First, take a deep breath. That’s what I just did as I looked at all of the explaining and documenting I had in front of me. Yes, there’s a lot of functionality in EquiSim. You might need to take two deep breaths. Keep two things in mind while taking those breaths. First, the program really isn’t that difficult to use – you’ll get it. Over the years I’ve found that the most difficulty arises in areas that are fundamental to Windows usage – how to find a data file, how to create a folder, etc.. This stuff you will rarely, if ever, need to do when using EquiSim – but being able to do the fundamental computer stuff will make using the program, or any computer program, much easier – its just the nature of the beast. If you don’t know how to create folders, what files are, how to download files, and stuff like that, it will be a good idea for you to read some tutorials about using Windows, or perhaps even take a computer class.
For your second deep breath, consider this – you don’t need to know it all, or use it all. EquiSim is a complex program -- it offers a myriad different usages. But once you get past the basics – and those are mostly just understanding fundamental Windows stuff -- you can make your usage of it as simple or complex as you want. And you can start off slow and build from there.
This User’s Guide is organized around the principle of a tutorial. I’m not going to laboriously document every menu entry and button item by item. Not only is this boring to write, its boring to read too. This is a “how to” User’s Guide. Contrary to my writing style, I’ll try to be brief and to the point around every turn.
Should you have questions the very best place to ask them
is on the ThoroTech Discussion Forums. There
you’ll find a lot of friendly, helpful folks.
You can probably find answers to questions that others have already had
by using the Search feature on the forums. The forum is also a great place to
express ideas for improving the program, and to discuss different strategies for
using it.
Throughout this document you will find color codes to indicate various special topics. The codes are:
Notes appear in
this color.
Tips appear in this color.
Work Alongs appear in this color.
Sub topics appear in this color.
This guide was designed as a hypertext document -- there are hot links throughout. "Back" links -- links that take you back to where you came from after clicking on a hyperlink -- have not been supplied. You can use your web browsers back button to accomplish this. The guide was created as a single HTML document to facilitate printing from a web browser. For this purpose also the guide it has been kept as one complete document file rather than split into many files linked together via hyperlinks.
Version 5 will not work with version 4 databases UNLESS you use the utility included with version 5 to convert them. The utility, called DB Conversion Utility, is located in the EquiSim ROI 5 folder in the Windows Start Menu.
You may have some important information in your version 4 SETTINGS database. This is the file called settings.sdb located in the EquiSim install folder C:\program files\thorotech\ESROI4. It contains "Power Move" info as well as wager and selection info that you entered. You can use this database with version 5. To do so simply copy the settings.sdb file from the C:\program files\thorotech\ESROI4 folder to the new C:\program files\thorotech\ESROI5 folder.
You may need to install the MicroSoft VB Script engine to use the Formula View in version five. If this is the case, see the www.thorotech.com website for info on getting these components. You'll know you need these components if the Formula View does not work on your computer.
You need an IBM compatible computer running some flavor of a 32 bit Windows operating system (Windows 95 through XP, currently). Any processor speed will work, but the faster the processor the better your performance will be when dealing with databases. To that, you should also note that having a good deal of RAM memory (256 megabytes or more) will make a significant performance difference compared to machines with less memory (especially machines with 64 megabytes or less). A graphics card with OpenGL hardware acceleration is recommended for optimum performance while watching the simulations. The simulations can be run without viewing them. In this case the graphics card does not come into play. Database files can get large. 100-500 megabytes is not uncommon.
The first thing you want to do is get the program installed on your computer.
Tip: You do not need to uninstall the demo version of EquiSim before installing the registered version provided you install to the same folder.
To do this you run the setup program that you downloaded
from the web or received on CD Rom. The setup program will install EquiSim onto
your computer. Unless you really know what you are doing, just accept the
default location. After the program is installed it will place an icon on your
desktop and a program group in your Windows Start Menu called “EquiSim ROI
4”. You can use these to start
EquiSim.
Tip:
You may only run one instance of EquiSim at a time from the same folder (on the
same computer). This is due to database restrictions. If you launch more than
one instance of EquiSim, the program will display an error message and will not
start.
At this point you should launch the program. You can use the desktop icon and the icon in the Start Menu to start it. Here’s a critical point – do you have the Microsoft Jet Database Engine installed on your computer? If, when you start the program, an error message appears that looks like this:
You probably need to install the Jet Database Engine. Don’t fret – this is a FREE install from Microsoft. It is available on the EquiSim ROI CD ROM and also via download from the ThoroTech Web Site. You simply need to run the installer for it. You can find the download here: http://www.thorotech.com/equisim/jetdatabase.html
If this is the licensed version of the program (that is, you’ve purchased a license to use EquiSim), then you will immediately be prompted to enter in your Activation information. This is the information you would have obtained from ThoroTech. It is necessary to enter it once at startup in order to activate and use EquiSim.
Before you start using the program you should understand something about the data files that EquiSim uses and where you can get them. Data for upcoming races is available in a format compatible with EquiSim from BRIS and TSN.
Work Along To computer wizards there are only a few basic pieces of information you need to know in this section. To those less familiar with computers, however, this section has proven the most difficult aspect of the program. If you find yourself struggling to get things right just remember two things -- you'll get it! And, when you do, you'll have become more adept at using your computer in an area applicable to many applications. We're dealing with downloading files and storing them in particular places on your computer's hard drive.
Here is the list of what types of data files EquiSim uses. Tip -- there are links to these product download pages in the EquiSim Tools Menu. There are also tools that are included with EquiSim that will aide in downloading the files - see "Tools For Downloading Data Files" below.
Data Card Files
You need these files -- they contain the race information
TSN Past Performance
Data files - 50 cents at the time of writing
http://www.tsnhorse.com/cgi-bin/trk_report.cgi?erd
Note: EquiSim will also use TSN ProCaps data files and BRIS MultiCaps data files. These files are more expensive but contain mostly the same data as the above files. The are more expensive because they are the only files that work with some of the "free" programs available from BRIS/TSN.
Exotic Results Files
You need these files if you wish to create a database.
Instant Race Charts
Instant Charts can not be used as a substitute for Exotic Results files. You do not need these files to use EquiSim -- they can be stored for fast chart retrieval -- TODO: put link to where this is.
