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February 22, 2008

In This Issue...

The One That Got Away...

You know the proverbial story, the one that finds the old-timey fisherman talking about the big catch he just missed. You can picture him, excited and frustrated at the same time, stretching his hands out, yelling, "He was a real monster! And he got away!"

It's hard to know whether to laugh or commiserate. But if you're a horseplayer, especially one who revels in the sport of reeling in the big ones, you know the feeling. (And, of course, you know it is possible to laugh and cry at the same time!)

So it might have been earlier this week, Sunday, in the sixth race at Bay Meadows. Three-year-old fillies, bottom-level maiden-claimers. Twelve of them. What do you think?

All-In-One Version 6 saw it like this, in terms of the Betting Line:

On the Bay Meadows tote board, the public presented its version: #1 Lordy, 20-1, #2 Revocable Rule, 1-1 (even-money), #9 Devilish Denae, 20-1.

Those who take such things on faith (and, hey, it is one of those, uh — how do we say it? — contentious! races), need no further convincing. Praise the Lordy! And the Devilish Denae, too! ("You said with a wink...")

But, you know, that V6 program/software/handicapping advisor is more than a black box. Inside, it provides some further helpful information, like this:

What you're looking at now is the V6 Factor Summary. It's a distillation of how each contender scores on various pace-and-speed, class-and-form, and angles-and-extenuating-circumstances measures. Of note here, since #9 Devilish Denae is a first-time starter, are her scores in the BF (Breeding Factor) and TB (Track Bias) factors. They're in green, and they're perfect — 100!

It's good to know when the first-timer you're backing at high odds has a solid pedigree. And it's similarly good to know that the first-timer you're backing at high odds has a post position, as shown here:

Again highlighted in green is the pertinent part: the #9 post position, early in the meet, is an encouraging one-for-one.

So why is #9 Devilish Denae getting off at 20-1? Maybe because the trainer and jockey are a combined 0 percent, zip-for-11 together. The public does not like that! In this case, in this race, the public is underestimating pedigree and post position. Even though both have their place in the first-time starter decision-making process, no?

You bet. If you can keep track of all these sorts of things for all the tracks you play, more mental power to ya! But it's not easy. We can all stand a little help from the computer once in a while. High-tech handicapping advisors can keep it together for us while we go about the other parts of our life: work, family, social time, non-racing hobbies.

You get the idea. But there's an even more-rewarding beauty part: The computer does all this at a minimum of toil or trouble on your part. You push the right buttons at the right time, and it pretty much does the rest.

And another beauty part: You can pick and choose which parts of the V6 output are important to you. Some stop at the Betting Line. Others enjoy having a full-blown pace-and-speed projection. Still others appreciate the angle-oriented reports not readily visible from other handicapping products.

It's the best of all possible worlds. Top-level information, a minimum of time and effort to get it, and you use the parts that make the most sense to you. If that's not the ideal application of computers to handicapping, what is?

Maybe it's the result of this race. #9 Devilish Denae made her debut a winning one, paying $44 to win. But that was just the beginning.

#1 Lordy, the experienced maiden preferred by the software, came on to get second, also at 21-1. Your $2 exacta, selections C and A on the V6 Betting Line (in other words, its third-choice and its top pick), returned...$872.60. When's the last time your top-three outlook in a race included an $800-plus exacta? Not often enough, we bet!

The trizacta was completed by the even-money #2 Revocable Rule. Do you know what the $1 trizacta returned? A thousand? Higher. Two thousand? Closer. Try $2,351.10 for the $1 wager. Again, when's the last time your top-three forecast in a race included the $2,351 trizacta? Next time will be the first time? Could be!

Now, is this the race that got away? Longshot plungers and exotics scorers know all too well the penalty they'll suffer if the races in their grasp somehow slip away, either from distraction or fatigue or compromised time-and-effort considerations. Without a quick way to scan for the best of the best opportunities — without a way to easily get down to the top handful of chances among the hundreds per day — this delectable one likely wriggled off the hook and swam away to the guy/fisherman/horseplayer who had his finger on all the poles, felt the undeniable tug here and landed the big one.

