Bob-- Right. And working with the data over a very long period of time has told me:

a) that whatever anybody says, wind affects final time. I have no argument with the idea that it could affect some horses more than others, but there is no way to measure it, and I don't think there is a huge difference.

b) wind formulas like the ones Ragozin and I use will get you in the ballpark, but will never be totally accurate as a practical matter-- aside from all the estimates involved (speed, constancy, direction), there is a really large building there that creates currents. Think about those stories about football teams (Giants Stadium?) opening and closing doors to affect kickers.

c) SO-- you either use wind and then make corrections based on the horses, because you know your underlying data is innacurate, or you do what Beyer does, which is NOT use wind, and make corrections based on the horses. What you don't do is what Ragozin claims he does in his book-- use the same correction for each race on the day, down to a quarter point. Even if the only issue was the effect of wind (as opposed to changes in track speed), that would be flat out ridiculous.