1. Decide which Data Provider you want to use - BRIS or TSN. The data from each provider does differ in several areas.
The pace and speed figures are different between the two. Mostly this is a relative differences. The TSN figures tend to be lower than the BRIS figures on average. Since EquiSim deals with relativities rather than absolutes, the cards are more or less interchangeable on this front.
The BRIS files contain more information that EquiSim uses. TSN has begun to include more data, but the 50 cent data files from TSN still lack Prime Power and Pedigree Stats. TSN Pro Caps, which cost $2 at the time of writing, did include Prime Power.
The TSN data files cost 50 cents, the BRIS data files cost $1
The biggest difference, for EquiSim users of version 4.0, is that the way the names for the connections are represented differs between BRIS and TSN. Currently, this makes it impossible to use data files from each provider interchangeably with the connection based features in EquiSim.
ThoroTech DataFresh for EquiSim is based on the TSN naming conventions.
People often ask which is better - BRIS or TSN. I honestly don't know, and have not seen a large difference in the tests I have done. I have more work to do in this area, but still need to find the time. The debate often appears on the ThoroTech forums. You are welcome to add any opinion or insights you have on the matter.
2. Register for an account with the data provider you have chosen at their web site.
3. Now you need to download some files to use with EquiSim. EquiSim's File Grabber is the most efficient way of downloading files. When you download data files you should organize them in a specific way so that EquiSim can best take care of you. It lets you download the files just like a web browser, and it automatically puts them in the proper place and creates the necessary folders. Even if you use the File Grabber, here are a few simple things to remember:
There is one folder that is the parent of all folders where you will store data files. This folder is called your "Data Card Root Folder", or, DCRF. The default location of the DCRF is "C:\my cards". You'll find this folder was created for you when you installed the program. You can change the default folder if you'd like: TODO - Link Here, but I'll always assume you're using the default location.
Each track has its own folder inside of (aka, beneath) the DCRF. Each track folder has a three letter abbreviation that corresponds to the BRIS/TSN abbreviation for the track. If the track only as a two letter abbreviation, then an "x" is appended. For example, Belmont is "BEL". Gulfstream Park is "GPx". We will call these "track folders".
Inside of each track folder are date folders. "2001", "2002", "2003", etc..
Inside of each year folder is where the Data Card files go. ALSO, inside of each year folder there is a Results folder and a Charts folder. The exotic results files go in the Results folder, the instant charts in the charts folder.
So, all in all, your file structure looks something like this (remember, GGX is inside of your Data Card Root Folder - C:\My Cards)
You can use any web browser to download files, and you can create the folder structure described above manually as well. But EquiSim has a couple of tools to help you download files that will place them in the proper place.
The File Grabber
You can launch this program by going to EquiSim's Tools Menu and selecting "File Grabber". There is also a short cut in the EquiSim program folder in the Windows Start Menu. This program allows you to download data files (cards, results, and charts) from BRIS or TSN much more easily than getting files one by one. Plus, you only need to specify your Data Card Root Folder and the program will automatically place the files in the correct location. It will even re-name Chart files correctly (see below).
The File Grabber is simple to use. You start it, enter in your login and user information FOR THE DATA PROVIDER you are using, and then select which type of data file. The File Grabber then goes to the Data Provider's web site, logs you in, and provides the necessary info to download. NOTE - where applicable the data provider will bill your account with them just as if you were using a web browser to download the data file.
The File Organizer Wizard
There is a trick to how you must NAME and DOWNLOAD the instant chart files described in this section. Tip: The EquiSim File Grabber will name these files correctly and download them into the proper location for you.
- If you wanted to download the Chart for Fairgrounds, January 1st, 2002, you would name it: fg_1_1_02.html
- If you wanted to download the Chart for Belmont, October 15th, 2001, you would name it: bel_10_15_01.html
Tip: Information about how to put instant charts into your database is provided in the section on the Databases in this User's Guide (TODO: Link).
Now that you know how and where to get data files, and also where to store them on your computer’s hard drive, its time to get down to business. The first thing you need to know is how to open a Data Card in EquiSim. This action loads the data for a card’s worth of races, making it available for you to handicap using the program.
There are two ways to open Data Card files. Both are found in the File Menu.
File->Open Card(s) by Date…: This command brings up a dialog that you can use to select which cards to open on a particular date. This works well if the card you want to open is on or around the current date because the dialog’s date defaults to the current date. This dialog remembers the tracks that were last selected.
File->Open Card(s)…: This command brings up the traditional Windows File Dialog. You want to use the “Look In” portion of the dialog to move the appropriate track\Year folder for the card you want to open. You can select multiple cards from the same folder by holding down the Control or Shift key while selecting the files with your mouse. Once you have made your selection, click the “Open” button to open the files. This dialog remembers the last folder that you opened a Data Card file from.
Work Along: Open the Sample Data card that comes with EquiSim. Use the File->Open Card(s) command. Browse to C:\my cards\XXX\TODO\. Once there, locate the file "TODO", select it with your mouse, and click the open button.
Tip: You can open multiple cards in EquiSim. A card is not closed until you use the File->Close Card command on it, or you exit the program. You close a card by selecting it in the Card drop list (see below) and using the Close Card command on it
When you open a Data Card file EquiSim’s user interface springs to life. If you're working along you've probably noticed that a lot of things have changed in your User Interface now that your card is open. Before going on, I’ll give you a quick overview of the various navigation tools in EquiSim – the items in the user interface that allow you to move from tool to tool, card to card, and race to race. Later we'll explore each one of them in more detail.
Main Menu
This is the menu that runs across the top of the program's window. The
main menu has most of the commands available in the program within it, but, its
the slowest way to access those commands. Many of the commands are also
available via toolbar buttons, dialog buttons, hot keys, and context menus.
Navigation
Toolbar
The Navigation toolbar lets you open and close card data files, move from one
open card to the next via the card drop list, scroll to entries in a
handicapping view (where available). The toolbar also contains commands for bringing up
the reports related to database analysis. Note that these buttons are disabled
when you are not connected to a database. Buttons for starting the Simulation Tuning
Wizard
and controlling the visibility of the report controls dialog are on it as
well. This toolbar is
dockable on the top and the bottom of the window. It can also be floated.
