Quote:
Originally Posted by reckless
hi David:
Your record keeping per the post pertains to your betting--wagers, results, ROI, etc.
Do you do any handicapping record keeping as well? Do you keep records on the different tracks you may play? Distances? Class? General modeling?
If you do some sort of modeling, what do you model? And, if so, does your shorter term models (10-20 races, 10-20 days) consistently coincide or reflect with any longer term record keeping?
Thanks.
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Hello Reckless,
I used to use
Bettor Keep Track which handled all of the record keeping nicely. The only problem was the DOS manual entry. And let's face it, the program is not very user friendly. Still, it's the best I've seen.
For the past few years I've used a spreadsheet which is more or less a copy of what Richie and Bill V. created.
I only model one track at a time. Typically that's NYRA except during the winter when I model Gulfstream Park -- my home away from home.
In terms of the model I only keep track of the last seven races, sometimes five if there's a lot of activity. For example, 6F on a dirt track where they run that distance daily. I toss the old races. Keeping them serves no purpose other than to mislead you. "What happened yesterday is more important than the sum total of last year." Database handicapping doesn't work, at least not for me. Been there, done that, lost more than enough money to make that a forgone conclusion. Case closed.
Years ago I would model with Dick Mitchell's programs. I found that breaking it down too much was counter productive. I no longer separate by age or sex or class except I make a distinction between Stakes and Non-Stakes races. No maidens. No off tracks. No races taken off the turf. No races where there was something obviously amiss, like a jockey falling off a horse.
With the exception of Median Energy I keep track by "1"s and "2"s. In other words I'm only interested in tracking the winner if he was first or second in that category. For example, if he wins and was third in FW he gets no credit for that in my model.
You can probably find Richie's Speculator model somewhere in the archives. Or maybe it was Bill's. Either one should do the trick. Or, maybe it was Energy. I forget.
Tip: don't make the mistake I did attempting to model several tracks. You'll lose interest, get tired of the whole process and eventually abandon it.
That's not to say you can't bet every track under the sun. I do. But I have the most confidence and increased bet size when I wager on the track I model.