Now I’m not one to be very sentimental, as for ages I’ve scorned those handicappers who seem to have taken a liking and disliking to specific horses. I feel that this impedes your ability to be totally objective about a horse’s current shape, which as we all know by now, is the single most important factor. But if the truth be known, there is one horse out there who, hands down, is my favorite.

Now I’m no weirdo, don’t get me wrong when I say that I love this horse, because it really isn’t a horse, in a matter of speaking.

And speaking of the good old days, I used to have a favorite horse, a long time ago when I was a little tike. I mean, this horse was incredible. He never missed. He was in absolutely every photo. I certainly hope there are at least a couple of "over 40" readers out there who might remember this horse…his name….JONES PRECISION. Every single time I looked up at a photo finish of a race, there he was, in it… it said it right there on the screen, "Jones Precision".

I was heartbroken when I discovered that these words didn’t refer to a horse at all, but rather, the name of the company that did the photos! But now I’ve replaced that long-lost love of my wonder years, with a new one. I can’t tell you how many big exactas and trifectas this one has gotten me over the years - prices I really never dreamed of or even deserved.

Well, I am the first one to take credit when I hit one right on the nose and score, but I’m also the first to admit when it’s been handed to me. I guess the best way to introduce this horse is with a short little poem:

That’s my favorite horse, folks - not All Lobell, not Armbro All, not Keystone All, nor All Almahurst. Just plain ALL. This is the horse that has made me more money than any other.

In the short time that this website has been operational, I’ve already been fortunate to suggest certain exacta combinations which have paid in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s as well as several well over $100, as high as $160 and we’ve come darned close to some even bigger. We've also nailed several trifectas in the $600 - $800 range - and these were all with strictly in shape horses - those who "figure".

I also hold the record for the largest $2 Daily Double at Roosevelt Raceway, $1,546.20, which I had several times and had the only live tickets in the house. I’d like to say I called it cold, but I didn’t.

Plain and simple, if you want to catch those precious giants, the ones you’ll tell your kids and grandchildren about, your going to have to be willing to throw some horses into the mix that don’t figure. This means you’re gonna have to be willing to invest in the possibility that out-of-shape horses can get in there. But since one out-of-shape horse is as dependable as another out-of-shape horse, there is little payoff in attempting to chose amongst them.. If you’re gonna include out-of-shapers in your exotic plays, you have to throw them all in, because in my mind, they are indistinguishable from one another.

I’ve mentioned how strong the mathematical correlation is between shape and winning. But for second and third, folks, all bets are off. The correlation isn’t strong enough or significant.

But there’s a time and place for this, and a time and place NOT for this. I’m the king of flexibility, but I have some very good hard and fast rules for when to, and when not to, use all in either your exactas or trifectas, depending one whether the big favorite is in shape, out of shape, a front runner, a closer, whether the field is form filled or formless. If you start throwing in the garbage at the wrong times, you’re gonna run out of money very fast. If you do it at the right times, you can hold you’re own quite well until the key moments, and catch some real nice ones that put you up for a long, long time.

They’re too much to get into in this installment, so I’ll save them for part II of this. But here’s the start…the two basic rules (which might seem like common sense - though some of what I tell you in part II may take a lot of thought to understand):

So here are the 2 biggies … this has to be, or no "all" - never.

1. The first condition that must exist before I start throwing in the junk is that there must be at least one horse who I absolutely feel is in very good shape, who also has a good shot at winning and is being overlooked in the betting substantially. Notice I said "very good" not just "good". Unless I have what I know is a super sharp horse or horses to key in on, the word "ALL" never comes to mind. Notice I said "substantially" not "slightly". If I think this horse should be 3-1 and he’s 7-2, that ain’t substantial.

2. The next condition that must exist before I start throwing in the junk is that there must be a big favorite who, in my mind, has a real good chance of getting beat. By big favorite, I do not mean 9-5. I mean 3-2 or lower. I mean a horse that is sucking in the money in the exacta and trifecta pools big time. Everywhere, on top and bottom. This big favorite can be in-shape or out-of-shape, it doesn’t matter, though my ground rules are different. He can be a closer or front runner, though my ground rules are different. The field can be otherwise devoid of form, or filled with in-shape horses, but my ground rules are different.