Quote:
Originally Posted by acorn54
i have to agree with thaskalos on this one. i used dr z in the 80,s, even then much of the time i found myself having to guess the final show-place pools. the author also mentioned in the book, if late money makes finding a few +ev opportunities, then take a hiatus until some one, or two weeks later. i also looked at the progression of money growth in the book. For about 1/2 the time it was in the red.(there is a graph showing this in the book)
anyway i bought it for 20 bucks in the eighties and sold it on ebay a few years ago for 65 bucks. probably the easiest profit i ever made from horseracing!
|
I have had good results using the Dr. Z system for the past 25 years. I still use it. For handicappers new to the game it is a good introduction to one area of horse race betting -- seeing the horse racing market as a financial market like the stock market.
Clearly, "Beat The Racetrack" is not for everyone. Some people raved about "Handicapping Magic" by Mike Pizzola. I never found anything useful in it. I liked his idea of fulcrum pace, but that idea appeared in Sartin's "Pace Makes the Race". After having read Quinn, Quirin, Beyer, Ziemba, Mitchell, Sartin, Brohammer, Cramer, and Bradshaw, I didn't find anything revolutionary in "Handicapping Magic".
On the other hand, I think Fotias' book "Blinkers Off" is incredible and revolutionary. However, I don't think it works as well on other people's speed figures as it did on his. Like I said earlier, his concept of Turf Decline Line (R) is impossible to apply using Beyer speed figures.
Fotias' figures were velocity based figures -- a hybrid of Sartin and Beyer.
Applying Fotias' concepts to Craig's figures might work sometimes, for example, but given that Craig's are made using a fundamentally different methodology it is a dubious proposition.
However, maybe you can take Fotias' ideas and expand them or tweak them to fit Craig's figures? You might find some interesting angles. Ideally, you'd have a database of past speed figures on which you can test Fotias' concepts. Fotias developed his concepts by researching his extensive database of figures.
I guess the point is, you have to find what works for you. If you're new to handicapping or have never read "Beat The Racetrack" it is work $25 or $30 to buy it. I've always said that one good idea is worth $50. You can find dozens of ideas in "BTR". That makes it a bargain.