Twilight Zone wasn't strong enough...

[TGJB]

So in Ragozin\'s book, he says he knows for a fact (he doesn\'t explain how) that barring rain, freeze, or thaw, tracks don\'t change speed, so if he adds a quarter point to one race, he has to add it to all races on the day. Forget about the science that says he\'s off his rocker (see \"Changing Track Speeds\"), he knows it for a fact.

But it gets better. Today on the Ragozin board, in response to a question about his own recent posts about adjustments to the figure relationships within slow-paced races, based on what they think the horse would have run, Friedman says \"there are very few over five points\".

Okay, I got it. The track doesn\'t change speed even a quarter point during the day, but it\'s okay to make adjustments of 5 points within a race.

[CentaurMythX]

I don\'t know you personally, but I respect your figures immensely.  I understand that you have a whole mentor thing going on here with your former employer and that you compete with his firm for business in the racing and handicapping communities.  On the other hand, I switched over from Rags about 5 years ago precisely because I found the entirety of your service more accurate and profitable.

I frankly don\'t get why you continue to be wrapped up in what the 2nd place finisher is doing wrong instead of focusing on continuing to put up new tops with your service.  In my humble opinion, get over him and let it go.

[TGJB]

Mentor, shmentor. He has customers and I want them, and as you probably recall from your days using their product, it\'s tough to get those Moonies to even look and compare. What I have done here over the years-- and I used to do a lot more of it-- has gotten a lot of people\'s attention, and a lot of customers.

But on top of that, do you think I\'m just going to let it pass when they do stuff that\'s absolutely nuts? This latest business is incredible. There is not a serious figure maker who ever lived who wouldn\'t laugh at this, no joke. Even if someone did it for themselves, let alone sell it to people as \"objective\" (Friedman\'s word) data.

There\'s kind of a paradox working here. On the one hand people discount things I say about the methods of those guys because of the obvious self interest of the source, on the other, there are very few other people on the planet capable of discussing the subject on a professional level. If I ever really gave my unfiltered opinion about the history of figure making and everything that has ever gone on over at Ragozin\'s (which I did recently in an email to someone) nobody would believe it-- unless they knew me. And no, I\'m not claiming to have invented anything myself.

[CentaurMythX]

TGJB:

It makes sense that you would fight for this relatively small customer base.  At the same time, of course, handicappers and potential thoroughbred owners also have a vested interest in seeing that the value of your figures maintain their competitive advantage.

As far as the argument itself, all I\'m saying is this: The legacy that Thoro-Graph has built by continuing the evolution of making speed-figures has spoken louder to serious players then all of the points you publicly raise about on-going flaws of the dated methodologies that have preceded you.

Continued good fortune,
Walter