I Wish Every Track Would Do This, Where to Find a DRF
 

Gotta give props to Canterbury....when I head off to somewhere new its sometimes hard to find a DRF (i wish there was a accurate map on where you chould buy one anywhere in the country) especially at the track (have been sold out before when I got there). Canterbury has a map and the arrival time when the next day's DRF got there and when they should be done distrubiting them to local businesses.

http://www.canterburypark.com/Simulc...5/Default.aspx

What are you doing up there?

I get my PPs at DRF.com. No maps needed. Open 24hrs

That map would be great to have nationwide, I can't find anywhere near my job that has the DRF, I have to wait until I get close to home and buy it from the local smoke shop. Many times I have been stuck at work on a Saturday afternoon wishing I had a hard copy DRF to read and cap with....

That's fantastic, but not everyone wants to print out hundreds of pages of PP's and take them to the track.

I too would rather have the copy in my hands. Printing everything out is to time consuming. There are a handful of stores near me that carry the form. But my problem is getting a copy of it before they sell out. Even in downtown Manhattan, it's tough securing a copy. These's stands/stores that carry it only get a few copies, and it seems that they go very fast.

You don't necessarily have to print out everything.

Whenever I have bought the PPs online, I just use my laptop if I want to look at it.

It's funny, there was this off track facility I used to go to, and since I'd bring my laptop people would think I was using some magical computer program that was picking the horses for me. I'd have to tell them no....it's just the same exact racing form you are using...

That's even more tedious than printing everything out. Oh, the ninth race! Hold on, let me scroll down, then go back and forth for five minutes since I keep whizzing past it with my trackpad.

I like to mark up my form as I handicap so I can go back and see what I underlined, circled, etc. On a laptop, I'd have to basically handicap the entire race at one time, instead of going horse-by-horse, then remember everything I noticed and weigh it all at once. Doesn't work for me.

You would think that DRF would realize the marketing strategy of compiling a list of online locations and allow you to search within a few miles of a zip code.

I too prefer the hard the copy, for whatever reason I do not get the same comprehension reading something in detail on a computer that I get reading a print copy, whether it being reading the Form or law. Printing is time consuming and I can't write notes and grades on the side when I am using a computer.

Math, I too live in Manhattan and have my locations but there are times that they sell out because of their limited copies. I notice that often if you cannot get the Form the day before the stores always get a few Forms in the morning the day of the races you are looking for, you just got to get there before about 11 a.m. to noon.

Yeah, the search for the form was always the hardest part. Ditto on the smoke shop thing. I used to try to get the "Past Performances for Saturday" copy on Thursday -- that was even harder to find.

I also buy it online like most of us here, but if I'm going with my grandfather or some friends who are not as computer literate, I like to pick up a copy for them instead of printing out a lot of loose pages.

egggsellent point. I need to whole mark up thing as well. 1 card on drf pp's is about, which is about 20+ pages, plus its pdf so it takes longer and uses more ink. Now, Brisnet on the other hand will have you running through Cartridges left an right, 40+ pages for one card using the ultimate pp's they have, sh!t takes a tole on your pocket one way or another.

-bt-

Oh, the good 'ole days of just running in for some smokes and a forum... I miss that :(

I agree, it's not the same to download it and print it... Nothing like cracking that racing forum open and marking it up... sigh...

I live less than 30 miles from a track and never see one in the stores.

I guess if I had the lifestyle I wanted (going to the track every day instead of working), I'm assuming I could subscribe for home delivery? The in-between is the occasional racegoer like many of us here. Steve Crist might do something like this -- he's normally pretty good about innovations for DRF.

I prefer the printed PDF's with an industrial staple in the upper left hand corner. I just can't cap using the computer screen either.

I always make a freakin mess out of the print version. My wife had the nerve to drag me to some outlets during last weekend's Aqueduct. I had the print Form spread out on a shopping cart while she did her thing. As I flipped, the inner section started to fall out and my attempted save sent pages everywhere on the floor. As I scrambled, I got a nice "what the f*ck is wrong with you" from the Mrs...

Am I the only one committing a white collar crime printing DRF's?

My job happily donates paper and ink to my handicapping. :o The laser printer can kick out a full card in a minute or so.

