Technology vs. Content

[Capper Al]

If you ever ran a website you quickly realize that content is king. I had a family website once and only wanted updates from the family. The family wanted the site but few photos or comments appeared. After a while, I closed out the site. Maybe many of you can better relate to today's movies. A lot of today's movies sizzle with action scenes made with the new technologies, but many of these fail from a lack a storyline. Similarly, many homegrown and commercial software products incorporate the latest technologies but lack the substance and understanding of many of the basic handicapping principles that the previous generation of handicappers had about the game.

The new technologies seemed to have improved the public hit rate by five percent or more than the previous generation. But not necessarily for everyone. Those that have an understanding of the game can use the new technology. Those that don't have an understanding of the game can't use the new technology. It still falls on the capper to find their way.

The only advice here is that when one reads something like 'Data Warehouse' or 'Database' in the software ad, ask something like what's in that data warehouse and how can I use it? It isn't click and win. This goes for many homegrown apps also. So you have built a database. What data are you storing? BRIS or DRF only? So what. Your database has to have your own created data in addition to the commercial. One isn't going to beat the public by using the public's data only. Or out pick BRIS and DRF using their data only.

[Capper Al]

I should added to the OP the following:

The three biggest areas that a capper must come to understand outside of technology are still some of the basic concepts:

• Form
• Class
• Trainer intent

With pace figs and speed figs etc.- technology rules(depending on the software).

[azeri98]

I always like to read the form along with my software and watch replays, some software does not incorporate a bad trip or if a horse had to check up and call mr a cynic if you watch certain races, mostly the claiming races you can see jockeys stiff rides and just send the horse out for a workout so the connections can get a better price on it next time to cash. What's worth more, winning a 10k claimer or cashing tickets on a horse that's good odds. I have seen it happen to many times where a horse runs 5th all the way around 2 races in a row, I call these "set up" races with the jock not doing much, then next time out he is 8-1or higher and wins with the jock actually riding the horse. There isn't a software out there that shows you trainers stiffing horses so they can get paid the next time out by betting their own horse, you have to watch and read the running lines in the form.

[cj]

I think the "hit rate" has been improved more by smaller field sizes and having races watered down to the point that many are easily handicapped in about 20 seconds than it has by any technological advances.

[Capper Al]

Originally Posted by cj

I think the "hit rate" has been improved more by smaller field sizes and having races watered down to the point that many are easily handicapped in about 20 seconds than it has by any technological advances.

Valid point.