Take a moment to look at this toolbar. From left to right, this is what these buttons do:
TODO - Links
| Brings up the Open Cards by Date dialog |
| Closes the currently active card |
| Lets you move to any race in the active card. You will use the Card Tools on the active race. |
| The list of entries in the active race. You can use it as quick list, and some of the views let you scroll to an entry by selecting the entry in this list |
| This button is only enabled when one of the "report" tools is active. |
| Displays the "Selections Analysis Performance Tool" report, aka SPAT |
| Displays the Connections Report |
| Displays the Wagers and Selections report |
| Displays the Post Position Report |
| Brings up the Simulation Tuning Wizard |
Card Tools
Toolbar The Card Tools toolbar gives you quick access to the
handicapping tools in EquiSim that relate specifically to a race in an
individual race card. Tools include the Form View, Simulation View, Profiler,
and more. We'll talk about all of them below. You'll note that the buttons are
disabled when no data card is open. This toolbar can be docked on any side
of the window and can also be floated.
From left to right, these buttons:
| Bring up the In Today's Card view for the active card. |
| Brings up the Scratches view for the active card. |
| Brings up the Form View for the active race |
| Brings up the Summary Report for the active race |
| Brings up the Notes page for the active race |
| Brings up the Matchups view for the active race |
| Brings up the Fractions view for the active race |
| Brings up the Formula View |
| Brings up the Simulation view for the active race |
| Brings up the Simulation Chart for the active race |
| Brings up the Profiler view for the Active race |
| Brings up the Wagers and Selections view for the active card |
Marker Toolbar: The
Form View lets you create highlight areas (as if you were marking up a paper
form with a highlighter). This toolbar has commands that control the
highlighter. You can hide/display it from the View Menu.
NOTE - once you create a marker area that area is static and unchanging. But,
the text of the page is dynamic and can change based on your choices (if you
choose to show more or less past performances, for example). So, be aware that
any change in the orientation of text on the form view will
cause the text to move while any markers you made previously will stay in the
same place.
.
Context Menus: These are the menus that pop up when you alternate mouse (right click for righties) in some area. They provide menus that match the "context" of the mouse click. EquiSim has a bunch of them.
This is just a very simple primer on the database aspects of EquiSim -- just the ones you need to know about. First, a database is just another type of data file. It has a name and it exists in some location on your hard drive. You can create databases in EquiSim using the command Profiler Database->New Profiler Database. Second, in order to use a database you need to connect to it. To do so you either tell the program to connect to a particular database whenever it starts up, or use the Profiler Database->Connect to Profiler Database command to select the database file you want to connect to. That's it! The rest is all just clicking a few buttons.
Work Along: Create a database in EquiSim using the information above. Make the program connect to this database whenever you start it. Take NOTE of where you created this database on your hard drive.
At this point you've learned about the files that EquiSim uses and you've opened a data card file. You've also learned with the general navigation tools are in the program, and you've even created a database. Now we're going to start really using the program to handicap. This section describes the basic handicapping tools that are part of EquiSim. These are the features that can be put to good use on a single day's racing card without any concern over databases and such.
When you first open a data card the first thing you see is the Form View for the first race on the card. Note: EquiSim does not display Quarter horse races if they appear in a card. The Form View is your view of the Past Performances -- the typical stuff you see in publications such as the DRF, along with a whole lot more.
ESFormTut - Tutorial Application
I've created a small application to help you become acquainted with the EquiSim Form View, and racing forms in general. It presents a view of the form that you can use your mouse to click on items in order to get more information about the item clicked on. A short cut to the program is installed with EquiSim and is available in the EquiSim program group in the Windows Start menu. The short cut is called "ESFormTut" and the program is called "ESFormTut.exe".
Work Along: I highly recommend that you check out this tutorial, especially if you are new to EquiSim and/or are new to handicapping.
Tip:There are many aspects of the Form view that can be customized. You can hide the Horse Comments area, for example. Most of the commands to perform tasks on the Form view are located in the Race Form View menu, described below. There are a couple also located in the Tools Menu->Options dialog.
Selecting Pace Lines
EquiSim relies on the selected pace line (past performance) of each horse to generate simulations, assign profiler abilities, and to display in the Summary Report. TODO: Links.
When you first open a race card EquiSim automatically selects pace lines for you. You can select your own, and the program will remember what you've selected the next time you open the card. To select your own pace lines simply click the check boxes next to the form view -- the one that is blue is the selected pace line. New pace line selections automatically update the necessary areas of the program. Note that you will need to re-simulate and re-Profile in order to see their effects on those features.
Multiply Selecting Pace Lines
EquiSim allows you to select multiple pace lines to drive the simulation, profiler, and summary report.
To select multiple pace lines hold the SHIFT or the CTRL key down and click the pace lines you want to select. Multiply selected pace lines are displayed as yellow check boxes.
By default the program selects the number of pace lines designated in the Tools Menu->Options->General Tab. This is part of the Options Dialog. The default is three.
Multiply selected pace lines are AVERAGED.
That is, their pace and speed figures are averaged together to form a single number representing the horse's performance.
You can clear the multiply selected pace lines by clicking on any pace line selection box WITHOUT holding down the SHIFT or CTRL key.
IN ORDER TO USE MULTIPLE PACE LINES YOU MUST HAVE THIS OPTION ENABLED IN THE FILE MENU!!!! .
Tip: You can reset the pace lines to the program selections by using the Tools Menu->Reset Paceline Selection command. This will work on the ENTIRE race CARD that is selected in the loaded card list on the Navigation Toolbar.
Try selecting a few pace lines, both singly and multiply.
Pace Line Selection Rules
EquiSim selects the pace line to use for each horse using one of two algorithms. These are the things each algorithm looks for:
The default algorithm is "Find the Most Suitable Race". Using the above criteria, this is how it works:
Look at the pace lines, most recent to last. Keep looking until one of the criteria below is met.
The other algorithm is the "Use Last Race" algorithm. It is implemented as follows:
Look at the pace lines, most recent to last. Keep looking until one of the criteria below is met.
You can select which algorithm to use by creating a bias (or editing an existing one) in the Simulation Bias Settings dialog (see below). This, however, is an advanced feature. Currently the automatic selection of pace lines is something designed for the software to handle. In the future, more algorithms will be added (you may even be able to create your own) and an easier way to select them will be implemented.
