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RACES MODULE

The Race Results database contains the information from which the predictions and all the other reports are derived.

Display Race Results (Main File)
There are 6 files containing race results. The Main File (or Current File) contains the latest 7500 race results in the database. The 5 Archive Files contain a maximum of a further 7500 earlier race results in each. This option allows you to display any of the results in the Main File. The 1st race displayed is the most recent race held in the database. Press PgUp, PgDn, Home, End, Ctrl PgUp, Ctrl PgDn to move through the races and find the race you wish displayed. PgUp and PgDn moves one race at a time, Home and End moves 100 races up or down and by pressing Ctrl and PgUp together or Ctrl and PgDn together moves up or down 10 races at a time. The times for each horse are approximate only and are calculated from the winning time and the margins from the winner.

Archive Files
Displays historic race results back to 1992. Each archive file contains over 7000 races. The files contain the Race Results between March 1992 and the date of the first result in the Main File. Each module (except Jockeys) contains an option to allow you to include the archive file when formulating statistics.

4 Race Fields (Predict Races)
This is probably the most important feature for punters as it is from here that you display the fields for upcoming races, make race predictions and undertake race analysis. There are 2 alternative displays for race fields. A more detailed display containing breeding and trainer information can be selected by pressing 2 - More Detail. Any horses you have in your black book will be highlighted within the field. To move through the fields one race at a time, use the PgUp and PgDn keys. The End and Home keys take you to the following or previous meeting (ie skip 10 races).
Race Field Options
D Delete the race.
C Change the Race Field data in the race. For example you may want to scratch some horses. Press C. Press TAB to get to the right hand panel. Use the arrow keys to move to a horse to be scratched and press the Del key. The whole row will be deleted. Press TAB when finished. Confirm correct Yes Or No. A simpler way of scratching a horse is to click on the horse name within the field display.
M Predict and Print whole meeting. Make sure you have your printer on. You can change the format and the amount of detail that is printed out by selecting Change Printout Layout from the Racebase Main Menu. See later in manual for more on this. Also make sure that you have selected your printer from Printer Options on the Racebase Main Menu.
H Predict and Print whole meeting for every User Defined Chart. The computer will predict Race 1 using the Racebase default settings, then using User Chart 1, then Chart 2 and so on and will then print the predictions for these charts. It will then repeat the process for races 2 to 10. This is a good way of analysing different user defined charts and finding the chart which performs the best. Read more about User Defined Charts later in the manual.
S Predict a whole meeting and display whole meeting prediction on the screen.
X Predict a whole meeting to the screen and print it to your printer, but with less detail than option M.
Y Similar to X but with even less detail. You can fit 3 meetings to a page.
P Predict single race and display race analysis. See next section of the manual for more on this. This option is similar to loading in the race from the RaceBase front screen.
T Input comments about the run of each horse. Any comments entered will be automatically transferred to the results database once the results for that race are downloaded.

Predicting a Single Race (The best analysis tool for punters - try this option first)
Either in Races Module : Display the race field and press P OR From the front main menu screen : Select the race and click one of the 3 options below the race display (Load Race)
When predicting a race, the computer will search through the 7500 races (and also the Archive File if selected) and look at the past performance of the horses in the race. It compares placings, track conditions, race classes, distances, margins, dates, jockey ratings etc and awards points to each horse. A summary screen of the prediction should appear. The horses are listed in the order of their rating. The top horse is the one with the highest rating.
Options from the Prediction Summary screen
Margins, Value, etc   Click on these buttons to repredict using a different method or chart.
Screen1/Screen2/Screen3 (1,2,3)   Prediction Summary screens containing alternative analysis information.
Head to Head (4)   Display an analysis of individual head to head matchups of all the horses in the race, against each other in a grid format.
Time Ratings (5)   Display an analysis of the time ratings. These are independent of the prediction scores. In the long run, statistics show that the highest rated horse in a prediction has a better chance of winning if it also has a good time rating.
Best Times (6)   Display a list of the fastest individual race times over the current equivalent distance previously run by horses in the race.
Factors(A)   Alter the factors that are used to determine the ratings scores and analyse what affect they have on the prediction.
Detail Print (P)   Print the prediction in detailed form. There are many different ways and different detail that can be printed out based on how much detail you require. The amount of data you decide to print out can range from the most basic printout of just the horse names and their scores, up to the most detailed including trainers, sires, jockeys, jockey ratings, win and place statistics, the last five races of each horse, etc. You can set up the printout by clicking on 'Change Prinout Layout' on the main menu of the program.
Basic Print(R)   Print the horses barriers, weights and scores only.
Short-Cut (X)   A short cut back to the RaceBase Main Menu.

Click on the horse name (left hand side buttons) or press PgDn to view the detailed individual form analysis of each horse in the race. Probably the most important analysis tool within RaceBase.

