Beat the Beam - Joe Takach

[Michael]

Spent this past weekend cleaning and found my VHS copy of Joe Takach's "Beat the beam"

Does anyone have a VHS to DVD converter?

Looking to get this converted over to mp4 (I'm not even sure if it's worth it)

[geroge.burns99]

Originally Posted by Michael

Spent this past weekend cleaning and found my VHS copy of Joe Takach's "Beat the beam"

Does anyone have a VHS to DVD converter?

Looking to get this converted over to mp4 (I'm not even sure if it's worth it)

Don't bother....

Visual inspection suspect most of the time...

I've seen horses lather on neck or between legs and still won...

Save your money...

Mike

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by geroge.burns99

Don't bother....

Visual inspection suspect most of the time...

I've seen horses lather on neck or between legs and still won...

Save your money...

Mike

The two biggest dime supers I ever cashed were on maidens, based solely on visual inspection. One of the two races had only one horse that had run a race. There's a lot of benefit to knowing what to look for.

[geroge.burns99]

Originally Posted by ranchwest

The two biggest dime supers I ever cashed were on maidens, based solely on visual inspection. One of the two races had only one horse that had run a race. There's a lot of benefit to knowing what to look for.

Yes, Ranch it can and does happen....like even flipping a coin...

there's 2 things I took from it.....horse is on his toes thru out post parade and warm up and hope there no lather on neck and/or between legs..

But I prefer to concentrate on handicapping skills...

Mike

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by geroge.burns99

Yes, Ranch it can and does happen....like even flipping a coin...

there's 2 things I took from it.....horse is on his toes thru out post parade and warm up and hope there no lather on neck and/or between legs..

But I prefer to concentrate on handicapping skills...

Mike

It is taxing to maintain more than one area of expertise, but there's a lot more to physicality handicapping than just toes, warmup and lather.

And, it is a never-ending learning process. A quick example... one day I saw a horse with a slightly healed cut on his rump, about 4 inches long. I suspected the horse may have been cut in the gate and I decided to stay clear of him because he would have bad memories of the gate. After the race, I noticed the owners and asked. Sure enough, the horse was injured in a gate work. He didn't run worth a flip. And I was likely the only person who noticed.

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by geroge.burns99

Yes, Ranch it can and does happen....like even flipping a coin...

there's 2 things I took from it.....horse is on his toes thru out post parade and warm up and hope there no lather on neck and/or between legs..

But I prefer to concentrate on handicapping skills...

Mike

Some people are visually oriented, and this kind of handicapping works for them by adding to the tools in their toolbox. I have a friend at Oaklawn (a retired doctor) who does very well with his evaluations. When he lived up in Lexington area, he had learned the skills (and it is a skill) from a couple of people up that way.

But it's not for me, and it's not for everyone, that's for sure.

There's different kinds of "visual" available in the numbers handicapping world - Sheets patterns, OptixEQ plots, TimeFormUS pace visualizations - and those don't connect with everyone either.

We're all wired differently - makes for a fun game with so many ways to solve the puzzle.

[davew]

Originally Posted by ranchwest

The two biggest dime supers I ever cashed were on maidens, based solely on visual inspection. One of the two races had only one horse that had run a race. There's a lot of benefit to knowing what to look for.

My largest dime super casher also was because I included a very nice looking first time starter that did not have the pedigree or trainer to get bet in that race.

I have also passed on big favorites that I did not like the look of, that won anyway


If I remember this Takach tape correctly, it involved watching during post parade and warmup. It depends on the track and video video feed whether it can be used. If the horse is hidden behind the pony when they show it, not as much can be seen.

[geroge.burns99]

Originally Posted by davew

My largest dime super casher also was because I included a very nice looking first time starter that did not have the pedigree or trainer to get bet in that race.

I have also passed on big favorites that I did not like the look of, that won anyway


If I remember this Takach tape correctly, it involved watching during post parade and warmup. It depends on the track and video video feed whether it can be used. If the horse is hidden behind the pony when they show it, not as much can be seen.

Originally Posted by BarchCapper

Some people are visually oriented, and this kind of handicapping works for them by adding to the tools in their toolbox. I have a friend at Oaklawn (a retired doctor) who does very well with his evaluations. When he lived up in Lexington area, he had learned the skills (and it is a skill) from a couple of people up that way.

But it's not for me, and it's not for everyone, that's for sure.

There's different kinds of "visual" available in the numbers handicapping world - Sheets patterns, OptixEQ plots, TimeFormUS pace visualizations - and those don't connect with everyone either.

We're all wired differently - makes for a fun game with so many ways to solve the puzzle.

I think the key is that your watching "your contenders"

Say you have 2 or 3 you like.....watching for signs can make your decision ..

I remember giving up when I started betting every horse on "the muscle" and "prancing"

I tossed it after a few weeks...

[GaryG]

Is Joe still around? I met him once in the early 90s at a Quinn-Brohamer seminar at Del Mar.

[PaceAdvantage]

I lost touch with him many years ago

[castaway01]

Originally Posted by ranchwest

The two biggest dime supers I ever cashed were on maidens, based solely on visual inspection. One of the two races had only one horse that had run a race. There's a lot of benefit to knowing what to look for.

In my opinion, if you're actually good at this type of analysis, it's a huge advantage because fewer and fewer people can actually do it. I think you have to either grow up working with horses or have a natural feel for it, but some could learn it too. I think the best way to learn would be in person from someone who can do it, so you can see the horses that are "ready" and then how the race turns out. Since that's unrealistic, great paddock analysts like Maggie Wolfendale can help a lot.

So basically, I'm in total agreement with you.

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by davew

My largest dime super casher also was because I included a very nice looking first time starter that did not have the pedigree or trainer to get bet in that race.

I have also passed on big favorites that I did not like the look of, that won anyway


If I remember this Takach tape correctly, it involved watching during post parade and warmup. It depends on the track and video video feed whether it can be used. If the horse is hidden behind the pony when they show it, not as much can be seen.

To be fully immersed in physicality handicapping, you must be at the track. I knew a guy who was actually on the road so he could watch the horses live.

I live not far from Lone Star. While I have some misgivings about the track, it is a great place for visual inspection. The horses can be viewed coming from the barn, in the paddock and in the post parade. Coming from the barn is a great look and the important thing after that is to see if the horse's temperment changes once around a lot of people. Or, sometimes a horse just "lights up".

There is a benefit to a video view, but it is generally very inferior to a live look.

[geroge.burns99]

When people started using computers for horseracing in the mid 80's

It put a jolt back in the sport.....

For 20 years everything horse related was big.....

Including this Visual Inspection....

But like everything else , it got old....and cold

Then the whales came and the sport went to shit.....

IMO, this part of the game I warrant it a 2 out of 10.....

Mike


PS- think about it.....in this day and age of animal abuse ...

is the vet on the track gonna let a horse run if he sees something drastically wrong with him???

[Tom]

1. Yes
2. It's more than that, a horse may be walking short, looking listless, looking angry, looking eager....

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by Tom

1. Yes
2. It's more than that, a horse may be walking short, looking listless, looking angry, looking eager....

You get it.

And maybe the vet and everyone else hasn't seen the loose poop the horse just dropped. And there's a lot to see in a horse's walk including walking short. And, I get concerned when I see anything that I don't ordinarily see. And, the tail tells a story.

There's just a lot to see if you really look with a trained eye. And, I don't even figure that I am great at it. But I have learned a lot. I had a mentor. I have never been on the inside of racing, but I was still able to learn.