Tip: The program selects MULTIPLE pace lines in a less exhaustive fashion. It takes the top X number of races, where X is the number that you specify in the Tools Menu->Options->General Tab
I'll assume that you've looked at the tutorial application and are now familiar with all of the parts of the EquiSim racing form. You probably wondered what the "Power Move" stuff was and were dissatisfied with the brief description offered by the application.
Power Move
The Power Move is something new in version 4.0 that I think will help indicate the quality of competition a horse faced previously relative to his own abilities. It is also meant as an indication of whether the challenge a horse faces in the upcoming race is likely to be harder or easier than his previous contests. The power move may also prove useful in identifying what handicappers refer to as the "form" of the horse.
The Power Move indicators (there are three of them) all have something to do with the Prime Power number. This means that if you are using the TSN 50 cent cards that lack Prime Power you won't have the Power Move feature available to you. This number is a proprietary number developed by the Bloodstock Research Information Services (BRIS), and it is available in their data files and in the ProCaps data files available from their sibling company, Thoroughbred Sports Network (TSN). The Prime Power alone is a very effective number, but tends to reveal a lot of favorites and is generally over bet. Power Move seeks to use the effectiveness of the Prime Power numbers, but in ways that may eek out better prices.
The three numbers that make up the Power Move are (from left to right in the
image above):
| Power Difference | This is the difference between the average of the top three prime power numbers in the race and this horse's prime power number. Positive numbers mean the horse is/was above the average top three. This indicator gives you an idea of how this horse stacks up, prime power wise, with the field. The average works well here. If one very strong horse has a towering prime power, all the other horses, even the 2nd and 3rd power horses, may have negative differences. |
| Power Change | This is simply the difference between the horse's prime power in the upcoming race and the horse's prime power in his last race. This can be important because the Power Move (below) may be in positive territory for a horse that moves from a very, very bad situation to only a very bad one. These may indeed be good plays -- but the Power Change can clue you into the times when a long shot really is a long shot. |
| Power Move | This is the difference between the Power Difference (see above) of the horse's upcoming race and the Power Difference of the horse's last race. It indicates the direction of change in the level of competition this horse is facing and the amount of change. |
Lets put it together.... In the example above, this horse went from a -10.2 to a -4.1 Power Difference. The difference between the two is 6.1. This is a really good number. However, the one thing that is worrisome is that the Power Change dropped off by 4.6 points and this horse is also 4.1 points off of the average top 3 prime power horses in the race. Will this "class drop" help him out, or is his form declining?
Work Along: Look back over the definition of the three factors that make up the Power Move stuff. Write down the order in which they appear on a scrap piece of paper until you always remember the order -- in order to save space they are not labeled in Form View.
Lastly, it is important to understand how EquiSim creates the Power Move stuff. Whenever you open a race card EquiSim grabs info from the data file you opened and stores it into the Settings database. You do not have to concern yourself with this database. It is managed totally automatically (at least, that's the design). When you open a new race card, EquiSim goes in and sees if any of the past performances on the race card have been seen before as race cards. If it finds them, then it can create the power move information for that past performance (and, likewise, bring up any of your old notes, etc.).
So, the bottom line is that all you need to do to get the Power Move info is to open up a race card (and have race cards with Prime Power in them). The settings information, including Power Move, is stored when the card is closed (or when the program exits).
On top of all the good information that the Form View provides are the features that let you control how the information is displayed. Here is a list of those features, what you can do with them, and where to find them.
Race Form View Menu
This is the menu that exist on the main menu bar. It is loaded with features that work specifically with the form view.
Work Along: Try out these commands and see how they impact the Form View
| Convert Horse Fractions to Race Distance | This command will convert the fractions of every horse's past performance to the distance of the upcoming race. The conversion algorithm uses general par times and energy distribution of the past performance to come up with the converted times. If a race has been converted its fractions appear in red. |
| Days Since Last Race | When this feature is enabled the race index of the past performance (Track/Date/RaceNum) is replaced by the number of days the horse was off since his last start. This is a good way to see if a pattern exists in a horses rest periods, and when that horse does the best. |
| Fractions in 100s | Displays the past performance fractions in 100's of a second. The default is 10s of a second. |
| Fractions in Seconds | Displays the fractional times in seconds only. So 1:11.01 would be 71:01 seconds |
| Horse Abilities | Horse Abilities are part of EquiSim's Profiler. In brief, the Profiler determines what abilities, or factors, each horse has in relation to every other horse in the race. The profiler generates statistics for each of these abilities. They are listed on the Form View, when this feature is enabled, for reference. |
| Horse Fractions | Enable this feature to convert the fractional times of the past performance from the leaders running time to the horse's personal running time. Running times are calculated by using lengths back at each call. |
| Horse Comments Area | This lets you hide and show the Comments area of the Form view - where you can enter you own comments for each horse. |
| Jockey Choice |
When the Jockey's Choice option is enabled in the Race Form View menu colors are used to indicate certain key jockey changes so that they are more noticeable to you when you handicap. I thank Mark Smickley for suggesting this feature. This is the way it works:
|
| JR's Magic Marker | Enable this feature to highlight any Pace and Speed figure in the Past Performances that are equal to or above the Par for the race according to the race card data file you are using. I thank "Just Ralph" for suggesting this feature. |
| Mixin Workouts | Enable this to mix in the workouts with each past performance line by date. This is a great way to insure that you will not miss a hot recent workout, but it takes up more space vertically. |
| Morning Line | If this feature is disabled the Morning Line odds will not be displayed in the program. Tip: This also impacts the Summary Report |
| Perf Power Move & Comments | Enable this feature to view the Prime Power, Power Move info, and any comments you might have made about this horse for each past performance. The trainer for the horse when it had its past performance is also listed. Note that this information is only available if you have previously opened the race card for this past performance. The power move information is only available if you have data cards with the Prime Power numbers in them. |
| Profiler Values | The Profiler values come from the Profiler View. TODO - Link They are always 0 until you have Profiled a race using the Profiler. You'll learn more about the Profiler View later. |
| Show Only Contenders | This allows you to hide horses that do not have the blue "Contenders" box checked in the Form View. Usage of the contender box is entirely at your discretion. I use it when I have thrown a horse out and no longer want to look at him (especially if he's the favorite and I don't want to be tempted). Others use it to decrease the amount of paper they have to print if they know they are going to throw out a horse, or if there are horses on the Also Eligible list that won't make it in the race. |
| Split Times | Causes the fractions of the race to be displayed in split time intervals instead of running time. |
| Change Jockies | Allows you to change the jockeys for each horse. This can be useful if you are maintaining a database that you want to keep accurate jockey statistics on. |
You can use the Highlighter to draw rectangle highlights on the Form View. The highlighted areas will be remembered when you close and then re-open a card. To use it, simply click the toolbar button that looks like a pen on the "Marker" toolbar. When its pushed in, you can then use the mouse to "draw" on the form view. Just click and hold the left mouse button, move the mouse, and then let up on the mouse button when you are done. You can erase ALL of your highlights by clicking the toolbar button with the picture of the eraser on it. You can also select the color of the highlight pen.