The Prediction Summary Screens
The prediction summary screen is the first screen displayed after a Single Race Prediction (Press P when displaying a field). There are 3 alternative screens, each containing different analysis information.
Screen 1 (left to right)
1) Predicted finishing position.
2) TAB number, Horse name. 3) Formline with the track conditions for that finish underneath.
4) Jockey and Jockey Rating.
5) Barrier (in brackets) and Weight.
6) Prospective dividend for each runner. The upper dividend (black - top 4 rated runners only) is calculated using a set of equations based on Bayes Theorem. The lower dividend (blue) is calculated from the equation outlined in the article (Framing A Market) on the RaceBase website.
7) The NZ Thoroughbred Racing rating. The class rating is calculated by the official handicapper.
8) Score.
Screen 2
As Screen 1, but Jockey, Barrier, Weight and Chances replaced by the Breeding and Trainer.
Screen 3
1) TAB number.
2) Horse Name.
3) Last start finishing position/Number of starters. Margin from winner underneath.
4) Days since last start. The bottom figure is days since 2nd to last start.
5) Class Change. Upper - Last start class. Lower - Todays class.
6) Weight Change. Upper - Last start weight. Lower - Todays weight.
7) Distance Change. -100 means todays distance is 100 metres shorter than the horses previous start.
8) Average Stakes. Total Stake Money divided by Number of starts. Stake Money is since October 1997 only.
9) Head to Head. Upper - Number of times beaten other starters in the race and then number of times beaten by other starters in the race. Lower - As above but over the last 2 months only.
10) Time Ratings. The upper time rating is the rating which is unadjusted for the speed of the track. The lower rating is the average time over the last 2 starts but is also adjusted for the speed of the tracks.
11) Percentage Chance of Winning and what the computer thinks it should be paying.
12) Score.

Head to Head (Grid Summary)
Display a race field, press P for a single race prediction, then 4 for Head to Head Analysis.
Each box in the grid represents the performance of the corresponding horses against each other in previous races.
Top Figure : The Head to Head figure. 1-0 means that the 2 horses have met once before and the horse down the side beat the horse across the top. 2-3 means that the 2 horses have met 5 times before and the horse down the side has won 2 of them and the horse across the top has won 3.
Bottom Figure : The average winning or losing margin between the 2 horses. A red figure of -1.0 means that the horse down the side has lost to the horse across the top by an average of 1 length.
Sometimes there will be an average margin figure (bottom) but no head to head figure. On these occasions, the 2 horses have never met but the average margin is worked out from cross matchups. Example : Horse A and Horse B have never met. But Horse A has beaten Horse C by an average of 2 lengths, and Horse B has beaten Horse C by 3 lengths. Therefore Horse A vs Horse B margin will be given as -1.0 because Horse B beat Horse C by an average of 1 length more than Horse A beat Horse C by. Occasions where there are totally opposing track conditions (eg Where todays track is Firm and the previous track was Heavy) are not included.

Best Times
Display a race field, press P for a single race prediction, then 6 for Best Times.
The left hand panel contains the fastest 37 unadjusted times over the distance previously run by horses in the race (races within 200 metres of the current distance are rounded up or down).
The right hand panel is similar, but the times are adjusted according to the speed of the track. Times run on slow tracks will be adjusted downwards and vice versa. The speed of the track is worked out by looking at all the other times run at the meeting and comparing them with average times over the distance for similar classes of race. Times with an asterisk beside them are times run within the last 4 months.

Factor Analysis
Display a race field, press P for a single race prediction, then A for Factor Analysis.
When RaceBase makes a prediction, it looks at up to 19 different factors when awarding the points. In Factor Analysis you can alter the emphasis placed on the prediction factors and analyse what effect this has on the individual race prediction. The factor values can range from 0 (in which case the factor will be turned off) to 32 (the maximum). Changing a factor value, for example, from 4 to 8 means you will be doubling the emphasis placed on this factor.

Click on the up or down arrows down the right hand side of the screen to alter the factor values, then click on re-predict. The horse scores will be altered to reflect the new factor settings. You can also load in the settings from one of your user-defined charts by selecting the chart across the top.

If you are interested in a particular factor setting and wish to try it on other races, click on Save Set. Then go back and display another race, predict it, and enter Factor Analysis. Then click on Load Set to load the settings back in, and re-predict. You can also save the settings straight to one of your User Charts.

Detailed Form Analysis
Display a field, press P to predict a single race. When the prediction summary appears, keep pressing PgDn to view the detailed form of all horses in the race, one horse per screen OR click on the individual horse buttons down the left hand side.

Time Ratings : The top left panel contains time ratings information. There are 14 time ratings categories, 7 relating to performances on fast, good or dead tracks and 7 on slow or heavy.
Time Rating Fast/Dead : The average time of the horses last 4 starts in fast, good or dead going over the distance. Adjusted for weight but not for track speed, so horses running on slower tracks are disadvantaged.
Track Speed Adjusted (Fast/Dead) -
Last 2 Races : Average time of the horses last 2 starts. First time not adjusted for weight but adjusted for track speed. Second time adjusted for weight and track speed.
Last 4 Races : As above but the average time over the last 4 starts.
Last 6 Races : As above but the average time over the last 6 starts.
The Slow/Heavy time ratings are similar but are the average times in slow and heavy going.

Head to Head : The horses performances against other horses in the race. For example a figure of 2-1 means the horse has beaten other horses in the race twice and has been beaten once. The 2nd head to head figure relates to the last 2 months races only so considers only more recent meetings.

