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                      -- Key Program Update - 07-02-2019 Scratch BOT ONLY

"On Monday 07-01-2019 at LAD: Races 1, 3, 5, and 7 were taken Off the Turf and run on the dirt course.

Scratch BOT’s xml parse routine picked up the initial entries in the Race XML to take races 1, 3, 5, and 7 off the turf.

But track personnel had also made additional Track Condition entries to the Race XML for LAD races 1, 3, 5, and 7. These additional track condition entries were similar to those used at Pimlico on 05-16-2019 to put races back on the turf. They were also structured in slightly different way than anything I had seen in the Race XML before. Of course, this new unexpected structure in the Race XML tripped up Scratch BOT’s xml parse routine.

As a result: Scratch BOT failed to take LAD races 1, 3, 5, and 7 off the turf on Monday 07-01-2019.

So yesterday afternoon 07-01-2019: I whiteboarded out all of the possible use cases I could identify in the Race XML for taking races off the turf and making corrections to put races back on the turf. Doing this involved scanning the Race XML for several hundred race cards including the race cards for PIM 05-16-2019, PHA 06-11-2019, and LAD 07-01-2019.

I then recoded the XML parse routine in Scratch BOT to handle all of the use cases identified from the Race XML.

This morning 07-02-2019 – I tested my work – and was able to verify that the revised XML parse routine was handling all of the different ways Equibase has been making entries in the Race XML to take races off the turf and put races back on the turf.

I compiled a new Scratch BOT ONLY program download package, uploaded it to the server, and added new download links to the Build 198 program download pages for both JCapper Platinum and JCapper Silver.

Again, if Equibase would just use the COURSE node in the xml for changes in surface (instead of messing with Track Condition!)

Now you know why I published a Scratch BOT ONLY program update."