TIOGA DOWNS... Pen or the Micro-Chip
 

Tioga Downs starts their 2010 season May 1st with new Track Take Out REDUCTIONS :jump:
15% Win/Place/Show; 17% Exacta/Double and 21% for all other exotics

And to show our support and tell them... :ThmbUp: "WE LIKE IT" :ThmbUp: there's a fun little contest between computer picks and human 'cappers sponsored by HANA, that will be followed at Tioga's Web site. The picks by the 2 computer programs vs 2 human "paper and pen" cappers will posted in this thread for all the races this year along with daily ROI report updates.

To get as many people involved as possible we invite anyone (You will need PA membership to post) who would like to put up their own picks to play along. (Free to Enter No Fees) You can post your picks right here in this thread, and I will keep score. If we get enough people to play along (at least 6 more), and make picks for at least 80% of the races, then there will be a side-bar prize of a set of 20+ used Harness handicapping books going to the top finishing human 'capper. (More on this later).

To make things easier on an old man, please put your pick numbers for win, place and show, in that order, for each race on a separate line, and separate the picks with a dash (hyphen). Picks must be put up at least 1 hour before 1st race post time. If you pass a race, put in "pass" ....Some Examples...

r1 8-5-3
r2 pass
race 3 6-1-7 my best play of the day (if you want to add a short comment)
race#4..... 2-3-4
race 5------1-2-6
r6.......3-5-pass.......(if you have no pick 3)
and so forth

You will have one line for each race on the card, please show the date if picks are not for the date of posting.

Scoring will be based on a hypothetical $2 bet on First Choice to Win and the ROI on Win Wagers will the basis for determining the Contest Winner.
Scoring will also show the Year-to-Date ROI for 2$ Exacta Wagers Pick 1 on top of Pick 2 and Pick 3.

Late Scratches will be counted as a race played (with refund), no subs

The Computer Selectors are

SulkyPicker ...a program that I've been using for my picks here at PA and
Chatsworth Consortium ...a TrackMaster Selection Program.

The Pen and Paper 'cappers are

Mel and
Bobby Z


More information will be available at HANA's site soon.

http://blog.horseplayersassociation.org/

and at Tioga Race Track Web site

http://www.tiogadowns.com/


USTA Tioga Track Fact Sheet

http://racing.ustrotting.com/tracksi.../2010/tgdn.pdf


Good Luck to All and let's show them...... "WE LIKE IT" ......with our hard earned $$$$$!

Ray, a way cool idea....I like it....Especially your little "side-bar" contest, NICE !!!...

Question tho, I would like to submit a pick or two or three, but do you have to do all the races ?....Hey Ray, you know me, I just can't pick-em all...

Good Luck Ray and Mel.....I'll be rootin for ya !!! :jump: :jump: :jump:

best,

Thanks Johnny

Pretty much need to do at least 8 or 9 races a day (80% allows 2 passes) to stay eligible for the box of Goodies.
Your running ROIs will still be available.

Hey, make picks in 4 or 5 and let your granddaughter do the rest. or are you afraid she'll beat you.:D

Release is out here with some further information:

http://www.paceadvantage.com/forum/s...592#post883592

It's on the blog too. Thanks to Mike at Pace for donating cold hard cash for the retired standardbreds!

Edit - I guess it is easier to reproduce it here.



What's Mightier, the Pen or the Micro-Chip? Contest and Handicapping Tools Announced for Tioga Meet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


(April, 28, 2010 - Charlottesville, VA) - In March, Tioga Downs, a harness track in Nichols, New York, announced they were offering decreased takeout on all bets for their meet, which opens May 1st. To show support for the track, who has been listening to their customers, HANA would like to announce the "Pen and Micro-Chip Challenge".

Each raceday, picks for Tioga will be given out from four handicappers. Two are computer programs, or data crunchers, and two will be from talented 'pen and paper' handicappers. At the end of the series we will tabulate the results, and declare a winner. A donation, supplied by HANA and Mike at Paceadvantage.com, will be made to the Standardbred Adoption Society of the winners choice.

The protagonists for the challenge:

In the micro-chip division we have Ray. Ray is a 67 year old retired chemist and self-taught computer programmer, living in Clarion, Pa. His interest in Standardbreds began in the 70's leading to part ownership of some trotters racing at The Meadows in the '80s. He laughingly claims to hold a perfect attendance award at the track from 1985-1991. Ray's home-grown handicapping program has shown positive ROI for several years, and he was recently featured in Trot Magazine's Horseplayer Edition.

