KNIFE METHOD TIPSHEET EXPLANATION
=================================
This help file describes the way data from your race programs are
used to calculate the SCORES for the Knife Method.

Though it may appear that some of the fields for the KNIFE method are
the same as for the standard method they are actually different, and
there are also some new fields.

Speed Column
============
Same as "STANDARD METHOD". See STANDARD Tipsheet explanation.

Break Column
============
Break is calculated by averaging the past races of a dog's past
performance. To compute Break, the software averages the "first call"
position for each race. For example, if the dog breaks 1st, 3rd and 
5th in three races, the average break would be 3 (1+3+5 divided by 3).  
This average is shown in the BREAK column.  For the RANK, however, 
each dog is then given a score of 1-8 (1 for the best break, 8 for the 
worst).

ESPD Column
===========
ESPD is calculated the same was as "BREAK" is except that the 
"eighth" call is used.

LSPED Column
============
LSPD is calculated the same was as ESPD and BREAK except that the 
stretch call is used.

WPS Column
==========
The WPS column is calculated by dividing the total number of Win,
Place, or Show finishes by the total number of races considered
and creating a percentage.  If a dog had 3 races and finished 1, 2, or
3 in everyone, then this field would show 100%. For total overall 
ranking, the dogs are rated 1-best to 8-worst based on this column 
score.  The win, place, show and starts line of the program is used.  
Only the first line is used.

Grade
=====
This column tells you whether a dog is dropping in
grade for this race or moving up or staying in the same grade. Depending
on whether a dog is going up or down in grade will affect the BREAK,
ESPD and LSPD columns.  How?  Each will be multipled by the factor 
we've calculated to improve results.

In this field you'll see either UP, DOWN, ????, DIST or a blank
space.  Meanings for each are given below.

UP - the dog is moving up in class since his last race.
DOWN - the dog is moving down in class since his last race.
???? - the program is unable to determine whether the dog is moving 
       up or down in class and you should consult your racing chart.
DIST - the dog last ran at a distance not like that of todays race so
       whether it moved up or down was not computed.
blank - the dog is running in the same class today as in his previous
        class and the distance is the same as well.

CLASS (also Part of the GRADE Column)
=====================================

This number (lowest indicates better class) provides a mathematical
calculation of a dog's class prior to this race.

Starts
======
This column contains the number of starts the dog has had at this track
as contained within the program itself.  This number can show experience.
Based on this number the dog is rated 1-8 (1 best, 8 worst) for the
overall RANK.

Best Time
=========
The dog's best time, based on this program, is shown in this column.
Then a rank value is given, 1-best time to 8-worst time.

RANK Average
============
The rank is calculated by averaging all column values and should equal
a number from 1 to 8.