TIOGA DOWNS... Pen or the Micro-Chip

[willphorse]

Some of you had a great weekend at Tioga

I will be joining you next week! Was taking notes this week and creating myself a nice little "Track Model".

If some of you keep hitting like this, we may see some nice ROI's from this site!

[JFGHarness]

I forgot Race 5 when I put the info in. Sorry

[JFGHarness]

Had over 15,000 people Saturday night at Tioga Downs. It was a fabulous night. My picks did ok also. So all in all a good night. I will be the guest Handicapper Next Saturday Night(John) at Tioga Downs So watch me Live!


Have a great week.

[traynor]

I understand that tracking all the various possible wagers is a pain. Have you arrived at some standard strategy so that comparisons are of apples and oranges? For example, what counts and what doesn't?

If three selections are provided for each race, I assume the top choice is the win position, and the second and third are place position for exactas, or in sequence for trifectas? That is, trifectas only count if the picks are in correct order A==>B==>C? Or are box exacta and box trifecta wagers allowed? Also, is there a facility to calculate reverse exactas (second to first)?

All of this is going to become increasingly important as the meet progresses, because different entrants have different wagering strategies, and keeping track of them all can be a chore.

Specifically, if the implementation strategy is specific for each entrant, in each race, or even for each racing card, monitoring and comparing results is going to be very, very time consuming, and involve a LOT of calculations by hand.

[willphorse]

Traynor,

I am not speaking for Ray, but will explain my understanding of it. For 1, it does help his math. This is a fun contest and it would be very wrong for Ray to have to do all the different calculations for every persons specific wagers.

2nd is in my opinion "Boxing" wagers diminishes handicapping ability. A person able to spend $4 a race, and make consistent profits A on top of BC shows true handicapping superiority.

That is my personal understanding of the issue. if incorrect, can somebody please explain lol.

[JFGHarness]

should have been this for saturday night

r1-197
r2-375
r3-514
r4-1679

r6-682
r7-3421
r8-175
r9-142
r10-9451

[DeanT]

Originally Posted by JFGHarness

Had over 15,000 people Saturday night at Tioga Downs. It was a fabulous night. My picks did ok also. So all in all a good night. I will be the guest Handicapper Next Saturday Night(John) at Tioga Downs So watch me Live!


Have a great week.

Cool!!!! Good luck.

[Ray2000]

Sorry traynor, I accidentally left you out of the standings.

	 
Contest Standings as of May 3, 2010	 
 
Race		 Win	Win	Win	Win	Exacta	Exacta	Exacta
Summary		 Bets	Hits	Return	ROI	Bets	Return	ROI
 
tone3		 10	5	$47.90	140%	20	$156.40	291%
Mirror Image	 23	5	$73.20	59%	0	$0.00	-
tamaharbor	 23	6	$69.60	51%	45	$152.50	69%
TM Chatsworth	23	5	$69.50	51%	45	$162.90	81%
Mel		 23	7	$62.10	35%	46	$196.00	113%
Morning Line	 23	8	$57.30	25%	46	$109.50	19%
traynor		 21	6	$44.10	5%	42	$88.60	5%
Beaucap		 13	4	$21.70	-17%	26	$17.40	-67%
JFGHarness	 9	2	$14.00	-22%	17	$0.00	-100%
Bobby Z		 23	6	$32.00	-30%	46	$8.10	-91%
Augie16		 13	2	$11.00	-58%	26	$0.00	-100%
Rays Robot	 23	3	$16.10	-65%	45	$8.10	-91%
markgoldie	 10	2	$6.30	-69%	8	$0.00	-100%

I may have to go to posting the data as an image. (non members won't see it but I can't figure out how to preserve spacing inside HTML code

[The Tioga Team]

First, thanks to all who have shown interest in the Tioga races, particularly those taking the time to play the contest and specifically Ray, Mel & Bobby.