Also representing the computers, Trackmaster (and the United States Trotting Association) has graciously donated the services of the "Chatsworth Consortium". These picks regularly sell for $10 per card, but they will be available free via the pick board, for the meet.

In the human category, we have assembled two handicappers with a wealth of knowledge. "Bobby Z", 55, started working at the Meadows Racetrack near Pittsburgh in the early 1970's. He was hooked, and has been since. Bobby also worked as an online race analyst for several tip sheets.

"There has been some off time the last two years and I actually thought I was done with it, but Tioga Downs' dropping of the takeout rates has brought me back online for the summer." he said.

Our final human handicapper is Mel. Mel is 64, from the Philadelphia area and has been playing for over 40 years.

"I started out with harness at the old Liberty Bell Park and Brandywine Raceway and was there for so many live racing days I cannot remember."

Mel mainly plays online, and is a dedicated and frequent poster to the picks section of Paceadvantage.com.

The challengers will be posting their picks in the harness racing section of Paceadvatage.com, and Tioga Downs is working on their handicapping website to post the picks there as well. If any thoroughbred players would like to lend a hand by betting into a harness track that is listening to them, now is your chance. These picks should give a good indoctrination into the harness game, from seasoned veterans, and excellent software.

HANA would like to thank both Tioga Downs for working with us, and the handicappers who are taking the time to support the track" said HANA President Jeff Platt. "We would like to give a special thank you to Trackmaster, for donating picks from a product that are normally part of their standard product line."

We will have continuing updates on our blog, and a side contest, with prizes, will be occurring on Paceadvantage.com in the harness section for any players who want to join in.

We wish Tioga Downs and everyone who supports them good luck and good racing.

To contact us at HANA, please email us at info @ hanaweb.org.

The Horseplayers Association of North America is a grassroots group of horseplayers, not affiliated with any organization, who are not pleased with the direction the game has taken. HANA believes that both tracks and horseman groups have become bogged down with industry infighting and have completely forgotten something: The importance of the customer. HANA hopes, through proactive change on several key issues (including but not limited to), open signal access, lower effective takeouts, wagering integrity, affordable data and customer appreciation, the industry’s handle losses can be reversed. HANA is currently made up of over 1500 horseplayers (both harness and thoroughbred) from almost all states and Canadian provinces. It currently represents over $70,000,000 of yearly racing handle.

Our web address is http://www.horseplayersassociation.org and interested horseplayers can sign up there for free. We are horseplayers, just like you and we are trying to make a difference. We need, appreciate, and ask humbly for your support.

Thank you!
 

Thank you Tioga Downs and H.A.N.A.! I will begin in earnest studying the harness races with the intention of supporting the Tioga track!
I have mostly been advocating for reducing racehorse injuries and for ways to increase handle by more general public interest in racing. But I have very recently been comvinced that lowering the takeout wherever and whenever possible is a very necessary part of racing moving forward. The variation in takeout rates from track to track or state to state points this up.
Calling the part of any gaming wagering not returned to the bettors "takeout", racing has to do more than other forms of gaming to get the attention of new bettors. And with this economy as it stands today, every effort must be made to get new "fans" and keep current ones by lowering takeout, in the end increasing handle and helping everyong in racing financially.

Thx Ray...

And I am afraid....She,(my grandaughter), scored a $72.00 goodie the other day, so her ROI put her in front for the time being...It will be a grind, but I'll get that little 7yo filly...Just you wait and see...:jump:

best,

Sweeten the Pot
 

Ray for our little "side bar" contest I'll put up $100.00 cash money to the winner. For the "side bar" maybe we can lower the requirement to 6 races at least per card. This will get more people like LK I think. If you think that 8 races min are needed however I'm cool with that also. Now if someone has a Cheryl Ladd poster to make as a side bar prize I'll work doubly hard to win. :)

Planning my first trip to Tioga with my dad in early June, so all of this news is very good news indeed.:jump:

mel

I'm fine with that, 6 race per day minimum picks.
The goal is to bring in as much interest and support as possible for

a Track that's listening to it's customers.

How about...
Winner of Win wagers ROI gets his choice, Harness Books or C-Note. (I'll list the books soon)
Winner of Exacta wagers ROI gets the other?

Contest hasn't started yet so rules can still be finalized.

Tioga 2010
 

Not that I needed it but I actually feel younger as in the days I first started learning about the races in the early 70's. I can feel the excitement building for the opening of Tioga Downs. Who would of thought of this happening in 2010 last year? Not I.