Tip: You can hide the "marker" toolbar, and then show it again, using the View Menu->Hilite Marker Toolbar command.
Tip: You may need to adjust the color of the highlighter, either darker or lighter, in order to make it show up better on your printer (if you print the Form View).
he Summary Tool collects vital statistical information about the race and displays it in a compact format.
Work Along: To display the Summary Report
It will display
the Summary Report for the current race. There's also a command under the
"Tools" menu for displaying the Summary Report.There are two sections of the Summary Report. The top half displays averaged statistics, records, and other information. You can click on any of the buttons in the Summary display and it will reorder the horses based on the category of the button clicked. These categories are explained in more detail below.
| Horse | The horse's name and Quirin Running style |
| DSL | Days since last race of the horse |
| Odds | The Morning Line Odds of the horse. If you click on the Odds button, it will order the horses by lowest odds first. |
| E1, E2, Late, Spd | The AVERAGE E1, E2, Late pace figure and Speed Figure for this horse taken from races of the same distance category as today's race. The number indicated by (Max #) is the maximum number of past performances, starting with the most recent, to use to calculate the average. You can change this number in the Options dialog found in Tools menu. You may wish to do this so that you are viewing the averages only for more recent races for each horse. |
| Avg$(#) | The average purse that this horse has competed for. The number in parenthesis is the number of races, starting from the most recent, used to calculate the average purse. You can change this number by using the Options dialog found in Tools menu. |
| Last 4 Spd Figs | The last four speed figures of the horse |
| Records | The horses life record, track record, and either Turf record if a turf race or, otherwise, off track record. |
| Pedigree Ratings | Pedigree Ratings are only available in BRIS cards produced in 2001 or later. For more information on Pedigree Ratings, see the BRIS web site. |
The Selected Pace Line Race Summary lives at the bottom of the Summary Report. It shows you how each horse did in the past performance(s) that you select in the Form View. Information about how to select this pace line is described in the section dealing with the Form View. The race that has the checked box is the one used in the Selected Pace Line Race Summary (also used for the Simulation). If the File Menu->Use Multiple Pacelines option is checked then multiply selected pace lines will be used (they are averaged). The Selected Pace Line Race Summary shows speed figures, pace figures, and BRIS Prime Power Ratings if the card you are viewing is a BRIS card published in 2001 or later.
The Comments View is a consolidated view of the horse and race comments that also appear in the Form View. These comments are stored in the EquiSim Settings database and are AUTOMATICALLY saved and loaded when you open a race card. You click the area beside each horse name, or the race comment, in order to enter or edit a comment.
Work Along: Go to the Form View and enter in a comment for a horse. Then go to the Comments view and notice that the comment appears here. If you edit in the Comments view, the changes you make will be visible in the Form view as well.
The Matchups Tool is a more sophisticated way of looking at which horses have competed against each other in the past. If you're used to looking at Daily Racing Form past performances then you know that the way they show you which horses have competed against each other in the past is to make a horse's name bold face in the "company" portion of the past performance lines. This has several draw backs, including the fact that you only get to see whether a horse competed against another if one of them was in the money in the race. You also have to go looking through all of the past performance lines, paying special attention to the bold face print.
The Matchups Tool gives you all of the previous meetings between horses in one place (at least, all of the meetings available in the past performances given in the form). It also puts the horses entire past performance lines of the horse side by side, for easy comparison.
Note: Horses will show up in the Matchups view even after they have been scratched within the program.
The speed graph tool allows you to compare the pace figures and speed figures of each horse visually. This not only lets you see, at a glance, who the fastest horses are, it can also tell you how fast a race might turn out to be (whether the front runners stand a chance or whether the pace will get too hot for them, for example).
One of the key features of the Speed Graph is the ability to toggle through each horse's past performances. Just click on the horse's name in the speed graph and it will display the next set of pace figures and speed figures for that horse. This way you can get an eyeful of information about how a horse stacks up against the competition in general.
While EquiSim version 4.0 now offers the ability to do multiple pace line selection, the Speed Graph view does not show graphs of averaged (or median, or...) pace lines.
Note: The "classic" speed graph style was to draw a single line connecting all data points for a horse. If you prefer this style, you can revert to it by going to the Tools menu->Options and selecting "Use Version 3.5 Speed Graph Display" under the General tab.
The Fractions Tool is a view of all fractional times OR pace figures for each horse in a race organized in a way that makes it easy to compare them. Each past performance is color coded, one color for each horse. This allows you to see, at a glance, whether one horse has superior fractional times in any part of the race.
The Fractions tool allows you to specify the criteria for including a past performance in the view. You have the option to include only races that are of a "Maximum Age" in days, to use Pace Figures or fractional times, to include sprints, routes, turf races, and to include races based on whether they are in the same distance category or of the exact same distance as the race the horses will be competing in. You can control all of these variables using the check boxes at the top of the Fractions view.
The data in the Fractions view is displayed in a rows, one for each past performance. The rows are color coded depending on which horse the past performance belongs to. Each row is subdivided by columns that include the data for the Fractions view. The order of the rows can be sorted by most of these columns. Simply click the column heading to re-sort the view. This data is:
| Horse | The horse's name |
| Race | The race index that the past performance came from |
| Dist | The distance and surface of the past performance |
| Surf | The surface the race was run on |
| Age | The number of days since this race was run from the date of the race card. |
| E1, E2, Late | The E1, E2, and Late Pace figures |
| Speed | The speed figure. |
| E2+Late | The E2 pace figure added to the Late pace figure |
| 2F, 4F, 6F, etc. | The fractional time of the horse taken at the specified furlong. |
| Final | The final time the horse ran the race in. |
You can print the Fraction view by pressing the Print button at the top of the Fraction view. This is the only way to print the Fractions view in EquiSim.
EquiSim’s Formula View is a spreadsheet based view that
allows you to customize each column in the spreadsheet by drawing from a wide
array of information and math functions. This
flexibility allows you to customize the presentation of handicapping information
to fit your needs and to create custom “systems”.
A quick example of a simple “system” created in the
Formula View will be a useful orientation before delving deeper into the
operation of the Formula View. In this example we create a Formula Template
designed for six furlong races. We
will create a “system” that looks at the past performance of each horse in
the race. We will stipulate that the past performances must be between 5.5 and 6
furlongs to be eligible for inclusion in our view.
We will then look at the speed figures from each past
performance. This will be one column in our spreadsheet based view.
This column can be sorted, ascending or descending, and is also color
coded by horse. This provides a
convenient way of inspecting the speed figure makeup of a race quickly, at a
glance.
We will add an additional column to our Formula View. This
column will compare the speed figure of each past performance with the winning
speed figure PAR for this type of race. The
formula we will use will subtract the PAR from the speed figure. The difference
will be displayed in each cell of the column.
Since this column is also sortable, we can use it to assess the overall
likelihood of each horse in the race being suited to win based on the speed
figure PAR.
Finally we will add an additional column that will return a ‘1’ if the difference between the speed figure of a past performance is five points greater than the PAR speed figure AND the speed figure of that past performance is three points higher than the MEDIAN of ALL the speed figures of each horse. For each past performance that does NOT meet these conditions, a ‘0’ will appear. We could then use this as our ‘system’, preferring to wager only on horses who have past performances that meet the rules laid out in this formula. The expression to do this is somewhat complex compared to simple data extraction expressions. Nonetheless, it is simply a series of smaller, basic components put together. Once you master the basic concepts you can create more complex expressions such as this one:
#GREATER("ppSpeedFig", #rMED("ppSpeedFig", 0, 1000, 0, 50, 0, 0, 10, 0, 10000) + 3 ) * #GREATER( #COLVAL(3), 2 )
Lets break it down:
First, use the #GREATER function to determine whether the speed figure for the
past performance in any given row is greater than the median value of all the
speed figures of each horse. Here we pass a function in (rMED) as a
parameter to another function (GREATER). The #GREATER function returns a 1 if the right hand operator
is greater than the left. We'll then multiply this value, 0 or 1, by the
rest of the function. So, if the past perf fails this first test, all
other values will be 0.
Sounds complex? Its not -- they're all just simple building blocks put
together. Once you know how to use one function you can use them in all sorts of
combinations.
Second, we use the GREATER function again to determine if the difference between the speed figure is at least 3 points greater than par. Since we already computed the difference between the speed figure and and the par in column 3, we'll use the COLVAL function to retrieve it and check if its greater than 2 (meaning it is at least 3 points higher). Again, GREATER returns 0 or 1, and we multiply our result of the first half of the expression by it. All told, there are two criteria to meet. If one fails, the value will be zero. If both pass, the value will be 1.
The example Formula View above is a quick orientation of
the sort of thing you can do with the Formula View – but it only scratches the
surface of what the Formula View offers. The
main force behind the Formula View is the ability to get at all sorts of
information. Not only can you access standard data available through the form,
you can get at data that EquiSim’s Profiler produces as well.
A complete list of the data available to the Formula View is given below.
How to Create a Formula View
The Formula View is really just the view of a spreadsheet.
The contents of the spreadsheet – what each COLUMN represents and what
information is used to create the ROWS – is defined by a Formula Template.
So, the first step in creating a Formula View is to create a Formula
Template.
To create a new Formula Template open a data card and then
click the Formula View toolbar button
.
This brings you to the Formula View. Note
- you must have a data card open to get to the Formula View Template Editor -
even if you just want to create a template. The data card, and the specific races in that
data card, have no bearing on the creation of the Formula Template – you just
need to open a data card in order to get to the Formula View.
Controls for managing the Formula Templates are located at
the top of the Formula View. You
will see a list of the Formula Templates that you have already created. The
current template used to populate the Formula View is the one selected in the
list of templates. There are
buttons for editing the selected template, removing it from your system, and
creating a new template.
Click the “New…” button. This will cause a dialog to appear asking you to supply a name for the new template. The name must be unique amongst the other templates that you have and you should only use characters that are legal in Windows file names.
Note that you can create a new template by copying the pertinent information from an existing template into the new one. This is not mandatory, but you may find it convenient.
A file is created for each Formula Template. This is how EquiSim keeps track of your templates – it also provides a convenient way to share, and backup, your templates. When you create a template the file for the template goes in the folder named “FrmTempls” located in the EquiSim folder (typically c:\program files\thorotech\ESROI\FrmTempls). When EquiSim starts up, it looks at the files in this folder and loads the templates from these files.
After supplying a name for your new template the Formula Template Editor dialog
will appear. This is the same dialog that would appear if you select a template
from the template drop list and click the “Edit…” button.
This dialog is where you design the look and behavior of the Formula
View.
The Formula Template Editor
As its name suggests, the Formula Template Editor lets you create and modify the details of a Formula Template. The various things you can do with the editor are described below. The Formula Template Editor looks like this:
Formula Type
The “Type” drop list allows you to select which “Type” of Formula Template this is to be. The “Type” dictates how the ROWS of the Formula View are populated. The possible types are:
|
Past Perfs |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Past Performance of each horse in the race. The left most column is automatically generated in the view to hold the race index (e.g., 31Mar03Aqu1) of the past performance represented in each row. Note that with this Type of Formula Template you can also use the “Pace Line Inclusion Filters” to establish rules that filter which past performances are included in the view. |
|
Trainer |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Horse in the race. However, the automatically generated left most column holds the name of the trainer of each horse. |
|
Horse |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Horse in the race. The automatically generated left most column holds the name of the horse the row represents. |
|
Jockey |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Horse in the race. However, the automatically generated left most column holds the name of the jockey of each horse. |
|
Owner |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Horse in the race. However, the automatically generated left most column holds the name of the owner of each horse. |
|
Sire |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each Horse in the race. However, the automatically generated left most column holds the name of the sire of each horse. |
|
Workout |
A ROW is created in the Formula View for each of the workouts of each horse in the race. The left most column is automatically generated in the view to hold the workout index of each workout. |
To an extent, the Type of Template governs what type of
data you can access in the formulas for each column. For example, a template of
type “Past Perfs” would not be able to reference the “wkDistFurs”
variable (the distance of a WORKOUT) because Past Performances do not have
WORKOUT distance information (they are not workouts!).
There are a variety of cases such as this, most of them are quite
logical.
Advanced:
Note, however, that there are features that allow you to get at information from “cross template types” where it makes sense to do so. For example, if you have a “Horse” type template you wouldn’t expect to be able to get at the $ppSpeedFigure variable – since the “Speed Figure” variable is related to a Past Performance, not a Horse. But – you could get at the speed figure of a particular past performance from a Horse row by using an offset designated by the use of brackets [] (e.g., ppSpeedFigure[0] gets the speed figure of the first past performance). This type of usage will be explained more fully in the Variables section.
Race Assignment Filters
The Race Assignment filters allow you to establish rules for assigning each template to a particular type of race. When you open a race card, each race is assigned a Formula Template to use by default on a best match basis. There are a number of filters, all relatively self descriptive. For example, there are a set of distance check boxes. If you wanted a template to be assigned only to sprint races, you could check the “sprint” category check box. Then, when it came time for EquiSim to assign a Formula Template to an upcoming race it would see that this template, with the “sprint” filter applied, matched sprint races better than any template that did not have the sprint filter applied. In this way you can manage which templates get applied to each race by default.
Note that you can change the Formula Template for a given race on the fly. To do so you simply select a different template from the Template drop list on the Formula View. Nothing could be simpler. Do also note, however, that EquiSim does NOT remember which Formula Template you have assigned to a particular race. Formula Template assignment is only done by using the Race Assignment filters as described above.
Pace Line Inclusion Filters
These filters are only used if the Template Type is set to “Past Perfs”. These are filters that govern which past performances will be included in the Formula View for any given race being displayed in the view. Again, the filters are fairly self-descriptive. You can opt to have a Formula Template that ONLY displays past performances that were run on the same surface as the race you are handicapping. You can opt to have a view that only displays past performances that fall within a certain distance range. This is a convenient way to filter out those past performances that you know you don’t want to look at when you are handicapping a specific type of race.
Use Background Colors
The background colors are the colors used to shade the ROWS of the Formula View. When turned on, each row is shaded a color according to the horse the row is representative of. The colors are close approximations of the standard saddle cloth colors.
Columns
Columns are the meat and potatoes of the Formula View. You can create as many as you’d like. Each column has a “formula”, or “expression”, that tells the Formula View what you want to do in each cell of each row. Extensive samples of how this works will be provided below.
There are a set of controls that let you work with Columns. You can Add a column, Remove a Column, and change the order in which the Columns appear using the “Order Columns” button.
Value Type
A column’s value type can be either Number or Text. You
must specify this so that the Formula View knows what it can, and can’t do,
with the information to be displayed in the cell.
This is very straightforward – if you use a variable to return text,
such as the horse’s name, then the type of column should be marked “Text”.
Otherwise, you’ll want the column type to be Number. This topic is re-addressed in the discussion on Variables,
since some variables return numeric values ($ppSpeedFig) and some return text ($hrNameS).
In general, variables that return text have a capital 'S' following them (e.g,
ppTrackS). Variables that return a 0 or a 1 (boolean values) have a capital 'B'
after them (e.g, hrLasixB).
Rank Ascending
This checkbox is used to specify whether the data in a
NUMBER type column is ranked ascending or descending. Descending is the default.
This is important only because there are a couple of functions (described
later) that will return the RANK of a column. The usefulness of these functions
will be discussed below. NOTE that
this has nothing to do with the ability to SORT a column. All columns can be
sorted ascending AND descending by simply clicking the Column Header with the
mouse while the Formula View is displaying data.
Display Rank
This checkbox works on Number columns only. It causes the rank of the value in each cell to appear next to the value in parenthesis (e.g., 10 (3)). Note: If you use the Display Rank sorting by column will be based on Text Values. This could cause some numeric values to appear out of order in the column. This does NOT affect the rank of the value - just the way it is sorted in the Formula View.
Expression
The expression field is where you enter in the formula, or expression, that the column will use to generate the value that will be placed in each cell of the column. You build expressions using:
Using Variables
|
Pp |
$ppSpeedFig |
Past Performance info |
|
Rr |
$rrTrackS |
Race info |
|
Hr |
$hrNameS |
Horse info |
|
Pr |
$prDomeE1 |
Profiler info |
|
Tr |
$trDomeE1 |
Trainer based Profiler info |
|
Ow |
$owDomE1 |
Owner based Profiler info |
|
Sr |
$srDomE1 |
Sire based Profiler info |
|
Jk |
$jkDomE1 |
Jockey based Profiler info |
|
Hz |
$hzDomE1 |
“Has” a profiler ability. $hzDomE1 would return a 1 if the horse has the DomE1 ability, or 0 if he doesn’t. |
|
Wk |
$wkBulletB |
Workout info. |
There are a set of variables designed to get at the information in the Profiler. For example, the variable DomE1 is a Profiler variable. In order to use it you must PREFIX it with information and POSTFIX it to tell the Formula View what you are after. The list of valid prefixes and postfixes is in the Master Variable List. For example, $prDomE1_WP will give you the PROFILER value (pr) for the ability DomE1 and, specifically, it will return the Win Percentage (_WP) of the DomE1 ability for the profiler of the race in question. The Prefixes and Postfixes are summarized here:
PREFIXES:
|
pr |
Profiler variable |
|
tr |
Trainer variable in the Profiler |
|
jk |
Jockey variable in the profiler |
|
sr |
Sire variable in the Profiler |
|
ow |
Owner variable in the Profiler |
|
hz |
“Has” this variable. Returns ‘1’ if the
horse has this type of Profiler ability and ‘0’ otherwise. |
|
_WP |
Returns the Win Percentage of the Profiler based
variable. |
|
_PP |
Returns the Place Percentage of the Profiler
based variable. |
|
_SP |
Returns the Show Percentage of the Profiler based
variable. |
|
_ROI |
Returns the ROI of the Profiler based variable. |
|
_ST |
Returns the number of starts of the Profiler
based variable. |
|
_R |
Returns the number of races of the Profiler based
variable. |
Using Math Operators
You use math expressions the same way you did in basic
math. You can add, subtract, multiply, divide, use modulus, etc..
The one thing you cannot do that some might expect is use the greater
than/less than signs (<, >). These
won’t work. HOWEVER – because these operators are so useful, the special
functions GREATER and LESSER have been added to the Formula View. These are
described below in the Using Custom Functions section.
Using Built In Functions
VBScript offers a wide array of built in functions that you can use in your expressions. These functions are straight forward to use. You can find a reference for all the available functions on the web very easily using a search engine. Usage of these functions is as simple as typing the name of the function and including any necessary parameters. For example, to generate a random number you could use the VBScript function “Rnd”.
In an expression you’d simply type:
Rnd * $ppSpeedFig
This expression multiplies the speed figure value of a past performance by a random number, from 0 – 1, returned by the Rnd function. If you want a different range of random numbers, you could simply multiply the return value of the Rnd function:
(Rnd * 100) * $ppSpeedFig
This expression multiplies the speed figure of the past performance by a random value from 0 to 100.
Using Custom Functions
A set of custom functions is provided with the Formula View
to perform some tasks useful to the handicapper. There are functions to return averages, medians, standard
deviations, and more. The functions
are tailored to work at the past performance level and at the race level.
For example, you could use a function to return the MEDIAN speed figure
for each horse and ALSO use a function to return the AVERAGE of the BEST speed
figure of EACH horse. In short, you can do all sorts of useful stuff with a handful
of these custom functions.
To use the functions you simply enter them into an
expression. Functions must be preceeded by the # character. Each function
takes a set of parameters that help specify exactly what you want that function
to do. TIP: You may not always
want or need to use every parameter in a function. When this is the case, simply
supply values for the parameters that are sure not to have any effect on the
function. For example, some of the parameters can filter out past performances
based on the distance of the past performance. If you did NOT care to filter out
any past performances based on distance, you could specify a minimum distance of
0 and a maximum distance of 100 – this would ensure that no past performance
would be filtered out based on distance.
REMEMBER - when you use variables as parameters in a function you do NOT put the $ character in front of the variable name and remember that variable names must be enclosed in quotes ("").
As with the variables, there's a pop-up list of
functions that appears whenever you type the # character. You can the
optionally select a function from the list. When you do so the function is
inserted into your expression, along with the default parameter values.
These functions, along with their parameters, are described in the same document as the the complete list of variables found here (at the bottom of the Variable List): Master Function List
Using the Formula View
The hard work is over once you’ve created your Formula Template(s). The next step is simply to open a race card and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Remember, the Formula Templates have Race Assignment filters – so, with any amount of luck and perseverance on your part, you’ve armed yourself with a set of Formula Templates that get automatically assigned to just the right type of race whenever you open up that race to handicap it.
So there’s just a couple of notes about the Formula View itself.
· Whenever you go to the Formula View, the data in it comes from the currently selected race in Equisim. This, by and large, is the way the other tools in EquiSim work. You can use the Track and Race selector on the main navigation toolbar to change races on the fly.
· Whenever you leave and come back to the Formula View it is re-calculated.
· You can use the Re-Calc button to force a re-calculation of the view you are looking at.
· The Templates list displays the current template being used by the Formula View. You can change the template being used on the race you are looking at by simply selecting a different template.
· You can re-size the columns by clicking in between two columns with your mouse and dragging until the size fits you. You can SAVE the layout of the columns by clicking the “Save Layout” button. This is a good thing to do so that you won’t have to re-size the columns constantly every time you re-start EquiSim.
· You can sort the data in the Formula View spread sheet by clicking the name of the column you want to sort on. Only one column can be sorted on at a time. The column that is being sorted on has a little arrow in the column header. You can change the sort order (ascending or descending) by clicking again on the column. The little arrow on the sort column indicates which direction the data in the column is sorted.
· You CAN copy data from the Formula View and paste it into another application, such as Microsoft Excel. To do so you select the cells you want to copy and then you must press CTRL-X – NOTE that is CTRL-X. CTRL-C will NOT work to copy the data. Ctrl-X, typically used to CUT data, will copy the data here but will NOT cut it. Once copied, you can use the typical Paste command (CTRL-V) to paste data into another application. You CAN’T paste data into the Formula View.
· The Export button allows you to export the data in the Formula View to a comma delimited file. When you do this, any commas present in the data are converted to semi colons (;).
· The Print button allows you to send the contents of a Formula View to a printer.
DB Direct Database Templates
DB Direct is an additional feature of the Formula View that requires separate activation to use. This area allows you to setup custom export of your formula view templates directly to a database. This feature, including how to use the DB Direct Template editor is described in the section called DB Direct
Race Simulations have two primary purposes. First, they are a means of giving you a visual indication of how a race will setup -- who the front runners will be, whether there's a dominant closer, if the pace will be fast, etc.. Second, the race simulation engine has evolved into a system for determining the winner of a race which has proven successful. Note that it won't always be successful, and that I'm not trying to tell you that EquiSim is a genii capable of giving you all the right answers. I'm saying that, in the past, betting the simulation winners under certain circumstances has proven profitable. Those circumstances change over time, track, and race type -- you must work to stay on top of your game. Further features have been developed to help you do this -- the Profiler feature and the Simulation Analysis feature both tell you specifically where EquiSim's simulation winners are doing well, and where they're not doing that well. Additionally, the "Simulation Tuning Wizard" adds another way of modifying the way that simulations are computed in order to find the best way for using EquiSim's simulation results in your overall game. These tools are described in their own sections. The remainder of this section describes how simulations are generated and how to work with the Simulation View.
How Simulations are Generated
EquiSim uses a variety of data culled from the past performances to generate its race simulations. Many different factors are considered, including the physical characteristics of where the horse races on the virtual track (the track and horses are &
