Saving results charts and track bias notes

[CheckMark]

Hello everyone! Hope your Saturday was a winning one!

A question that I have wanted to ask for a long time is this:

I have been printing/saving the results charts (from DRF) in a binder from each day they have raced at Woodbine along with Track Bias Notes from Trackmaster so I can keep up with the trends each and every day

The main reason I have been keeping the results charts is that I could:
1) Use it for troubled trips or just to look back at the chart comments
2) Use for average times so I can create my own figures (not the easiest thing in the world)
3) To gather stats about post positions/jockey-trainers/owners
4) To gather info of the Trackmaster reports so I can keep track of the bias every day

The question is for the results charts and the track bias notes are will this help me down the road or is this a complete waste of time? I am also waiting for Saratoga too to start so I have a binder ready for it this season

Just wanted to get a few people's thoughts about this as I am always eager to try something new and always take on a challenge so if anyone has an answer they have for this please let me know down below

Thank you all and I hope to hear some good results

[Dave Schwartz]

This is one of those YMMD deals.
(Or YMMV - might be correct.)

As a SYSTEMS guy, I see this as a complete waste of time.

But I know it isn't in the hands of a craftsman. I am just not THAT craftsman.

But, if you have no knowledge of what to do with this then you'd be like me - floundering around with this like a bass on land.

Maybe I should have said flounder?

A tip: If you really want to do this then enlist someone's help to teach you. No clue who that would be.

BTW, I'd also see this as a monstrous job with little chance of reward but that's just me.


Good luck to you.

[Tom]

My 2 cents - look at the BRIS alternate charts that show the horses' running line. You get a clear picture of how each horse ran. EB has this as an insert in their charts.

[classhandicapper]

The question is for the results charts and the track bias notes are will this help me down the road or is this a complete waste of time? I am also waiting for Saratoga too to start so I have a binder ready for it this season

Bias notes can help, but it's a minefield.

What makes it worth it is that even very experienced handicappers get a LOT of days way wrong. So if you understand what most handicappers do wrong, you can find the occasional bet or bet against that won't take "wise guy" money.

[ranchwest]

Why not just look up the PDF charts on Equibase?

[CheckMark]

Originally Posted by Dave Schwartz

This is one of those YMMD deals.
(Or YMMV - might be correct.)

As a SYSTEMS guy, I see this as a complete waste of time.

But I know it isn't in the hands of a craftsman. I am just not THAT craftsman.

But, if you have no knowledge of what to do with this then you'd be like me - floundering around with this like a bass on land.

Maybe I should have said flounder?

A tip: If you really want to do this then enlist someone's help to teach you. No clue who that would be.

BTW, I'd also see this as a monstrous job with little chance of reward but that's just me.


Good luck to you.

Thanks for the input Dave

I think I should find someone to help me with this but who? Working with a 19 year old handicapper is like working with a younger child except without diapers!

Not saying it's bad just a few people on here if they were to help me would be way ahead of my years but I always love a challenge!

[CheckMark]

Originally Posted by Tom

My 2 cents - look at the BRIS alternate charts that show the horses' running line. You get a clear picture of how each horse ran. EB has this as an insert in their charts.

Smart idea! Thanks, Tom I will look at that

Originally Posted by classhandicapper

Bias notes can help, but it's a minefield.

What makes it worth it is that even very experienced handicappers get a LOT of days way wrong. So if you understand what most handicappers do wrong, you can find the occasional bet or bet against that won't take "wise guy" money.

True that is a good place to start for finding what handicappers do wrong and go from there Thanks!

Originally Posted by ranchwest

Why not just look up the PDF charts on Equibase?

I am a hard copy guy who likes the pages right in front of me vs looking at my computer for long periods of time but thanks anyways man

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by CheckMark

I am a hard copy guy who likes the pages right in front of me vs looking at my computer for long periods of time but thanks anyways man

I had a friend who was exactly the same. I tried to convince him his time could be better spent, but he chose the path of the Big Chief Tablet handicapper.

[CheckMark]

Originally Posted by ranchwest

I had a friend who was exactly the same. I tried to convince him his time could be better spent, but he chose the path of the Big Chief Tablet handicapper.

That could be an option to is buying an IPad Pro that has a good amount of GB on it so I can save the results charts

[Robert Fischer]

Originally Posted by CheckMark

I am a hard copy guy...

Can be a good way to get some opinions flowing.


Many different ways to play, but the one general thing I would connect to your approach is a 'watch list'.

[Delta Cone]

Use a cloud service. I download a PDF copy of the DRF to my Google Drive while using my laptop, but then I can instantly pick up my phone or iPad and access them from the Google Drive app. Nothing is stored locally on any machine.

Google Drive has a pretty large amount of space for free but you can add a whole lot more for a small annual fee.

Dropbox might be another service to investigate.

[classhandicapper]

Originally Posted by CheckMark

True that is a good place to start for finding what handicappers do wrong and go from there Thanks!

One thing I'm certain a lot of people are wrong about is assuming the track is uniform. Most horseplayers assume a gold/dead rail means the rail is the same way around the entire track. IMO, that's not the case.

There are days I'm close to certain it was extremely difficult to make a serious outside move on the turn. When discussing it with other people they'll point out all the horses that ran well outside in the stretch as if that means there was no bias on the turn either. Same thing with bad rails. But the turns are different. Then tend to be banked, water may drain differently etc..

I've even seen days where the turn looks normal but the rail was death in the stretch.

I've seen days where a couple of paths in the stretch looked much better than others (especially on sloppy tracks).

It's always difficult to figure out what's going on in the backstretch because coming out of the gate on the straight most of the horses will race well off the rail for awhile, but on the turns and in the stretch you often get a good enough sample of each to form a strong opinion.

If you go to the track, you may also pick up some insights into speed/closer biases by how often and heavily they are watering the track. I've seen days where speed was crushing early, the maintenance crew didn't water for long time, the next couple of races the flow was very closer favoring (for non pace reasons) and then they watered the track heavily before the feature race and it was a merry-go-round again. That kind of thing is very confusing unless you are paying really close attention.

[CheckMark]

Originally Posted by Robert Fischer

Can be a good way to get some opinions flowing.


Many different ways to play, but the one general thing I would connect to your approach is a 'watch list'.

I have actually started to do some for Grand River Raceway since I am actually there every night and I tabbed a horse who looked good the one week and I thought he would improve off his 3rd place finish and sure enough he won at like 5-1 but I was happy that happened

I will definitely try this out Robert thank you!

[CheckMark]

Originally Posted by Delta Cone

Use a cloud service. I download a PDF copy of the DRF to my Google Drive while using my laptop, but then I can instantly pick up my phone or iPad and access them from the Google Drive app. Nothing is stored locally on any machine.

Google Drive has a pretty large amount of space for free but you can add a whole lot more for a small annual fee.

Dropbox might be another service to investigate.

I think the free limit is 15 GB which is a lot imo actually since each file of charts (depending on how many races/pages etc) is around a few KB so there should be enough for a full meet maybe

Thank you for the tip!

[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by CheckMark

That could be an option to is buying an IPad Pro that has a good amount of GB on it so I can save the results charts

Not that kind of tablet. A Big Chief Tablet is an old school pad of paper. My friend was an analog kind of guy.