I look forward to a great meet for all involved. We are given a chance to change the industry and all we need do is to wager some of our money at Tioga. By doing so, I hope the rest of the industry will no longer take the fans for granted.

Let the games begin.
rtd (bobby z)

Sheesh, Ray and the guys are getting some press.

Do you think they will remember us little people after this? :)

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/not...icro-chip.html

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=80145

A good start...
 

...is key in the game and Dean has us off to a great one. Lots of notice and interest. We appreciate your interest and efforts here at PA and are making some changes to our website to help nudge things along. Hopefully (fingers crossed) we'll have a page dedicated to "Handicapping" soon that will contain pertinent info and follow the contest. Give us a week or so and then check it out here... http://www.tiogadowns.com/index.htm

The first card was drawn today and we had a really good response, full fields for the most part and interesting races. http://www.tiogadowns.com/Supporting...urdayentry.htm

The existing site has a link to Trackmaster (thanks for your support in the contest, David) for programs. Saturday's will be available tomorrow and the Sunday program available on Friday.

Your comments and observations are welcome.

Nick

Pompano North
 

If other stables from Ppk move up to Tioga like Bruce Ranger's, it will be an awesome meet. Will be interesting to see how many will be shipping later in the meet if this thing takes off. Stall space will be at a premium!
thanks again.
rtd (bobby z)

Great Idea Ray! I'm def in if this gets going!

Botster, you will def have to look me up when you're in town! I will buy you a drink or buy you dinner... or something :ThmbUp:

That goes for anybody that makes the trip to Tioga this summer! :jump:

First card looks good with 10 races 8-9 horses per race (With the exception of 1 race with 7). We starting the selections this weekend?

Yes, willphorse.... Picks will start this Saturday.


For the PA play along 'cappers, and the side-bar prizes, we'll set the minimum number of races that must be played to 400 (out of expected 600+ races this year). That means you can miss a few days and/or pass on 3 or 4 races per day and still be eligible to win these books or mel's wallet.:)

Racetrack Betting The Professors' Guide to Strategies.....Asch and Quandt.....1968.....Hardbound
Stanley's Law.....Al Stanley and Sam Dragich.....1980.....
Harness Racing Winning Secrets.....Jack Rubin.....1985.....
Beating the Races with a Computer.....Steven Brecher.....1980.....
The Bettor's Guide to Harness Racing.....Ronald Roblin PhD.....1979.....Hardbound
Beat Your Betting Rivals Vol 1 and 2.....Wally Rottkamp.....1970.....
The Complete Book of Harness Racing.....Phillip Pines.....1978.....
Horse Sense .....Burton Fabrican.....1965.....
Success at the Harness Races.....Barry Meadow.....1977.....Hardbound
Picking Winners A Horseplayer's Guide.....Andrew Beyer.....1975.....Hardbound
The Science of Winning.....Burton Fabrican.....1979.....Horses and Stock Market Analysis
The Bettor's Guide to Harness Racing.....Steve Chapman.....1977.....Hardbound
The Horseplayers Guide to Picking winners.....Bernard Gould.....1977.....
Winning at the Harness Races.....Nick Cammaano.....1976.....
Ainslies Complete Guide to Harness Racing.....Tom Ainslies.....1970.....Hardbound
The Tote Board is Alive and Well.....Milt Gaines.....1981.....
Scientific Handicapping.....Cohen and Stephens.....1963.....
Beating the Harness Races.....Aaron Berstein.....1978.....
The Racing Maxims of Pittsburg Phil.....George Smith.....1908?.....
Ainslies Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing.....Tom Ainslies.....1968.....Hardbound
Winning at the Races.....Dr. William Quirin.....1979.....Hardbound

The last place finisher will receive.:)
Professional BlackJack.....Stanford Wong.....1981.....Hardbound


Good Luck to ALL

Ray---I bet your favorite title among those listed is "Beating the Races with a Computer". :) Well Bobby Z and I are NOT having any of that. I have us listed as the strong morning line chalk to defeat you computer geeks. :D Of course what I know about computers is, you hit the button to startup, type in your account number and password, then "select track" and hit the submit button. :D

I think your layout of "rules" in quite fair. It's not like Tioga is racing six days a week and causing hardship for people to play along. Hope we can get at least five or six at the min. Pretty sure LottaKash and his "team" will play along. Wiilphorse lives right near Tioga so he will be in. I think tone3 is another who lives up that way. Opening card has quite a few trot races so I am already to consult with my Vegas "Trotting Maven" one Mr Toemaster.

