Second best to HTR?

[jackad]

What software would you consider second best to HTR?
Do you use it to backup or confirm your picks made with HTR?

Jack

[Glen]

Jack, I don't use another program now but when I first started w/ HTR I used BRIS PP heavily and slowly migrated from mixing BRIS PP/HTR to just HTR now. To confirm a pick today, I might mix in several of the HTR programs to verify selection. HTR has about 12 to 15 programs/screens to make selections.

[Carl]

Jackad,

First welcome and appreciate the post.

Think it is a good question, one of those types where the asking of the question itself is probably of more value than a definitive answer. I'll give a personal answer though.

I came to HTR from paper and pencil handicapping, doing essentially trainer spot plays. I liked Thorograph's trainer stats, so that is what I had been using for the most part.

I had always been interested in "who would get the lead today" type handicapping also, but was never any good at it. When I first read Quirin and read that you could get over a $1.50 return for every $1.00 bet if you just had the horse in front early, I knew then that was what I wanted.

But as a paper and pencil handicapper I could never figure it out too well. Was a 22.1 first quarter at 6F at Philly faster than a 22.4 first quarter at 5F at Pim? Didn't know (and still don't hehe.)

But I do know that HTR ranks all first quarters for me several different ways, and I find I can get a horse at a price in front at least half the time by selecting good races for me to play.

Don't know if this really answers your question. If I had to put it in one sentence I guess I would say first best and/or second best program for you depends on how you like to handicap and if a program does what YOU want it to do FOR YOU.

later,
Carl

[MikeDee]

I don't know that your question really can be answered. The first requirement of a program for me is. Can you use the information in a way that fits your handicapping. HTR does that for me.

One way to look at it is that PP's are data HTR takes data and turns it into information from which you can make selections. It doesn't really give you selections. If it did then I guess you could compare the HTR computer selections with the selections made by another program to see which computer program made the better selections, but that not what HTR does.

Hope this helps

[tomcat]

If you like to handicap using trainers and JKYs, look at yesterday's AP 6th race. The iTrn#, the 24% for both TJ and sire %, and 1-2 trainer and Jky rank is too much temptation to resist. I can't beleive they let the odds go that high.
BTW...if you haven't guessed I use TLC (blush). I'd rather be lucky than good.
Good luck

Thanks Ken.:)

[Shadow]

jackad, a friend of mine uses another software program, and when I see him at the track, we do compare HTR picks, and his picks from Always software. They both have the same horse on top usually. I used to use the Always program, but I have found HTR to be the best of the two. Hope this helps answer your question

[Donnie]

Let's put a little different spin on this question:

If Ken said, "We need to condense the program down to only 2 screens", which 2 would you vote for?

My choices: Trainer Stats and Prat (Prat needs some minor adjustments)

(When you sit down and think about this question, the answer is REALLY tough to come up with!!)

[Bernie]

Donnie,

What kinds of adjustments are desireable for PRAT?

I'm also new to HTR. I just spent a week reading all the past newsletters and (believe it or not) most of the past message board postings. I also downloaded the past race files and have started analyzing the data. I had to take some aspirin and lie down! What an incredible amount of info here. I was also very impressed with the helpfulness and openness of so many HTR users.

I've been away from racing for awhile, but used to be very active and have worked with Dbs. I look forward to being involved here in the future. At this point I would like to add, based on my limited experience with HTR, but having tested out many other methodologies, that IMO the second best thing to HTR may be an Ouija board - if it's been given a proper track profile :)

Up to my eyeballs in HTR for weeks/months to come,

Bernie

[hurrikane]

Hey Bernie, jackad...welcome. good question. I think Bernie has it though...Quija board. Actually, I think Ken has one of those in one of the screens somewhere. :D

[Donnie]

Welcome to the both of you as well!

Bernie- I use the Prat <2> screen...I think a few items could be swapped out with more pertinent info..such as remove the weight factor, include a pace number such as that off the pp's and maybe include some trainer stat info. It is a great help to me to "see" the cycle of the horse, but with additional info on the page, would understand the nuances of performance better. I had one put together and was gonna have Ken write the program for me, but then the home life went to pot and racing took the back burner. Gonna look back into it, but I know Ken is really busy with 2001...don't want to slow down that progress! It is looking REAL good!

(is this board still one of the best kept secrets on the Net??)