Formline : Similar to what is printed in newspaper form guides. A line of the horses most recent finishing positions. Numbers between 2 spaces is the form at the same time last year. For example, a formline of 34 567 8012 means that the horse had a 5th, 6th and 7th at the same time last year.
Chances : What the computer thinks is the chance of the horse winning.
Dividend : What the computer thinks the horse should be paying.

Race History
When displaying the horses detailed form, pressing L-Race History displays its race history, race by race, over the last 2 years. Its competitors in the race being analysed are highlighted in yellow. The lower panel displays all the winning times over the same distance at the same meeting. This allows for easy comparison between a horses individual time and times run by other horses at the same meeting.

D - Head to Head (Individual Horse vs Horse detailed comparison)
A revolutionary feature in RaceBase. When displaying a horses detailed form, pressing D - Head to Head displays a page by page analysis of the horse versus each of its competitors in the race in a split screen format.

The top section of Page 1 displays instances where the 2 horses have met in the same race. The bottom section of Page 1 displays cross-matchups. These are instances where the 2 horses didn't meet, but they both raced against a 3rd horse (the horse on the far left of the screen) in separate races. Example : If Horse C (the horse on the left) beat Horse A by 1 length, and in a separate race Horse C beat Horse B by 4 lengths, then the Net Result is that Horse A is 3 lengths better than Horse B for that matchup. If the net result is displayed in blue, then the track conditions and distances of the cross-matched races are similar to those of the race being analysed. Otherwise, if they are not similar, it will be displayed in grey.

In the bottom section of Page 2, you can compare the fastest 5 times that the 2 horses have achieved over the distance.

Winning Chances
There are 2 different sets of equations RaceBase uses to estimate a horses chances of winning. The first applies to the Margins Method prediction. It estimates the top 4 rated runners chances using a statistical theorem called Bayes Theorem. The computer looks at the scores, ages etc and calculates the percentages based on the strike rates of races with similar characteristics in the past. The second method RaceBase uses to frame the market applies to all prediction methods. The winning chances of each horse are calculated solely from the score distribution of the race. There is a comprehensive article about how this is done on the RaceBase website through the 'Framing A Market' link. From these winning chance percentages, RaceBase also calculates the desired prospective dividend. When you either load a race from the main menu or do a single prediction from Races Module, these are displayed on Summary Screen 1, just to the right of the weights and barrier draws. The upper dividend is the one calculated using Bayes Theorem. The lower dividend is the result of applying the equation as outlined in the article on the website.

NZTR Rating
A new class structure for racing was introduced by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing on 1st August 2005. It was decided that every horse would receive a rating that would be updated after each run. These ratings are maintained by the official handicapper. Previously, races were classed based on the number of wins each horse had. A horse with 2 wins would be eligible for a Class 2 race, for example. Now horses are classed based on ratings. A race with a class of 'Rating 83', for example, gives eligibility to any horse with a rating of 83 or below. Each horses official NZTR rating is displayed in RaceBase in a number of places. Firstly in the field display on the main menu screen, secondly in the field display in Races Module and thirdly on Summary Screen 1 of a race prediction (just to the left of the RaceBase rating). Because the handicapper is bound by strict methods of rating horses performances, in the long run you will find that the RaceBase ratings will outperform the NZTR ratings.

Race Comments
RaceBase allows you to input comments for any run of any horse, similar to the commentaries you receive with many printed formguides. These comments can range from covering only those horses you are interested in, right up to comments for every horses run in every race. Any comments you enter can then be displayed within the detailed form in a single race prediction, or in the race-by-race histories in all other modules.

Inputting the Comments
Comments are entered in Races Module in one of two places. Either directly in the Race Results. In this case, display the Race Result (Option 2 in Races Module), and click A-Add/Edit Comments.
OR in the Fields (Option 4). In this case, display the Race Field and click T-Comments. Inputting the comments within the fields has an advantage because it means you can input any comments straight after the race while it is still fresh in the mind. Any comments which are input into a field are automatically transferred to the results database when the result for that race is downloaded from the RaceBase subscribers webpage. You can then display the comments as though they were entered directly into the results.

Displaying Comments in a Prediction
Predict a Single Race (P), press PgDn to display the first horses detailed form, press M-Comments button, or press L-Race History and M-Display Comments. Comments can also be printed out by setting up B-Printout Layout from the Main Menu to include them.

Backing Up Comments
It is the responsibility of the individual user to make their own backups of their race comments to CD. The files you need to backup are all those with a .CMT extension in your racebase folder.

