"How To Learn Trip Handicapping" by Paul Mellos DVD
 

Hi,



Anyone have a copy of this? I tried ordering from American Turf Club but they discovered they no longer had it after I ordered.


I've searched online and no one has it. Already have the Illman DVD about trip handicapping on the way but would love to acquire this one as well.


Thanks...

You might want to do an internet search for Greg Lawlor. He was the original producer and distributer. Year upon years ago Greg produced trainer stats for SoCal. Greg was from San Diego and last I heard he was still there. If my memory serves Greg would be in his early 80's now. Tossed that in as if you find a younger Greg Lawlor that is not who you want. Good luck. I posted to this forum a review of both Mellos and Beyer trip handicapping videos sometime in the past.

No luck.


Does anyone have this DVD or the Beyer one?



Can't find either...

JHK, in case you missed the other thread, I posted the URL there.

Body Language Training Academy


And, Dan Montilion, your name came up several times in my convo with Greg tonight.

So glad that JHK posted.

Dave... Glad to hear Greg is doing well. Ron Cox and him where friends and played many tournaments together. I have only spoken to Greg a couple of times. He was highly regarded by Ron and his trainer book back in the day was a huge edge at the time.

It has been a good deal of time since I last viewed the Mellos and Beyer trip tapes. Both covered the major trouble type of trip well. Beyer I felt showed the effect of bias better. Mellos tape did a great job in pointing out what the rider was doing with the horse. Mellos pointed out how a jock was sitting on a troubled horse coming out of the gate was a way to tell if there was self inflicted trouble or not. Mellos also had some ideas about catching horses in the back of the pack that were no go types getting a work within a race.

My bottom line... I was working on a trip note service with Ron Cox at the time I viewed these tapes, and frankly thought I was a damn good trip handicapper. Trips are to this day my best handicapping tool. Personally I learned nothing new from the Beyer tape. The Mellos tape taught my some new trip tools. In regards to Beyer, despite what I said about not learning anything new please don't consider that a negative. I have suggested to others that both of them in tandem are a fantastic learning tool.

And one side note. Mellos is not exactly Mr. Excitement. His narration style and voice pattern could be used as a sleeping aid.

Ugh... Did not know how to link this. Just one man's opinion, mine.

Yes, I remember him well.

Ron became a friend for the limited time I got to know him. Met him in 1991 at the Cal-Neva tournament (with Greg).

(I think I've told you that story privately.)

I actually met you through Ron.

There's an outside chance this is in my mom's attic as VHS but I wouldn't be keen to rummage through everything. The other problem is my copy must be 30 years old by now so I doubt it would play more than once at this point. Good video though. I had the Beyer video too which is also good if you can locate it. I don't think either were DVDs though, my recollection is they were VHS tapes. Maybe there was a DVD option but that's going way back, someone may have converted it.

Yes, there was a DVD:


https://www.americanturf.com/booksto...mid=97&secid=2

Over the years, I have found that the rank and file OVER- ESTIMATE the effect on any particular alteration in a race due to interference,

OR even worse the notion that SOMEHOW a bad trip race will somehow MIRACULOUSLY change to a good one next out..

How can random events be coordinated in this fashion??

Random events just appear that way at face value....They're not, as everything is coordinated to something else. You have to know what to look for first, while watching a replay of any event and hopefully from more than one angle or viewpoint....Intent matters.

Many years ago I used to talk to Paul Mellos a lot. We went over the NYRA card together many days. Sharp and interesting guy.

Having observed thousands and thousands of races, trip handicapping is now part of my DNA

As a photofinish camera tech, I watched 25 or so races a day live for over 12 years, and does not take into account the thousands more I watched daily on simulcast in between the races I photographed.

Being up with the studio input from the pan, upper pan, apex, front and back tower feeds, I got to see and valuate much more of races than the crowd ever saw.

Biggest "regular" days I remember were the Monday-Tuesday cards of 12-13 races at Turf Paradise back in the day. Where were they running 12+13=25 a day? Trying to remember a regular day/night track to no avail.

In my foray into trip handicapping, I started to see more and more that a horse with an "obvious" bad trip (i.e. block or steadied in the stretch) did not run the expected improved race in his next start, rather the improved effort came in the horses second start off the bad trip - usually at better odds. It reminded me of Ray Taulbot's beaten A or B angle, where the horse was given a conditioning race after showing early speed ( A angle) or improved finished (B angle) followed by the go for he win effort again usually at higher odds.

Has anyone else noticed the same thing?