Do you need to always pick three horses per race?

For the purpose of the side-play along here at PA the answer is you don't have to pick three. I can understand why good cappers would sometimes want to play win and straight exacta or no win just the exactas or just win. The standings are based on ROI after all.


However for scoring only $2 bets will be used, no $4 straight exacta. AND you still have to meet the minimum number of win bets (400) and the minimum number of exacta bets (800), so be sure to place enough bets during the run to cover that requirement.


It would help if you want to place a Straight Exacta or Exacta wheel but no Win bet that you submit it using a forward slash as the separator... like..... 5/12 or just 5/2 ....... 5-1-2 will get you a win and ex wheel.

If this is confusing then you'll have to indicate in some way how it's to be made.


Hope you join in tamaharbor, ..........(man this contest could get tough)

It's interesting to handicap this, as an observer. Ray's software is excellent. Mel and his combo of fig and pen and paper capping has given out some good winners since I have been watching. Bob Z has been at this for years.

Tough call on a morning line!

I think if we get ten or more cappers for the side contest, I will take the field. The lurkers are always sneaky good :)

Opening Night Picks for HANA-TIOGA DOWNS Contest
 

Saturday May 1st

Races:

1. 9,1,3
2. 5,3,8
3. 6,5,3
4. 1,3,6
5. 5,4,2
6. 8,3,4
7. 3,5,9
8. 1,7,4
9. 4,6,3
10. 9,1,8

Please note that there are 10 cent superfectas in races 4,7 and 10. Also interesting is that Tioga offers 50 cent trifecta wagers.

Bobby Z
(aka RaceTrackDaddy)

Hey RaceTrackDaddy, I didn't know you were "Bobby Z" of this forum....Good Luck in your contest....Too ! :jump: :jump: :jump:

best,

Sounds like you want only one horse on top in any exacta play. Am I right about that?

For example, an exacta play such as 57/23457 would not be acceptable. That would a $16 punch at a base of $2. Too much trouble to tabulate??

Mark

That's right, I could see doing something like that for any future contest but right now I have the spreadsheet set up for Pic1 2 and 3 and passes. If everything goes as planned the sheet will fetch the results, hilite the scratches and tabulate the standings but handling the scratches is still manual labor and I don't know what to expect on the number of players.

Hope to see your Picks, the new class system at Tioga should make for some very competitive races.

All right, here we go, bring on those organic wizards :)

Tioga Downs
Saturday May 1st ... Post time 6:50 .....(1:30 post on Sunday)

Race 1... 9-1-7 ...Major Work Of Art-8/5
Race 2... 8-5-3 ...Pembroke Chip-9/2
Race 3... 5-4-2 ...Trevor Win For Us-5/2
Race 4... 1-6-3 ...Southwind Maize-7/2
Race 5... 6-5-7 ...Virtual Escape-5/1
Race 6... 6-8-3 ...Mystic Splendor-9/2
Race 7... 3-5-2 ...Double D Fine-4/1
Race 8... 1-7-4 ...Harmony Oaks Rengo-7/2
Race 9... 1-3-2 ...Broadway Score-9/2
Race 10.. 1-9-5 ...Carolyn's Mikey-4/1

Had to smack the computer a few times to make it play Races 1, 3, 5 and 10, but I 'learned' it. :)

GL

Tioga Downs
Saturday May 1st ... Post time 6:50 ....

Race 1... 1-9-6
Race 2... 5-7-1
Race 3... 1-2-5
Race 4... 6-1-7
Race 5... 6-7-2
Race 6... 7-8-3
Race 7... 5-2-1
Race 8... 2-1-7
Race 9... 4-2-3
Race 10.. 5-9-2

Harness Eye
 

Derick is featuring Tioga this Saturday and then every Sunday throughout the meet. Here's a link to his analysisisis...

http://media.live.harnesslink.com/files/f1272572066.pdf

If that fails (as it did for me) go here

http://harnesscharts.com/

then click on "Meadowlands & Yonkers Analysis on the left.

RTD = Bobby Z
 

Thank you LottaKash...more would of recalled me if I kept on posting after the Little Brown Jug but the real life demands took me away from my utopia.