Indeed, this was the swordfish, the marlin, the trophy, the picture you pose alongside when you get back to the pier. Here's to continued happy hooking!

The Pars, They Are a-Comin'

Which means, of course, the times, they are a-changin'. (Thank you, Bob Dylan — insert cymbal-crash here...)

Yea, verily, preorder activities are underway. Click here for more.

Final DVD Out Now

It's on Advanced Betting Strategies, a fine conclusion to the series.

Mr. Dick Mitchell goes retro while the Cynthia Publishing Company professional staff takes it avant-garde. Together, they're an irresistibly entertaining and informative team. They'll guide you through betting-strategy topics only a select few are privileged to know, including betting-line dynamics, matrices, USFs, ordered v. unordered probabilities, optimal pick 3 sequences, trifectas, super-dupers — no exotic wager is beyond their ambitious grasp.

Regardless of your methodology, your preferred handicapping software or outlook, this DVD is guaranteed to help you get maximum efficiency from your wagering dollar. Especially if you seek advice on separating the top opportunities from the money-burners, on figuring out how to pick your spots like a pari-mutuel sniper — well, here you go.

Splurge & Save

It sounds oxymoronic, but let's see if we can unwind the logic...

Each individual Cynthia Publishing Company DVD offering (12 in all) retails for $29.95 plus shipping and handling.

So in theory the 12-pack of these digital-video discs should go for $359.40, less shipping.

We'll try not to make that a problem for you. How 'bout all 12 for just $179 plus a single shipping and handling cost? That's nearly 50 percent off the individual-DVD price!

Introducing the Cynthia Publishing Company DVD Dozen. And in this special introductory offer, order before March 1 and take another $30 off the already low price. The bottom line: $149 for the DVD Dozen, if you order now.

Streamlined for your digital lifestyle (!), the DVD Dozen is the ultimate video companion for definitive answers on all matters pertaining to the Cynthia Publishing Company way of handicapping. Have a question about making track-to-track adjustments? Pop in the appropriate DVD and zip instantly to the answer on your TV or computer screen. What's the optimal way to play the exacta? Press 'Play' on your DVD machine and voila! You unequivocally understand how to do it. How should you play turf races? Once more, you get in-depth, step-by-step video instruction — when you want!

All the original Dick Mitchell video instruction is included in the DVD Dozen. But instead of having these classic presentations on bulky, clunky VHS tapes and then rewinding and fast-forwarding to the topics you want, the DVD Dozen allows you virtually instant, on-demand digital access to what you need — now!. The DVD Dozen is the ideal replacement for those old videotapes.

In addition to the original Mitchell material, the DVD Dozen gives you get up-to-date, modern-day commentary by the Cynthia Publishing Company professional staff. Their current research and latest findings complement Mitchell's teachings beautifully.

And if you use computer software or, even better, Cynthia Publishing handicapping software, the DVD Dozen is a dynamite video companion to your high-tech methods. From understanding some of the behind-the-scenes processes driving your handicapping program to getting the most out of various parts of the output, the DVD Dozen is guaranteed to help you maximize both the efficiency and profit-rate of your computer analyses.

So junk those old VHS tapes. Get in-depth video instruction on-demand, both Mitchell and modern-day. Learn how to interpret the output from your favorite computer-handicapping methods to maximize effectiveness and return on investment. All in one neat package: the DVD Dozen. Regularly $179, yours today for $149.

Happy watching!

Our Sponsors

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And don't forget to check out our Online Store filled with Grade I products for winners.

TV-watchers can get seriously involved with this.

And, once more, some killer apps for you to slide onto your hard drive. It's all good, and it's all there to help you get the most fun, enjoyment and profits from your favored pastime/avocation/passion.

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