My first RDSS handicapping sessions. Yikes!!

[Bill P]

OK, I've used RDSS for 4 races, let me pick your brains and see if I am reading my current handicapping situation correctly.

The first few sessions I had with RDSS were both at Santa Anita. Over two races this last weekend I was up nearly $100 using 2 win bets ($2 bet). I thought how hard can this be? Just plug the numbers in, pick a reasonable pace-line, and let RDSS do its magic. Easy as pie.

Well, after such a great weekend at the races I thought that I'd give weekday racing a shot. So, I download a Mountaineer race card plug the numbers in, pick a reasonable pace-line, and boom let RDSS do its magic like it did with Santa Anita. Badaboom Badabing. Yikes!!!! Every horse that was entered in a race seemed to be a Maiden 4 year old or a 4 year old plus $8,000 or less claimer. And it seemed they had all been laid off for over a year. Their pace lines were erratic, some had raced at 4.5 f in snow and then 2 weeks later raced 8 f on poly at a different track. I couldn't pick a winner if my life depended on it.

So tonight I though that maybe that was because Mountaineer just had an odd race schedule. I'll try Penn National tonight. At first it seemed to me that the pace lines were a little more consistent but I struck out again. O for the evening. Tonight I was also very careful to make sure I chose similar distances and surfaces in the pace lines I chose. I came close in some races but it seemed that every long-shot on the card was running well or the chalk won by 7 lengths.

So, is this normal for the “Minor” tracks? Can I expect to seem the same tough pace-line selection options all of the time? Can one win consistently at these races?

My primary goal right now is to improve my ability to select good pace lines and to develop the discipline to pass on stinker races where either the field has me too confused or there's no apparent value in the race.

I am reading the archival materials e,g,. Follow Ups and the other manuals, and I know much of this will come with experience; however, your thoughts on this are much appreciated.

Bill