I am back!
bob

Glad you're back RTD/BZ....For good, or is it a "wham-bam thank you ma'am" ?...:cool:

best,

I never say never
 

As for back for good,,,,who knows what the future may bring but as for now, will be here through the Jug and might become a lurker again..lol

I never was one of those love and leave 'em types,,,,,always loved my 2nd's and 3rd helpin's..lol

RTD/bz

Bobby, in a previous post, in this thread, you mentioned that you had recently came out of "Utopia", so i will ask you this, when you are not positng and just lurking, what or where is "Utopia" for you ?

best,

The track will be fast, the weather clear and warm. Let's get this party started.

Tioga
Day 1

R1 9-7-1
R2 7-6-3
R3 3-4-6
R4 1-6-9
R5 2-5-4
R6 8-5-3
R7 3-9-5
R8 7-1-4
R9 4-1-2
R10 6-9-8

Programs for Opening Weekend...
 

...just in case.

Day 2 Picks (bobby z)
 

Just loaded my picks up on my site. No use waiting as I will not change them.

HANA-Tioga Pen v Chip contest
Day 2

Selections:

1. 2,6,3
2. 2,8,3
3. 7,6,3
4. 6,2,4
5. 5,6,4
6. 5,3,8
7. 2,1,5
8. 1,4,5
9. 9,7,3
10. 3,5,9
11. 1,3,4
12. 1,9,5
13. 4,2,6

Bobby Z
(rtd)

Utopia
 

LottaKash:
My Utopia is harness racing per se but it also include the greyhounds and flats. I had a trial date of Dec 1st and Dec 2nd that I had to prepare for. Financially and mentally tough process.

My neighbor built a two car garage that was 11 feet onto my property. That was back in May of 2002 I came down with Leukemia in January of the same year. We filed the lawsuit back in 2004 and it finally made it to court late last year.

The bad thing is that we had not a jury but a judge and HE STILL HAS NOT DECIDED the case and this is the beginning of May. Been tough but I am ready to leave the real world problems and concentrate on picking winners online again.

LETS GO PENS!
bobby z
(rtd)

Alright RTD, thx for the catch-up....Now back to business...You have your work cut out for you...Tioga is a tricky place....I'll bet that you will be up to the task, and maybe you will beat them all....

G.L. to you and the other good guys who will be doing the "Pickin"...

best,

LottaKash
 

What we need are some opening morning line odds for the contestants and the people who come here to post by voting for their favorites as if it their vote was their money....could keep it going all week prior to Saturday and restart the clock after the last day's card...sounds like a lot of work though..and I do not like work...LOL

My support for Tioga will be small win bets.

R1 1
R2 7
R3 6
R4 1
R5 6
R6 8
R7 3
R8 1
R9 7
R10 1


Good Luck to all

A "question" for the Tioga-Team....???
 

I have a question for the Tioga Team.....

After getting deeper into the 1st Day's program for the "opener" on Sat 5/1, I just noticed that Tioga is now using the "A-B-C classifying system" for classifying and carding certain races that are not Claimers or NW's of 1/2/3 races.....

So the question is: Who gets to decided where the horse gets to be placed in those ABC conditions.?....

My first encounters in Harness-Racing, back in the mid-60's, were at the tracks of Yonkers, Roosevelt and Monticello raceways.....Back then they used the very same, I suppose, rating system for the horses that are now featured at Tioga....Back then it was up to the "Racing-Secretary" to make the determination of the classifications, and it was "He", that decided what horse would race in what class....Now back then, they didn't have the additional luxury of a NW's category, but they did have claimers, so you would either run your horse in a claimer, or else go where the Race Secretary told you to go which would be A, B or C, with a subset of 1, 2, or 3 in each letter of class....

So, without jumping the gun here, I must say tho, "I never did" like that way of classifying a horse....It gives the "RC" too much power in the "handicapping process", and for me, I don't care much for for that process...I am not trying to be arrogant about this, but I don't care for anyone meddling in a thing that is "working for me", and this classification system, is just that, meddling....It gives the "RC" too much power over where a horse should be placed...It is a judgement call on his part (the RC), it has been been my observation and experience, that when a "third-party" has entered into the picture of "classifying a horse", well that becomes very "subjective" to me......

Not to point any fingers or insinuate anything of a sort about any of this, but way back when, I was a Harness-Groom for a time, and all I can say about that is, I heard things, about this and that and the classifications and about certain trainers....One can use his imagination on that score.....but "teacher's pet" and "scratch my back", come to my mind...

I belive that the ABC way of classifying a horse might make it much simpler, and easier for the novice and inexperienced fan/bettor to better get a handle on what a horse may be perceived as being better/higher by using the ABC guidleines, but for me, it takes some play out of my "Trainer's-Angle" book of tricks, and to succeed in this game for the long haul, we must have some tricks to use to have any chance at all.......ABC classifying, takes away a bunch of those tricks, imo....