I'm lucky in Ocala they have the form at every gas station.

i never thought of that!

when we were heading to kentucky, i printed that saturdays pp's on my computer at home. 33 pages, and not much ink left later-well, the look on my husbands face was hilarious!
but it gave me something to do part the ride up.

I figure all the time I would waste running around looking for Forms, they are better off this way...

Although, the Saratoga Trainers PDF was a little over the top.

We know one guy. Entire forests have died to fill his lust for paper info

agreed. and I liked the printer at my old job so much, that I assumed they gave it to me as a going away gift.:)

I know this guy that killed my old printer while asking it to print about 200 pages in an hour....

:rolleyes:

oh believe you me, i punch out as many cards as i can at work, but it literally takes me me like 5+ minutes to print out a 30+ page drf card on my laser printer here at work, then i got people i share the printer with so i have to fend them off with a stick to stay out of my bidness. The kick in the nuts is when you're at home for the weekend not planning on playing any races, get the itch, and find yourself printing off 100+ sheets of PP's:(

-bt-

The only thing I miss about not living in NY anymore is not having the DRF sold in the grocery store. Now I have to sneak in prints during the day at work and sprint to the copier hoping no one gets there first.

Printing costs are not going down anytime soon, and slowly, but surely, more people are transitioning to online purchasing.

Eventually, there will be kiosk setups like when you check-in at the airport... swipe card, select tracks, print.

I love having the good old fashioned DRF when I handicap, but also like the 8 1/ x 11 which folds much easier in your pocket, is brighter, handles ink better and is easy to roll up and slap the railing as you cheer your horse home.

By far the best feature of the 8X11 version...

That's a daily question in my house.

Thank you for the laugh!!! I, too, would prefer the form but make ample use of my work printer to print off the PPs during the week. In order to get the form I need to make a special trip to Suffolk Downs (v.v. depressing without live racing).

Weekends are tough, I need to go to the little library in Warren, VT to print off my PPs. Since I am usually heading to the mountain for a good day of snowboarding I get quizzical looks from the staff wondering why I need all of this small print to snowboard, the significant other wonders the same thing, too. The answer became quite clear to him when I hit the superfecta for this year's Donn Handicap. He is much more patient with my printing needs now :)

The OTB in Maine has a DRF Kiosk,but it is spendy.You pick your track,deposit $2.50,and you get PP's for ONE track.I like it except for the cost,as a regular DRF copy is $5.50 now for about six tracks per copy.

It actually went up to six bucks. I didn't realize it and when I left the $5.50 on the counter you would think that I was trying to steal the Indian guy behind the counters first born.

Rumor has it his printer broke, so hopefully his reign of tyranny is waning. If only it could've happened in Louisville circa April '06, perhaps I'd be a totally different person now.

The OTB closest to me (a Twin Spires property) often has no forms till the day of. They arrive via Greyhound bus. They open at 11am so it's useless. I found that if you change the print to gray and go with recycled ink the cost is probably the same as I need 3 tracks usually 2 max. Formulator also allows you to customize the amount of back races shown which I limit to 5 and use the laptop to go back farther if needed. Fortunately the OTB is near a hotel allowing me to piggy back off their wireless signal. People are amazed to see me watching past races via racereplays.com. I also charge $2 per race to anyone who wants to see a particular race. This more than covers my subscription fees and a chunk of my bar and food bill. Now if I can just get them to turn up the calls instead of country music videos I'm set.

That's right... Especially with weekend cards a "regular" staple runs the risk of malfunctioning and dumping the last couple pages.

I got me a heavy duty one. Makes me feel like I'm ready for business when I drive that staple home...

For me who live 40 miles from the nearest place to buy a paper copy of DRF, my only option is to get it online. I just wish DRF delivers to my doorstep daily.

I laughed

One benefit of buying the online version is it makes the data easier to save for future reference. I've got probably 20 banker boxes filled with DRFs from 1984 to 2000 that I thought were worth saving. It is a storage nightmare. Now, if I need to look up a race that was run at FG in March of 2001, I can find the chart and PPs in seconds.

I can get one a 1/4th of a mile from where I live and 20 yards from where I work!

JuSt CaNt BeT wOrTh A dImE