It was a great opening day, maybe 10-12,000 people passed through the doors and a good crowd stayed for the live. Handle was pretty much on par with 2009. Sunday's handle was $151,000 all sources, again on par with 2009. The distraction in KY and day-after-swoon considered...OK numbers.

Now...let me try to address the ABC system and our reason for implementing it this season, my opinions. First difference between now and then, almost no trainers drive their own horses anymore. The catch drivers are not gonna sit on one for three or four weeks, with very rare exceptions, not enough of a factor to dissuade us. Then, the pools at our tracks would not support trainers making up the difference by that avenue, again 97% of the time. I am convinced the incidence of class management racing is no more prevalant with the ABC than it is in the NW races. And...if I see a guy that I feel has raced in a fashion that he feels will keep him in a class (late charge to just miss) if the horse merits it he goes up just like the winner.

Then, the racing biz is far more mobile than it used to be. So, we have horses in and out every week (particularly Tioga, where the races are comprised of 70-75% ship-ins each week) and their last five starts swing with the purses offered where they have been racing. We get the horses that are getting beat up at Pocono and Yonkers and are looking for relief, then some MR, BR & STGA shippers to go with our locals. More often than not, a horse coming from YR or PCD that's down to, say NW 2500 L5 will choke a BR/MR/TD/VD horse that meets the same money class. We can now place the horses where they face their own ilk, in our opinion.

Another issue we always face is a shortage of pacing mares. Both places, it has been a struggle to fill mare races for the past few years. To get a race filled, we would have to manipulate conditions to the point that it often looked like we're writing a specific horse into a race...usually it was done just to get enough to go. At Vernon (where I am working this summer) we have four pacing mare classification races this Thursday, more than there has been for a long time.

So far as the favor to shippers and trainers that help you fill a class, I tend to protect the locals more than romance the shippers, personally, and it is difficult to keep a guy in a class that he feels is too high for the horse, and a lot of times they are right. And the dilemma on when to drop and exchanges is a difficult proposition. But...I've been doing this for 10 years and those same situations exist with money classes too...they always have and always will.

It's been my experience that the guys with fairly large stables and years of experience know their horses capabilities...the horse is gonna race 30 times in a year, he's gonna win 6-7-8 races, he's gonna make $45k, he's gonna be in good spots 10X, he's gonna be in 4 or 5 great spots and he's gonna be in deep the same number. That's just how it goes...the smart ones know that.

Yeah, it puts the onus squarely on the race office, and believe me, I could certainly live without the scrutiny. But...I think it can work better than $$$ classes and we are willing to try and judge the results.

That's my story...

[LottaKash]

Originally Posted by The Tioga Team

Yeah, it puts the onus squarely on the race office, and believe me, I could certainly live without the scrutiny. But...I think it can work better than $$$ classes and we are willing to try and judge the results.

That's my story...

Fair enough "Tioga"....A very nice explanation of what the thinking is these days, up there on 17....I will be watching with renewed enthusiasm this year...

I wish you a smashing success this season....You guys have done a good thing with the lowering of the take, and I hope, in time, that the people will catch on, and learn that by getting a better shake at the races, their money will go a lot further....

I hope to get some of "that kash" too...

best,

[Pacingguy]

Originally Posted by The Tioga Team

It was a great opening day, maybe 10-12,000 people passed through the doors and a good crowd stayed for the live. Handle was pretty much on par with 2009. Sunday's handle was $151,000 all sources, again on par with 2009. The distraction in KY and day-after-swoon considered...OK numbers.

Do you have more or less simulcasting outlets this year?

[Not4Love]

Did Tioga have to go up against the Derby last year for opening night? Like what you guys are trying to do.

[DeanT]

Update on the contest et al, at the blog.

http://blog.horseplayersassociation....agination.html

[LottaKash]

Originally Posted by DeanT

Update on the contest et al, at the blog.

http://blog.horseplayersassociation....agination.html

Hey Dean, good, good ,good....

best,

[mirror Image]

Looks like a good weekend of racing at Tioga.
13 races on Friday, 12 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday .