Dear Mr Brown
I purchase your product. I purchase your product on a consistent basis. I do not purchase the DRF. When I have no choice; such as when I am running late and cannot download your information and only Ragozin is available I purchase Ragozin (Monmouth Park simulcast does not offer TG).
The question you should be interested in is why? Why do I choose to use your product versus the alternatives?
Is it because the numbers are better? I don\'t think so; I don\'t think the difference between your figure making ability and Mr Ragozin\'s is large enough to cause the very large differences I notice when I use the 2 products.
Very simply put your data is in a most user friendly form. That\'s the secret, your data makes me aware of information that get\'s lost when I use Ragozin. The addition of medication or a trainer change is paramount in handicapping today. The change designation you make (the black dot) may seem to you and many of the people who read this board insignificant but I believe it makes all the difference. Putting the weight and PP on your sheet is a huge help. Putting the trainer and jockey is a huge help. Having the ROTW and throwing your customers a freebie every now and then that\'s nice.
To sum up; there\'s more to your product than just the number and I think you do a disservice to yourself when you compete with other\'s based on just a number and predictions of winners.
Your product as a whole is clear, concise, useful, and a good value. Very few products whether they be consumer goods, non-durables, or something in-between are as good as yours.
I also think the constant mud-slinging detracts from your product and the board.
Thank You
cozzene
TGJB-
Cozzene raises valid points with which I agree. Although I am, as you know, a skeptic in general, I do continue and will continue to use the TG Sheets. The point about user-friendliness was right on target. Your constant upgrading of the product, and requests for feedback, is an important factor for me. On balance, Thorograph does provide the best numbers, and useful analysis. But I also roll my eyes when the sniping about competitor\'s products goes on. If you have a better product, letting it go head to head is all the proof the public will need. The ROTW does this, and I want to thank you for giving out the freebies on a regular basis. They do keep me coming back. And this week\'s ROTW, looks like a race full of value.
You had asked for some feedback about jockey stats- I had suggested last week maybe having having a stat to show path averages on a time basis- to show if a jock is in a recent tendency to run wider than he has historically, since the large number of total races washes out any recent changes in riding style.
How about a handicapping competition online?
Tied in with TG Sheets purchase for those races?
One last point (I can\'t resist). I don\'t see Midway Road\'s prospects looking anything like Smarty Jones\' after his low number in the Rebel. I agree that he is a very risky proposition. SJ had had very consistent low numbers going in, ran his lower number and while some may consider the Ark Derby a 2-pt regression, I didn\'t see it that way and he verified that , at least for me, in Kentucky. Midway Road, on the other hand, comes in with an outrageously uncharacteristic low number, as well as a history of bouncing off such efforts. And while I have a particular fondness for this horse, having keyed him in last year\'s Preakness, I\'ll take a stand against him this time (famous last words), and predict that I am much more in agreement with the notion that he will bounce to the moon rather than pair up or even regress slightly. Of course, by this logic, I shouldn\'t have liked Midway Road last year, coming in with an 8 pt improvement. Thankfully, even a 3.5 pt regression was enough to get the place. I don\'t think he gets that lucky on Friday against horses of this caliber.
Just my $.02
Kingfisher
Florida Phil used to be Chicago Phil. Ragozin\'s numbers when he started at Chicago tracks were lots better when Tom did the work vs Mike. Take the time to do the numbers on ALL races carefully and you get results. Know what I am talking about?
Mike is THE reason I switched to TG years ago. He was fudging the path notes and trouble notations..........
Kingfisher--
Remind us about the jockey thing in July, when we should be done with a few big projects, and should have time to look at it. Derby 1592 also posted some ideas recently about revamping the jockey data, and it also gave me some ideas about how we can improve the sire data.
On Midway Road, the point I was making is that it raised the similar general handicapping issues as SJ in the Derby-- fast horse, tricky pattern read, tough to bet on or against with confidence, regardless of the results. Obviously there are lots of differences in their patterns-- not the point.
And if you guys think I\'m going to let it go when my competition makes a 3 length error in The Kentucky effin Derby, you\'re nuts.
Appreciate the input.
Florida Phil-- actually neither Alan nor I knew what you were referring to, but given the other post it looks like it was about Ragozin\'s trackman. Regardless, we\'re glad you\'re here.
It was Ragozin\'s trackman I was referring to. This is going back to when Ragozin first came to Chicago with sheets. At first terrific. With Mike, results fell off for me. And bdhsheets, I also made the switch then.