5 Input New Field
This is where you input new fields so that they can be predicted. You will not normally need this as you will receive the fields when you download, but it can be used to input fields for fixed odds betting.
Information on the left hand panel must be entered 1st. All information must be entered before the program will allow you to move into the right hand panel.
Left Hand Panel : Input each of the data requirements as you move down the screen. Always look at the bottom of the screen for valid inputs. The current date should be displayed. If each data field is correct you can just press enter. However, you will probably need to change the day field to the correct day of the race. Input the four letter track code from those displayed on screen, you can press PgDn to get more codes. Input A, G, D, L or H for track condition. For the race type input the number corresponding to the class on the list. Example 1 = Open Class good, 8 = Maiden, 18 = Fillies + Mares Maiden. Press PgDn for the rest of the list. Input the race distance in metres. Input the race number and then if you wish the race start time. When all fields in the left hand panel are entered press TAB to get across to the right hand panel.
Right Hand Panel : This is where you input the horses, jockeys, barriers and weights.
To input a horse you can either :
a) Type in the full name of the horse or
b) Type in the 1st few letters of the horse name and then Press F2. A list of horses will appear that begin with those letters. Use the arrow keys to highlight the horse you want and press enter.
To input a jockey you can either :
a) Type in the full 3 letter jockey code if you know it. eg. LOS = L.O'Sullivan, JWL = J.Walker or
b) Type in the first letter of the jockeys christian name and the first letter of the jockeys surname and press enter. If there is more than one jockey with these initials, a list will appear. Choose the correct jockey from that list.
To input the weight, type in the weight minus any apprentice allowance eg 55 or 55.5
Type in the barrier draws. These will automatically be adjusted if there are any scratchings. Once the whole field is entered press TAB. If the computer finds no errors you will be asked to confirm the information correct. If you press Y, the race will added to the Race Fields list.

6 Prediction Chart To Use
When you make a prediction you have the option of using the default Racebase prediction settings (In which case this should read Racebase) or up to 9 user defined chart settings. By using a User Defined setting, you can alter the manner in which the computer calculates the scores and ranks the horses in a prediction. This is explained in more detail later in this manual under the description of the User Charts Module. To change the chart to use Press 6 until the chart you wish to use appears.

7 Prediction Method to Use
RaceBase comes with 3 already programmed in chart settings. These are selected from the main menu in the Races and Archive Fields modules. To select one of the pre-programmed settings, you firstly need Chart to Use set to RaceBase. You then select the method by altering Method to Use.
The 3 methods are :
1) Margins : This is the method that over a long period has produced the best strike rate (ie over the long run it picks more winners than the other 2 methods).
2) Placings : This is the method that RaceBase used prior to 1998 and is really only included for continuity for those who had formed successful systems using it.
3) Value : This method has more emphasis placed on weight carried. Consequently it picks more horses lower down in the weights, which are often less fancied runners on the TAB. In the long run it has shown to pick fewer winners than the margins method, but because it selects more outsiders, so far it has produced a better profit.

In Races Module only (not Field Archive Module), there is also an option to choose UnRated as a method. This will give all horses a score of zero and will display the horses for analysis in order of their TAB number.

Options
A Input Jockeys - Indicates whether you wish to input Jockeys into new Race Fields.
B Input TAB Numbers - Indicates whether you wish to input T.A.B. numbers into the new Race Fields.
C Use Jockeys Ratings - Indicates whether you wish to use Jockey Ratings in a prediction. Set to Yes if most of the jockeys are known and to No otherwise. Another way of setting this to No is to create a User Chart with the emphasis on Jockey Ratings set to 0 (zero).
D Include Archive File - Indicates whether you wish to search the Archive File as well as the Main File for horses past performance records. This makes no difference to the predictions as only the last 2 years data is relevant anyway, but it gives more accurate statistics relating to the number of starts, wins and places in each horses records.

HORSES MODULE

1 Individual Horse Report
You are prompted for the horse name you want the report for. You can either:
a) Type in the full name of the horse or
b) Type in the 1st few letters of the horse name and then press F2. A list of horses will appear that begin with those letters. Use the arrows keys (or mouse) to highlight the horse you want and press enter.

After extracting the horse data from the 7500 races (plus the archive files if selected), keep pressing PgDn to view the horses statistics. In all cases Ave % means the average percentage position a horse finishes up in the field. For example in two races if a horse finished last both times the Ave % = 0. If it finished in middle of the field both times Ave % = 50. If it finished first one time and last another then Ave % = 50. So the higher the figure, the higher the average placing. You can view the horses last 90 races, race by race, by pressing 1.

Printing the Report
P will print the horses statistics to your printer based on what detail is specified in C - Change Printer Layout.
A more colourful and presentable representation of the report can be made by creating an html (web page) file. This is done by pressing W - Web Html File on the bottom right. A file called HORSEREP.HTM will be created. You can then go to your web browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) and display the report from there. To do this, in your browser, go to File, then Open, and select the file HORSEREP.HTM from your racebase folder. You can also attach the file to an e-mail and send it to other people. You can send it to whoever you wish as long as the contents are not altered in any way.

Attaching a Horse Report to an E-mail
First display an Individual Horse Report. Then press W - Web Html File. This will create a file called HORSEREP.HTM in your racebase folder. Then log into the internet and bring up your e-mail program.

Attaching a Horse Report to an E-mail Using Netscape
Click on New Message. Address it and enter the subject details. Click Attach, then File. Click the down arrow to the right of Look In and find the racebase folder. It should be found under the c: icon. If not, double click on the c: icon. Double click on the racebase folder and Look In should now say racebase. Find the file called 'horserep' and double click on it. Then send the e-mail.

