[ranchwest]

Originally Posted by Tim Y

We often 'selectively forget" some of the VERY BASIC instructions from Bradshaw
p. 4 Any race in which every horse has a least three running lines containing fractional times, position calls and beaten lengths is PLYABLE race."

Bradshaw is NOT truly a handicapper at all...he NEVER looks at the conditions of the race,,,he virtually ignores the date last raced......He shows little concern for claiming prices or allowance values. He ignores all information regarding trainers and jockeys. He snarls at alleged post position or inside-outside bias. Bias to him is early late of none, He never looks at workouts and has absolutely no idea what is meant by the term bounce....Bradshaw does NOT handicap horses he handicaps RACES.

p. 77 The rule is: there are no rules...for the beginner, the task is simplified: you will have very little to "unlearn." For the experienced player, your task is to get back to what is called in Eastern teachings as the "beginners mind," that unfettered state of mind from which learning is possible.

p. 158 Michael Pizzola.. Again there are no rules but there are some things that will move you along. To those who must have a mechanical approach, I can only tell you that you are sentencing yourself to mere competence at best. One of my favorite quotes is attributed to Lao Tse, the compiler of the Tao Te Ching. He said, "when the great way is lost, there arises codes of conducts and behavior."

One should do as I have over the years, RE-READ the many great parts of this book and apply the ones that have slipped your mind. It makes a bid difference.

My opinion is there are several very different roads to success in handicapping, but mixing handicapping approaches is a good way to screw up all of them.