Fair enough JRO. I am not saying this was done intentionally, but the proof is in the analysis that horse racing is not a sport you should be selling your opinions, IMO. Your sports gambling prowess, reading line movement, finding value based off your perceived mistakes on a line by the odds makers vs your power #s, etc is to be commended! LET ME MAKE THAT CLEAR!!! Why are you successful with that? Because you put in the necessary work!
Do you remember the week leading up to the Breeder's Cup when American Pharoah trained like a monster? All I heard was how efficient and effortless he moved at a high rate of speed, clicking off 12 second 1/8ths in the morning one after another after another and so on. A high cruising speed and tactical (as proved in Arkansas). That was a key nugget in my handicapping of this race and how special he really is. It's not something written in the form. 5 months later that information paid off. That happened outside your 2-3 month window of studying this field. Were you aware that your top choice, Dortmund, suffered a quarter crack prior to the San Felipe forcing Baffert to have to change his preparation? Did you watch lifetime replays of these horses? IMO, someone selling picks should be able to evaluate a trip, both good, bad, better than it looked or worse than it looked. I know plenty of people who have been gambling on horses for 30+ years, but that doesn't mean they have good opinions. I've been going to the dentist for 30+ years, but I don't think you want me performing root canal surgery on you!
I hope you understand my point about giving WPS bets prior to seeing the board. When I saw the board, AMERICAN PHAROAH OFFERED A TON OF VALUE! I would hope you thought this too based on how glowingly you wrote about him. There were so many underlays on the board because everyone wants that Giacomo or Mine that Bird payoff. It's not sexy to sell a pick touting the fav, but in some cases, it's the right play. I thought AP may be 8/5, whereas there is no value there. When I saw he went from 5/2 up to 3/1, I took more. Again, you don't know this when you post the package the package so early. Obviously, the earlier the package is posted the more hours to drive sales. I don't endorse this, but after seeing the Gary Stevens piece I bought a little Firing Line. Why? Gary made a comment about the horses mind. There's a lot of good ones out there, but the mind can make the good ones great!
As you can tell, I have passion for the game that Runs deeper than most. I have a very good understanding about what goes on in the industry regarding both horseman and the handicapping/gambling aspects. I feel very strong in my stance that selling WPS plays on Thursday night prior to seeing the board is not the way to best serve the clients. Why not suggest an 8,18/8,18/3,14,15 triple? That's a small play with no threat of "getting crushed" and a logical wager for the horses you used. A novice wouldn't know to do that. Please protect the potential new players and make some adjustments if this is done in the future for any big days. If you, PREGAME, need a horse guy, go out and find one. But good lord, don't put a standup guy like JRO in a position to have to do this again!
Lastly, and I want this to be understood clearly. This is not an attack on you, JRO, as I respect what you do here. I'm sorry to say it though, horse racing isn't why you are a pro. Stick to selling what you know best!