Attaching a Horse Report to an E-mail Using Outlook Express
Click on Compose Message. Address it and enter the subject details. Click on Insert, then File Attachment. Click the down arrow to the right of Look In and find the racebase folder. It should be found under the c: icon. If not, double click on the c: icon. Double click on the racebase folder and Look In should now say racebase. Find the file called 'horserep' and double click on it. Then send the e-mail.
You can also make Web Page e-mail attachments for Sire and Dam reports in a similar manner as well. Refer to the Sire Module part of this manual for more on this.

2 Analyse All Horses In A Race
This allows you to display Individual Horse Reports for all the horses in a particular race and is another way of doing your own analysis of all the horses in a race in addition to a Single Race Prediction from the Races Module. Here, races can be analysed without them being rated by the computer. After pressing 2, a race from the race field file will be displayed. Press PgDn until the race you wish to analyse is displayed. Horse 1 should be highlighted in red. You can highlight a different horse using the arrow keys or mouse. Press Enter to view that horses Individual Report. After analysing that horses statistics press N for the next horse in the race.

4 Analyse Horses In A Race (Times Only)
This is the similar to above but goes straight to the Time Rating section of each horses report. The Last 4 and Top 4 times in firm/easy and soft/heavy over 1200, 1400, 1600, 2000 and 3200 metres are displayed. These are averaged out to form the Time Ratings.

5 Field Search
Allows the user to search the race fields for a horse. Can be used to determine if a particular horse is racing in the next few days. If you are following a horse, an easier way to keep informed about when it is starting is to put the horse into your black book.

Z Black Book
This allows the user to keep a black book of up to 300 horses with associated comments. You can enter into your black book trial performers, unlucky runners, improvers or any other horses you wish to monitor. When your black book horses are about to run, they are highlighted on the RaceBase Main Menu, and also within the fields and comments are displayed in the detailed form of a single race prediction (P) in Races Module. Add a horse to your black book by pressing 1, and delete it by pressing 2. You can also do a search on the fields for your black bookers by pressing 3.

A Include Archive Races ?
If set to yes the computer will search the archive files as well as the main file for horse data.

B Include Archive Horses ?
If set to yes, reports for all horses in the database since 1992 can be displayed, even those that have long since retired. If set to no, only reports for those horses that appear in the main file (approximately the last 2 years) can be displayed.

BEST HORSES MODULE

The horse rankings in this module are provided as an interest aspect of RaceBase only and should not really be used as a punting tool or to determine likely winners of upcoming races. The predictions and reports in the races and horses modules are more suited to this. When calculating horse rankings, the computer uses class, stake moneyand consistency as the basis for awarding points.

1 Horse Rankings
Here the computer will calculate the best performed 1000 horses (according to RaceBase) based on selected criteria. For example you can display the best 2 year old sprinters under firm conditions this season. Or perhaps the best fillies and mares stayers last season. Go to 2 - change criteria and use the arrow keys to move to the criteria you wish to change. Input the code number corresponding to the criteria from the display. Press the TAB key when you are satisfied with the criteria. You will then go back to the rankings menu. Press 1 to calculate the best horses based on that criteria. Once calculated press PgDn to see more of the horses or P to print. The best horses are sorted in order of either RaceBase Scores or Stake Money, depending on what Option 3 'Sort By' is set at. The Stake Money is only that earnt since October 27th 1997.

Update Ranking Files
This is used to update horse rankings as displayed within individual horse reports. This option can be ignored as I do this for you. The rankings files will come with your download. This doesn't affect race predicitions in any way. It is only used to update the horse rankings in the Individual Horse Report.

2 Best Times
Here the computer will calculate the best times based on selected criteria. For example you can display the best times over 1200 metres this season. Or perhaps the fastest times at Ellerslie over 1600 metres since 1992. The user chooses the criteria on which the times will be calculated by selecting the Change Criteria option.

JOCKEYS MODULE

1 Individual Jockey Report
You are prompted for the jockey you want the report for. You can either :
a) Type in the full 3 letter jockey code if you know it. eg LOS = L.O'Sullivan, JWL = J.Walker or
b) Type in the 1st letter of the jockeys christian name and the first letter of the jockeys surname and press enter. If there is more than one jockey with these initials, a list will appear. Choose the required jockey from that list.

Displayed will be jockey statistics broken down into various catagories. You can also view the jockeys racing history race by race in detail over the last 2 years by pressing 1.
2 Jockey Rankings
You can calculate the jockey rankings based on the following ways :
Wins The total number of wins.
Strike Rate Strike Rate of wins to starts.
Ave % The average percentage finishing position of the jockeys. e.g. If a jockey finishes 1st every time his Ave % = 100. If he finishes on average in the middle of the field his Ave % = 50. If he finishes on average 2/3 of the way up the field his Ave % = 66.
Scores (including favouritism) - This is the best method of ranking the jockeys as it takes into account the favouritism of the horses the jockeys are riding. This is what jockey ratings are calculated from. It is basically the same as Ave % except the figure is adjusted up or down according to favouritism e.g. A win on an outsider will be worth more than a win on a favourite. L.O'Sullivan may have a high Ave % score but his favouritism adjusted score goes down because he rides a higher percentage of favourites. In an ideal world, the aim of this method is to produce a situation where all the jockeys have the same rating regardless of the quality of the horses they are riding, if the jockeys are all of equal ability.

UDR To calculate the rate, multiply wins by 9, 2nds by 5 and 3rds by 3, add these together, divide that total by the number of starts multiplied by 9. This system is used in some racing publications.

You can change the criteria to be used in a similar manner to that in best horses. For example you can display the jockeys with the best strike rate this season. Once in the display press PgDn to see all the other jockeys and how they rate. You can read more about jockey ratings within the Jockeys Module itself.

3 Field Search
Searches the fields and displays the rides that a jockey has coming up. Makes for easy reference if you are following a particular jockey.

4 Display / Print Jockey List
Displays an alphabetical list of the jockeys database. You can also print these out for easy reference.

5 Purge Unused Jockeys
Used to get rid from the program jockey codes that are no longer used in the database (Not required by the user as I do this for you and it comes with your download).

6 Update Jockey Rankings File
Updates the jockey rankings for predictions (Not required by the user as I do this for you and it comes with the download).

TRAINERS MODULE

1 Individual Trainer Report
You are prompted for the trainer you want the report for. You can either :
a) Type in the full 4 letter trainer code if you know it. e.g. OSUL = D + P O'Sullivan or
b) Type in the 1st 3 letters of the trainers surname and press F2. A list will appear containing the trainers whose surname begins with those 3 letters. Highlight the trainer you want the report for, using the arrow keys or mouse, and press enter or click.

The top panel of the display gives a summary of the trainers statistics. The bottom panel displays a list of all the horses trained by this trainer as well as each horses record. You can highlight any of these horses using the arrow keys and then press Enter to display the Individual Horse Report for the highlighted horse.

In this module, one aspect that is worth knowing about is that statistics for a horse that changes trainer are carried over to the new trainer.

2 Display / Print Trainer list
Display an alphabetical list of the trainers and their codes. Print these out for easy reference.

3 Change / Delete Trainer Code / Name
Used to change trainer codes, the name of trainers or the location of a trainer. (Not normally required by the user).

4 Purge Unused Trainers
Eliminates trainers that are no longer in the database. (Not normally required by the user).

SIRES MODULE

1 Individual Sire Report
You are prompted for the sire you want the report for. You can either :
a) Type in the full sire name or
b) Type in the 1st few letters of the sire and press F2. A list will appear containing all the sires that begin with these letters - use the arrow keys or mouse to highlight the sire you want and press enter or click.

The display shows statistics relating to that sire. Press PgDn to view the best times over the various distances for that sire and PgDn again for yet more statistical info. Press 1 to display a list of all the horses the sire has sired, that have raced in New Zealand. You can then highlight any horse using the arrow keys or mouse and press Enter or click to display the Individual Horse Report for the highlighted horse. The sire report can be printed to your printer by pressing P.

A more colourful and presentable representation of the Sires Report can be made by creating a web page file that can be viewed and printed from your internet browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer). To do this, click on Web Html File in the bottom right of the Sire Report. This creates a file called 'SIREREP.HTM' in your racebase folder. It is this file that should be opened in your browser. It can also be e-mailed to other people and the report will come up in their e-mail when they receive it. See Individual Horse Report and E-mailing a Horse Report earlier in the manual for more instructions on this.

2 Sire Rankings
You can display and print the top 1000 ranked sires based on selected criteria in a similar manner to horse rankings in the Best Horses Module.

DAMS MODULE

Similar to Sires Module but relating to Dams.

FIELD ARCHIVE MODULE

This module allows you to go back and do predictions on races that have already been run and are no longer in the Race Fields file. You can undertake analysis with the Racebase or your own User Charts and work out how the predictions would have gone if these charts were applied in the past. Go into this module and choose R - Read about Prediction Archive to read more about this.

An important point is that when you do a prediction in this module, what was the TAB number in the Races Module, now becomes the finishing position of the horse in the Field Archive Module. If the prediction reads 1st 3 Bonecrusher, 2nd 1 Phar Lap, then this means that Bonecrusher was the top pick by the computer and came 3rd. Phar Lap was the 2nd pick of the computer and it came 1st. Remember that the order of horses in a prediction is always with the highest rated horse at the top, and the lowest rated horse at the bottom.

With this module you can also select whether you want to print out the predictions to the printer, or 1 of 9 different files. PRED1.PRN up to PRED9.PRN. This is useful for analysis on different user charts as the predictions will be saved on file instead of using up pages and pages of printer paper. It may be useful to have one file for each of 9 different user charts. These files can then be displayed with any text file viewer on your computer (such as NotePad under Start-Programs-Accessories). The Options for predicting are similar to those available in the Races Module.

To predict a single meeting to the printer press M. To predict and print all the races to the end of the file, press N. This means that you can say predict a whole years worth of races to a file without having to monitor it. After the predictions are complete you can then display them in a word processor or text file viewer. For races more than 3 months back, ensure you have Use Archive Files set to Yes.

USER CHARTS MODULE

When making a race prediction, you are able to define what emphasis the computer should place on various factors when calculating the scores for the horses. These are stored in charts, the default chart being the settings that Racebase uses.

D Show Racebase Prediction Chart
This shows the default Racebase Prediction Chart settings. The setting for track conditions is 16 and the setting for distance is 4, this means that 4 times more emphasis is placed on a horses performance in the track conditions compared to a horses performance at the distance. See R - Read about User Defined Predictions for more on the 19 emphasis factors used.

1-9 Alter User Defined Chart
This allows you to alter the default prediction chart settings and place different emphasis on the various factors. For example, if you wanted to double the emphasis placed on a horses record at the distance, you should change this factor from 4 to 8. You are able to define up to 9 different charts. To do this, select the chart you wish to change. The current settings will appear on the screen. Now select the factor you want to change. Type in the new factor and press Enter. Then press S to save this new setting. Now to make a prediction using these settings, go into the Races module and select the chart using 6 - Prediction Chart To Use. Then predict the race.

R Read about User Defined Predictions
This gives you more information about the 19 factors used in a user defined prediction.

CHANGE PRINTER LAYOUT

Use this to specify how much detail to print out to your printer in a Single Race Prediction (P) or a Meeting Prediction to Printer (M) in the Races Module. There are 3 settings that can be automatically loaded in. The best idea is to use one of these settings and then add or subtract items to fit your personal needs. Reset (least detail) will load in settings for a basic type of printout with each horse taking up just one line of your printer. Reset (most detail) will load in settings that will print out just about everything the computer knows about each horse. Remember to select your correct printer from Printer Options below to allow your printer to get everything across the page. If you are unsure about which setting to use, try Epson/Panasonic Dot Matrix first.

PRINTER OPTIONS

Dos Compatible Printers

A detailed race prediction will not fit across the page unless you have the printer in compressed mode. I have included a range of printer options that will do this automatically for you. If you have a dot matrix printer that uses the Epson standard, select Option 2. If you have an Inkjet or Laser which uses the HP Laserjet standard use Option 3 or 4. If you are unsure as to which option to choose, try different options and see which works best. If you have an Epson inkjet, use the Epson/Panasonic Dot Matrix setting (Option 2). The Epson/Panasonic Dot Matrix setting seems to work with most printers. If you have a Dos compatible printer then you can print predictions straight from within the program. In Races Module, set 'File To Print To' to Printer.

Printer Doesn't Work ?
In order for the printer to work, it has to be plugged into the LPT1 port. However, in cases where your printer is plugged into a USB port, in Races and Archive Fields modules, there is an option to print to a file instead of directly to the printer. Also some printers are Windows Only. RaceBase is a Dos program.
If your printer doesn't work with RaceBase, go into Races Module and set 'File To Print To' to 'NOW1.PRN'. This means that when you print the predictions, they will be printed to this file instead of the printer. The file (NOW1.PRN in your racebase folder) can then be opened into a text editor (such as NotePad under Programs-Accessories in Windows), and printed from there. Under Printer Options, I have set up a number of options where you can send the file NOW1.PRN straight to either Wordpad or MS Word from within the RaceBase program.
These files (NOW1.PRN...NOW9.PRN) are for the use of Racebase subscribers only and are usable under strict copyright conditions.

CHANGE FONT

On a few systems running Win XP, some of the displayed text appears in non-readable lettering. This can be solved by changing the font to Alternative. Otherwise leave the font set at Standard.

Simple Steps on How to Make a Race Prediction
Racebase default settings prediction :
From the RaceBase Main Menu (front screen), select a race and click on one of the Load Race options below the race display
OR
1) Go into the races module.
2) Ensure that the Use Jockey Ratings is set to Yes if you wish to use jockey ratings in the prediction. Ensure that Prediction Chart to Use is set to Racebase and Prediction Method to Use is set to Margins.
3) From the Races Main Menu, select 4 - Race Fields. Find the race you want to predict by pressing PgDn.
4) If you need to scratch some horses, press C to Change the data. Press the Tab key. This will take you across to the right hand panel. Use the arrow keys to move to any horses that are scratched. To scratch the horse press the Del button. Press the Tab button to save the changes then press Y if the information is correct.
5) Press P to predict the race.
6) Press PgDn to view the form of each horse in detail.

User defined prediction :
1) Go into the User Charts Module. Select 2 - Alter User Defined Chart.
2) Select Chart 1. Decide on a factor you wish to change. Say you want to double the emphasis on jockey ratings. Press 6. Then Enter 12 instead of 6.
3) Press S to save this change. Now go to the Races Module and predict a race in the same manner as a Racebase default settings prediction above except that you should ensure that Prediction Chart to Use is set to the Chart you wish to use (In this case Chart 1). To change the chart to use press 6 until the correct one appears.
4) Display the race and predict it.

Jockey Codes
Each jockey is represented by a 3 letter jockey code. The 1st letter of the code is the 1st letter of the jockey's christian name. The 2nd letter of the code is the 1st letter of the surname. The 3rd letter is normally the 2nd letter of the surname. However if there is already a jockey with this code, the 3rd letter of the code will be the 3rd letter of the
surname. eg JWA = J Walsh and JWL = J Walker.

Trainer Codes
Each trainer is represented by a 4 letter trainer code. The 1st 3 letters of the code are the 1st 3 letters of the surname. The 4th letter is a letter or number to make that code unique (often the 1st letter of the christian name). You can print out all the trainer codes in the Trainer Module, although when doing a trainer report, you can input the 1st 3 letters of the surname and press F2 and a list will be displayed on screen of the all codes and trainers which begin with those letters.

RaceBase Classes
1 OpnX   Open Class races worth at least $30,000
2 Opn   Open Class races worth less than $30,000
3 ROpn   Restricted Open
4 C4   Class 4
5 C3   Class 3
6 C2   Class 2
7 C1   Class 1
8 Mdn   Maiden
9 WFAX   Weight For Age races worth at least $30,000
10 WFA   Weight For Age races worth less than $30,000
11 GOpn   Graduation Open
12 GImp   Graduation Improvers
13 F&MO   Fillies & Mares Open
14 F&M4   Fillies & Mares Class 4
15 F&M3   Fillies & Mares Class 3
16 F&M2   Fillies & Mares Class 2
17 F&M1   Fillies & Mares Class 1
18 F&MM   Fillies & Mares Maiden
19 2yoX   2 Year Old races worth at least $25,000
20 2yo   2 Year Old races worth less than $25,000 excluding Maidens
21 2yoM   2 Year Old Maidens
22 3yoX   3 Year Old races worth at least $25,000
23 3yo   3 Year Old races worth less than $25,000 excluding Maidens
24 3yoM   3 Year Old Maidens
25 HghO   Highweight Open
26 PQ   Premier Quality
27 Hgh3   Highweight Class 3
28 Hgh2   Highweight Class 2
29 Hgh1   Highweight Class 1
30 HghM   Highweight Maiden
31 StpX   Steeples races worth at least $25,000
32 Stp   Steeples races worth less than $25,000 excluding Maidens
33 StpM   Steeples Maidens
34 HrdX   Hurdles races worth at least $25,000
35 Hrd   Hurdles races worth less than $25,000 excluding Maidens
36 HrdM   Hurdles Maidens
37 0-1H   0 to 1 Win Hurdle
38 0-1S   0 to 1 Win Steeplechase
39 JmpF   Jumpers Flat
40 Int   Intermediate (0 to 1 Win)
41 IntF   Intermediate Fillies & Mares
42 Prg1   Progressive (0 to 4 Win) worth less than $9000
43 Prg2   Progressive worth $9000 or more
44 Prgf   Progressive Fillies & Mares worth less than $9000
45 MdnS   Maiden Special
46 MdnC   Maiden Colts & Geldings
47 P0   Premier P0
48 P1   Premier P1
49 P2   Premier P2
50 2-5w   2 to 5 Wins
51 2-6w   2 to 6 Wins
52 3-5w   3 to 5 Wins
53 3-6w   3 to 6 Wins
54 4-6w   4 to 6 Wins
55 0-6w   0 to 6 Wins
56 WFAf   Weight For Age Fillies & Mares
57 3yof   3 year old Fillies worth more than $25000
58 3yoc   3 year old Colts & Geldings worth more than $25000
59 2yof   2 year old Fillies worth more than $25000
60 2yoc   2 year old Colts & Geldings worth more than $25000
61 3&4y   3 & 4 year old
62 HdlI   Intermediate Hurdles
63 StpI   Intermediate Steeples
64 Hw76   Highweight NZTR Rating less than or equal to 76
65 2y76   2 year olds with NZTR Rating less than or equal to 76
66 3y76   3 year olds with NZTR Rating less than or equal to 76
67 R76   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 76
68 R83   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 83
69 R85   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 85
70 R92   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 92
71 R98   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 98
72 R94   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 94
73 R96   NZTR Rating less than or equal to 96
74 R92X   NZTR Rating 92 worth at least $30,000
75 R94X   NZTR Rating 94 worth at least $30,000
76 R96X   NZTR Rating 96 worth at least $30,000

Average %
In all cases this figure represents the average finishing position of the horse expressed as a percentage. The higher the figure, the higher the horse finishes up the field on average.
Examples : Ave% = 100 Horse finished 1st every time.
Ave% = 66 Horse finished, on average, 2/3rds of the way up the field.
Ave% = 50 Horse finished, on average, exactly midfield.
Ave% = 0 Horse finished last every time.
I find the figures useful because if gives a different perspective to the win-place statistics. You can see at a glance if the horse finishes higher or lower than midfield on average.

Scratching a Horse from a Field
1) Display the Race.
2) Press C to Change Data.
3) Press the TAB key.
4) Move the cursor to the horse you wish to scratch.
5) Press the Delete button on your keyboard.
6) Press the TAB key.
7) Press Y to confirm.

OR

Display a field in Races Module and click on the horse to scratch.

Inputting a Jockey into a Field
1) Display the Race.
2) Press C to Change Data.
3) Press the TAB key.
4) Move the cursor to the jockey you wish to change (just to the left of the jockey name).
5) Type in the 1st letter of the jockey's first name and the 1st letter of the jockey's surname and press Enter. If there is more than 1 jockey with those initials then choose the jockey from the list.
6) Press the TAB key.
7) Press Y to confirm.

Changing Track Conditions in a Field
1) Display the Race.
2) Press F5 to change to Fast, F6 to Good, F7 to Dead, F8 to Slow, F4 to Heavy. Or click on the appropriate button on the bottom right of the screen. Following races to the end of the meeting (to Race 10) will also be changed to the new track condition.