FAQ # 14
ALL-Ways^TM Support

What is the best way to learn to read the handicapping reports?

There are many handicapping reports in ALL-Ways. The first thing to understand is that you should not try to use them all. That would be information overload. After you have used ALL-Ways for a while, you will settle in on the few reports that suit your style of play.

Here is how we suggest you get started:

• First, read the overview explanation of each report that is in the Handicapping Module Chapter in the ALL-Ways User Manual. This will give you some idea of the intended use of each report.

• Second, learn how to read and understand two specific reports. The first is the Contender Summary Report. The second is the All Factors Report. Appendix B in the User Manual explains the reports in detail. Appendix C explains the handicapping factors in detail. When you understand these two reports, you will understand virtually every handicapping factor in ALL-Ways and you will be able to quickly understand any other report in ALL-Ways.

• Third, select the set of reports that you feel best match your style of play and learn to read them. If you do step two above, you will be amazed at how fast you are able to master the other reports.

Here is a reprint of an article that is in our October 1997 ALL-Ways Newsletter. It may help you select the set of reports that will get you started.

The ALL-Ways software’s handicapping reports you use should be those that best match your style of play. One thing for sure, however, is that you should not print them all. This would be a big case of "information overload". Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to suggest a set of reports to use when you are first starting to use ALL-Ways software. Then, as you gain experience, you can add or change reports as you go forward.

Here are the specific reports that we suggest you start with:

Contender Summary Report

Paceline Report

Past Performance Report

Track Bias—Jockey/Trainer Report

Print these out for every race. Additionally, print out the Suitability and Pedigree Report if the race is on the Turf, if the race will be run in the mud or if there are first time starters in the race. Of course, you should always print the Dangerous Non-Contender List. It prints only one page for a full race card. You may want to buy paper for your printer that is already three hole punched and take the reports to the track in a convenient 3 ring binder.

Here is a very quick explanation as to how to use the reports.

Contender Summary Report

This is the main handicapping report in ALL-Ways software. It has just about everything you need to do a side-by-side comparison of the contenders for suitability to distance and surface, current form, class level, speed and the pace match-up in the race. If you spend a little time mastering this report, you will find that all the other ALL-Ways software handicapping reports will become easy to use almost instantly.

Paceline Report

There are a number of good uses for this report. Here are two of them. First, use this report to evaluate Dangerous Non-Contenders (See our July 1997 newsletter.). Second, use it to look for higher priced horses with a significant pace attribute such as a big Hall or BRIS Final Fraction figure in Fast Early pace shape races. Note that this report also shows key information about all the runners in the race, not just the contenders.

Past Performance Report

This report is used for what you would expect, which is to evaluate a horse’s past several performances. It is particularly useful to see how the horse performed at various BRIS Race Rating levels and for different past performance Quirin Race Shapes (See our January, 1997 newsletter.).

Track Bias—Jockey/Trainer Report

Use this report to check the running style, call position and post position biases at the track for the current week and the current meet. If there is a strong bias, it should figure in your selections. Also, the jockey and the trainer statistics, which are keyed to this specific race situation, can lead to some very nice high priced horses.

Suitability and Pedigree Report

To repeat, we suggest you use this report for turf races, off-track races and races with first timers. The pedigree information is extremely valuable for these kinds of races as is the detailed information about suitability to the distance and surface.

Again, we need to stress that this isn’t "the right way". It is simply a good way to get started. You may find, as may ALL-Ways software handicappers have, that these are the reports you will continue to use. We know of a number of very successful ALL-Ways software users that only print out the All Factors Report which gives you a side-by-side comparison of all horses in the race for all 71 key handicapping factors, all on a single page. We also know that each ALL-Ways software handicapping report is used by many ALL-Ways software’s handicappers. However, we know of no one who prints them all. The other reports available in ALL-Ways software that were not discussed above, but which are used by many ALL-Ways software handicappers, are the Oddsline Report, the Form Numbers Report, the Form Graphs Reports, the Pace Past Performance Report and the All Pace Report.

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