bet a bad race. As soon you realized you have no edge or no insight into a race, skip it and move along to one you have a better feel for.

[Robert Goren]

One thing that hasn't changed is the takeout rates.

If memory serves me correctly, most W.P,S takes are around 17% and havent budged in 40 years.

Most gimmick bets are at least 20% - 25%, much as you probably remember.

Still a hard game to beat, given how the pools are cut, for sure...

Good luckI can't remember exactly when the takeout rates changed, but when I started in middle 60s they were 12-14% on everything.

[Exotic1]

My best advice to you would be to become a specialist in the type of races that you feel most comfortable betting on...and to forget about the rest.

With all these races coming our way every day, you can specialize in your favorite races...and still get all the action that you can handle.

and from Tom:

Spec, great thing about so many simulcast races going on is that you never have to bet a bad race. As soon you realized you have no edge or no insight into a race, skip it and move along to one you have a better feel for.

I'll try and take that advice, guys. Thanks.