What's with these TrackMaster ratings?

[Kirbys Ace]

Race Secretary's can't classify a horse any longer? Half the field has to be written in anyway!

Who rates the horse's for trackmaster? If your going to do that then just go back to ABC ratings!

And what the hell is a trackmaster? I thought that was Gural?

[Locked in with pace]

Trackmaster is a foolish calculation that was developed by one person who can't explain it.  How it works, NOBODY KNOWS, how it is calculated, NOBODY KNOWS, Why ratings go up or down, NOBODY KNOWS. why a horse's rating went up when he never left his stall NO BODY KNOWS and more and more tracks are using it.

WOULD BE NICE IF THE DEVELOPER PUT IN PRINT HOW IT WORKS. NEVER WILL FOR HE CANT

[Bernie Madoff]

Trackmaster is a foolish calculation that was developed by one person who can't explain it.  How it works, NOBODY KNOWS, how it is calculated, NOBODY KNOWS, Why ratings go up or down, NOBODY KNOWS. why a horse's rating went up when he never left his stall NO BODY KNOWS and more and more tracks are using it.

WOULD BE NICE IF THE DEVELOPER PUT IN PRINT HOW IT WORKS. NEVER WILL FOR HE CANT

Damn right.

[old guy]

Good race secretaries don’t need it.

[chief yogi]

i saw the write up how the ratings were made. did the math myself and the numbers were different. even when they tried to explain it they were wrong. now its just turned into a mystery.

[oldjohn123]

If you get an interference or broken equipment, say it did not happen. The line will count and you will drop in class. If you report it the line will be out.

[Locked in with pace]

so far this is what I was told:

start with the day's temperature
if it is raining subtract .12
if the race starts in the daylight at .22
if you race under the lights subtract .27
add .25 if the driver weights less than 168
subtract .37 if the driver weighs more than 169
a key factor is the age of the horse
subtract .35 if he/she is under 4
add .33 if over 4 years old
if you draw inside the 5 hole add .37
if you draw outside the 5, subtract .45
where you finish in the race is a nonfactor. add 0
take all these numbers, do the math, that is is widely acclaimed Trackmaster Rating

[Parked]

Depends where your horse starts out. If you go around the same time every week you keep the rating #. Horse can win most every week or be beaten by the same horses every week.  Secret is not to win by more than a length
Had to be devised by a lazy race secretary and that covers nearly all of them. 

[hot2trot]

how is this "formula" not common knowledge? if you are using it to group horses together and we are betting on it. we should know what makes it up. sounds shady to me

[JerseyBruceHarness]

Have any of you ever used Google?

I searched for TrackMaster Ratings and this came up on top:

http://info.trackmaster.com/harness/reports/ratings/

It explains alot.

[Locked in with pace]

Ok, Jersey:

  Since you are now the expert on the TM ratings after finding the explanation on google, take any horse and write down his/her rating. Then have him/her race. Then use the explanation on google and calculate what his/her new rating is after the race. $100 says you will be wrong.

[chief yogi]

another problem with the ratings is a horse running 70 at big m will destroy a 70 field at fhld. if the numbers are truely correct a 70 is a 70 anywhere.

[pocketrocketwinner]

another problem with the ratings is a horse running 70 at big m will destroy a 70 field at fhld. if the numbers are truely correct a 70 is a 70 anywhere.

They are not scrutized and evaluated after the fact like thoroughbred timeform or beyers. It's sad that trackmasters are actually used for a significant purpose.

[MR.DALRAE]

I can't figure them out

[Locked in with pace]

you are not alone. NO BODY CAN