The text below is accurate but users can now simply use a menu within QuickHorse to make the settings described below. That menu is the One Time Setup which is available from the File Menu Bar dropdown or on the second display of the QuickHorse program (after you click "I AGREE").
There is a HELP button with that "One Time Setup" menu and you can read that help file to use this menu.
OR you can edit files on your computer as described below -
Customizing QuickHorse using Setup Files
Over the years users have asked for nuanced features which were easy to program but not widely supported by the user base. This feature describes how any user can add these features to their QuickHorse software by creating simple text files in their c:\jaihorse folder. When QuickHorse starts up it always looks for these files and if they are present and created properly, then QuickHorse allows their customizations to take place.
Below you can see the file that must be created (by its name) and what if anything must be placed into the file. After the filename, a description of how QuickHorse will react to the file being present. If at any time you wish to remove the feature, simply delete the file you've created. There is no further documentation available and we do not provide email support of questions regarding these features. If you are unable to use a text file program like "notepad" to create these files, then there is nothing we can do and you must simply forget about these features or get help from other users. These features are provided "as is" and we will not tinker with them or debug them or have any support of them except this web page so that they are described. All files are to be created in the c:\jaihorse folder of your computer of if you have managed to install QuickHorse on multiple drives then in each \jaihorse folder.
noupdates.txt
If this file is created with at least 1 character in it (filesize > 0), then QuickHorse will only download free entries a single time. This is the original way QuickHorse worked but we changed that when we realized that sometimes tracks will update an entries file even on the day of that race program. When we made that change a user complained so we put in this simple change for that user. No other complaints have been received but if you only wish to download a free entries file a single time to save time in downloading and converting, simply create this file and type something into it. Doesn't matter what the contents are so just type something like "this file exists so that I only download the entries file a single time". Doing so will document the file's use if you forget later.
ellen.txt
QuickHorse will color code the score of the top horse in a particular custom method column in the color YELLOW. A user asked for a way to color code that horse in RED if its score was was higher than the 2nd horse by a difference of GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO a PRESET VALUE. This file will contain that preset value. Create the file and on the first line and beginning with the first character of that line, type in a number, for example, 10 or 10.5. QuickHorse will read this value and on the custom method display (or one of our methods other than the STANDARD METHOD), if the difference in scores between the top horse and 2nd rated horse in a column is equal to or exceeds this value, it will be color coded in red. Doing this customization might enhance your ability to identify horses that are standouts in a particular column.
minhorses.txt
QuickHorse typically backtests or supertunes races without regard to the number of horses in the field for that race. To change this and to only consider races with a certain number of horses or greater number of horses in a field simply create this file and enter that number, for example, 9, as the first 1 or 2 characters in the file. For example, you like to play fields only when there are 10 or more horses racing because you feel you can make more money on these races. Create the file and enter the number 10. Start up QuickHorse and when backtesting QuickHorse WILL NOT consider races with 9 entries or less. Keep in mind that depending on the track, you may not have enough races to make sense out of backtest or supertune so be careful with this feature.
sextype.txt
This is a sort of companion file to the file above - minhorses.txt - but need not be used with it. It only works in a similar way. If you create this file and simply type anything in to it, for example, "this file will force Quickhorse only to use races run with horses of the same sex", then QuickHorse will alter the way it does a backtest or supertune as follows. When either backtest or supertune is selected, then the current race is evaluated as a female only, male only or mixed sex field. When selecting the races to be used for backtest only races of the same sex requirement as this race will be used. For example, you are handicapping a race for Fillies and Mares, and you decide to backtest and you have created the sextype.txt file. QuickHorse will filter out all male only or mixed sex races. The only way to stop this would be to delete this file and restart QuickHorse so be careful in what you're doing and please do not write to us saying QuickHorse is filtering races based on field size (see above command) or because of sex because you forgot about these settings.
computeodds.txt
By now you are aware of the scoring values that QuickHorse uses in its rank column. A user gave to us an algorithm he felt would convert these values to realistic odds values such that the horse with the least odds would be the most highly ranked. By using this number, he also felt that the tote board odds could be compared to this number to determine whether or not a horse was a good bet. For example, if QuickHorse computes according to this algorithm the realistic odds to be 2-1 and the horse's tote board (public odds) are 10-1, then this would be a good wager. If you create this file and store something into it like "this file causes quickhorse to display realistic odds for each horse rather than a rank score", then you will see odds figures listed like 7-1, 3-1, 20-1, etc versus the scoring values. To return to the scoring values you must delete this file and restart QuickHorse. We do not stand behind this algorithm so use this at your own risk along with QuickHorse in general in all its features.
underdistance.txt
Create this file so that QuickHorse will exclude races run at a distance which is less than the number of furlongs entered into this file. As an example, suppose you are backtesting Sprint Races but want to exclude races under 4 furlongs to more accurately depict the type of races you wish to backtest or supertune. You simply create this file with notepad and type a 4 as the only character in the file. QuickHorse will read this file and look at the first number it finds then it will exclude races less than this amount while backtesting or supertuning. You may, if you wish, type in the following "4 furlong races are as short as I wish to handicap while backtesting or supertuning". Doing so might help you remember what this setup file is for.
underptodds.txt
You can use this file to automatically scratch horses from races while backtesting or supertuning past races. Here's how it works - You create this file and enter a number, for example, 10. Start up QuickHorse and do a backtest and QuickHorse will scan each horse's final odds in a race, and automatically SCRATCH that horse from the selection process if its final odds are 10-1 or greater . What you're attempting to do is see what the qualities are of a set of horses that the public discerns as favorable. In this particular example, you would type in 10 and you can also type in other information if desired in order to document the file. For example "10 I don't want to consider horses at odds of 10-1 or higher". QuickHorse is only interested in reading the first 1 or 2 characters which must be numeric. Keep in mind that when handicapping today's race, these horses are not automatically scratched because the final odds are not available.
usefieldsize.txt
This file is already included in the c:\jaihorse folder but its contents are such that it has no effect on QuickHorse unless you decide to edit this file. The file originally contains the following:
SMALL=100 LARGE=0
When you set small to a value other than 100, QuickHorse will only backtest or supertune those races which include a field size less than or equal to this SMALL= number if the race you select (prior to backtest/supertune) also contains less than or equal to this number.
For example, suppose you set SMALL=8. You display a race using any method which has 8 or fewer horses in the field. Now you want to backtest this track profile. You will notice first that on the top line of the display the track profile will include SF8 as part of the track profile name. The track profile listed will be backtested or supertuned (as is always the case). However, backtest and supertune will only look at races with a field size of less than or equal to 8 horses.
If you set the LARGE= to a number other than ZERO, then a similar effect to that above will be observed except in this case, if you select a race with a field greater than or equal to this number, then only races with large fields greater than or equal to this number will be considered when backtesting and supertuning.
For example, you set LARGE=9. When you display a race with 9 or more entrants in it, then backtest or supertune, QuickHorse will only select races matching your track profile but also only with fields greater than or equal to 9 horses. Your track profile name will include LF9 to indicate these are 9 entrant fields and smaller fields will be filtered.
The idea would be that races with fewer or more horses are run differently than races included any field size. If you believe this to be true, then you will want to set this feature. To turn this feature back off, simply set SMALL=100 LARGE=0 save the file, then exit and restart QuickHorse. You will notice your track profile names no longer include SF or LF indicators.