Nathan, I read in one of the posts about using your data in tuning:
Is this something that can be down loaded?
Is this past performance from other tracks?
any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

p.s. In the spring if you ever want to hit Fonner park, let me know, you can use my table.

I'll keep Fonner in mind next Spring (though that is Trout Season )

Regarding your question.

Simulation Tuning works by simulating races from any number of data cards a few HUNDRED times. Each time a simulation is run, the settings that govern the simulation are adjusted. When all is said and done, EquiSim finds the settings that produced either the best Win % or the Best ROI.
The concept is very enticing. Here's how to do it:

The simulations look at a number of factors for each horse. You can TUNE these factors using past data cards. The biggest factors are the EARLY speed and the LATE speed bias.

Tuning works like this. You go to the Simulation menu and select "Simulation Tuning Wizard". You then select the CARDS that you wish to tune with. The Cards (and results files for them):

A) Must be stored in the way outlined in the Data Files section of the user's guide (help menu)

B) You should select CARDS (only cards) for the track you wish to do the tuning on.

C) You should be connected to the database that you use with this track. There are ways to use tuning without a database, but if you're going to go into tuning you should be into the Database features of EquiSim anyway.

OK, so you've selected the CARD files to use in the Tuning Wizard. The next step is just to run the tuning. There are a bunch of fields that are described in the user's guide. For the most part, you can just accept the default settings.

After you have run the Tuning Wizard (it can take a while, depending on the speed of your computer and the number of cards you used to tune with), you will come to the last portion of the Tuning Wizard. In this screen, just click the 3 buttons in order:
A) Save the settings to a file.
B) Load the settings from the file you just created into EquiSim
C) Store those settings into the database you are connected to.

Now, whenever you connect to that database your Tuned settings will be loaded automatically and applied to relevant races. Tuning settings are only applied to races that are the same TRACK, SURFACE (dirt/turf) and DISTANCE (route/sprint) as the tuning category. So, it makes no sense to use Belmont cards in hopes of tuning for Fairgrounds races.


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I don't personally have any Tuning Settings for public use right now -- although the thought of offering such a service has crossed my mind.
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If the amount of information here is overwhelming:

A) Don't fret, I'm working on a simpler (and faster) process for the future

B) Give it a try and don't be afraid to ask more specific questions about the process.

Best,
Nathan

Nathan:

Will you ever be able to "tune" in more catagories that Track, surface or Distance?. Say, Class, Sex and age?

MyHorse1

I can only be vague about that right now. In general, yes. But the first order of business seems to be devising a method of tuning that offers the same type of benefit but doesn't take as long and/or can be automated more easily.

A way to measure the effect of tuning mechanically is also a high priority. I'm not certain what the best way to do this is. Most likely, something that offers tuned vs. untuned analysis over a time range. It would be most difficult to make this particular process "quick as lightening".

The current method of tuning offers several benefits. On one hand, the concept is sound, but suffers from the same problem that plagues every mechanical handicapping method -- the way races pan out are extremely dynamic.

On the other hand, the tuning process signifies something important about mechanical processes. You can't look at the tuned results of a database (win % or ROI) and assume the program will achieve the same results in future, untuned, races. Tuning has the benefit of running several hundred different scenarios for each race to find what has worked the best in the past. Again, applying what has worked in the past to the future is appealing in many situations. But, what the tuning process reveals is how well the particular mechanical method can work at its best. That is -- the fact that we can usually get very good results in a tuned database shows the capability of the method -- that the mechanical method being employed, while variable, can produce significant winnings.

-Nathan