Hey I am an old guy, who has had his brains beat out of him over and over throughout my handicapping life.... And so as with the "old-dog and a new trick", I am the same I suppose, change is hard for this old guy, as with ABC racing, I have been there and done that, and I never liked it much....It took me too long to get here, and cost me a "Lottakash" to pay for my education, so I would rather fight than switch....

I will watch and see where all of this goes.....Because of the lower quality of the horses at Tioga, perhaps in the long run, this may be just what the Doctor ordered, I don't know....

Still, "kudos" to Tioga Downs for their brave and inspiring stance on lowering the "takeout", when mostly, other tracks, in and of themselves, are the victims of their own unwaivering mindset, and I believe that they are "lost in a space-time warp" of some sort, at least when it comes to fixing the current sluggish and ailing horse race betting system that now exists..... They seem to be clueless....

So, I am rooting for you Tioga...and despite my feelings on ABC racing, I will not hesitate to make my play, when I think I have a "Loophole" or two going for me at your nice raceway

best,

Tamaharbor Saturday May 1 Seelctions

1. 1,6,7
2. 3,1,5
3. 4,5,2
4. 4,6,3
5. 2,5,7
6, 2,5,8
7. 5,4,2
8. 5,4,6
9. 1,4,5
10. 4,1,2

Selections for 5/1
 

First, an unsolicited word on ABC racing: It stinks. The A-B-C class system was used in metro NY racing for years, but for reasons which became obvious way back in the day, it is a system that rewards failure and dishonest racing. For example, if you have a horse that is only moderately competitive in a given class, what possible incentive do you have by racing the animal on it's toes only to gain minor checks and remain in the same spot week after week? Answer: none. Much better to stiff the animal a couple of starts so you can drop down to a lower class where you may win. Additionally, since the horse is showing worse-than-necessary lines, why not bet a little when you hit the right class? This wagering angle helps mitigate against any lost purses you may have suffered during the "stiffing" period. And so, in short order, you have horses going "hot" and "cold" on a regular basis.

Furthermore, the system gives far too much power to the race secretary. For example, when a horse comes into the track from another venue, where does the race secretary put the horse? Were the race secretary an expert handicapper with back data on the results of shippers from different venues, we might get the proper initial classification. But in reality, the RS has other concerns. For ex., maybe he wants to encourage trainers to bring more animals to his track (don't they all in this environment??). So what does he do? He puts shippers in "soft" so as to encourage more shippers. Closely related is the "favor" mentality that arises. Ex., the RS needs a horse to fill an event. So he coaxes a trainer to enter a horse where the animal may not be competitive. In return, you can bet your bottom dollar that same trainer wants a favor in return for the favor he is granting. So the RS drops a couple of marginal animals for him in class as a repayment. You see the environment that is developing. The politics of this nonsense is immense. Then there is the dilemma of when and how the RS decides it's time to drop a horse. Consider this: when a class is over-subscribed with entries, it's almost a given that the RS will drop horses out of it to a less-subscribed class so he can maintain field balance and an equal opportunity to race. But if your horse is racing in an under-subscribed class, the animal will practically have to die on the racetrack to get dropped out. Furthermore, he will be subjected to an inordinate amount of class droppers from the class above him. Great situation to be in!! :bang:

Now that I have rained on the party so to speak, let me say that there are ways to handicap this mish-mosh. (1) Assume that open claimers are being raced honestly. (2) Assume that A-B-C races may not be. Therefore, keep close records on trainers who's horses suddenly "wake up" when dropped. Note the drivers who seem to be "live" in all situations, as well as those not opposed to taking a marginal horses back and never leaving the pylons.

Trackmaster users are cautioned to evaluate the validity of numbers from other tracks. In order of preference (strength), they are:

(1) Meadowlands
(2) Yonkers
(3) Meadows (especially strong in trotters)
(4) Pocono Downs
(5) Vernon (especially good when the horse is a closer)
(6) Monticello
(7) Freehold
(8) Saratoga
(9) Buffalo

Selections for opening card:

R1: 9 and 9/67
R2: 7
R3: 1 and 1/25
R4: 1
R5: 6 and 6/78
R6: 8
R7: 3 and 3/59
R8: 7
R9: 4
R10: 9

Note: I was writing this and did not have the benefit of reading Kash's pertinent remarks on the subject of ABC racing. But he seems to be on the money. :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp: