Dave has provided a great resource here.

But, I'll start my story with Dave. I am from the Deep South. Nearly everyone I grew up with had either a Cajun accent or a Southern drawl. Listening to Dave was initially a struggle. And that self-confidence! I really didn't give Dave much of a chance for a long time.

Then I started getting active as a member of this forum and eventually got to actually know Dave and he grew on me.

I have studied the horses a lot. I wrote my first pace program in 1983. The program I am now using I have been writing for about 25 years. While not a lot of people know more about horse data than I do, Dave does! And, I can tell you that understanding the data is not what it takes to be profitable, but Dave has helped me there.

The first big thing from this membership was Tom's Ultimate Odds Line, programmed in Windows by Steven. I've since backed into a similar program and added a jockey MRCT factor. But, I think anyone should be able to work with UOL just fine. HSH will probably do the same, though I have not used it. It's going to get you onto the winner in the top 3 in a huge number of races. Many of the oddball winners will come from quirky pace setups.

The next thing that helped me a lot was Dave saying to accept that short prices abound and that's the combined wisdom of a lot of smart people. I still don't much care for prices that get really low, but that doesn't mean that another horse is going to win... it is okay to sometimes pass. And, the accompanying short fields are also to be welcomed... fewer horses to handicap.

Another big help was Dave's strength par. When used in combination with UOL, it is powerful. Dave tells about this in the Finding Vulnerable Favorites product.

I also am using the composite speed rating that I shared on here. It includes beaten lengths and finish position. I know, sounds a little hokey, but it works. There are many composite speed ratings that could substitute. The important thing is that one effort is seldom representative.

Finally, I look at the pace and see if I think it is going to fall apart and, if it does, is there a horse that can overcome it? Otherwise, how will the pace scenario affect my contenders?

And, the whole time Dave has been tolerant and helpful, giving me little tips here and there that turned out to be big tips.

So, what has the result been?

Well, here's a recap of my selections over the past 3 days. I know, small sample size and I am redboarding, but it is the only way I can finish my story at this juncture.

5/2
4TDN 2 5.20
5TDN 2 6.20
6TDN 1A 4.80
7TDN 8 x
8TDN 2 5.20
$21.40/$10

5/3 (CD was muddy and I picked a lot of 2nds)
5CD 9 3.20
6CD 4 x
7CD 1A x
8CD 8 x
9CD 2 x
7IND 4 x
9WRD 8 5.20
8IND 1 4.40
5TUP 3 10.80
$23.60/$18

5/4
3TAM 1 x
3CD 4 5.00
4BTP 5 3.00
7CD 5 x
8CD 4 12.60
9CD 7 x
10CD 3 x
$20.60/$14

That's 11 of 21 wins, 52.3%.
Total winnings $65.60 on $42, a profit of 56.2%, 1.562 returned on each $1. And, that's all based on $2 as the bet size.

Note how many winners there were in the $6.20 and below range. Two were in the 4/1-5/1 neighborhood and no longshots. And, I clearly had some races where I zigged when I should have zagged. While big scores are really nice, the every day bread and butter is winners that look to be sound wagers.

Also notice that I did okay on some mid-level and semi-small tracks, too.

Dave, thank you for all you do!