Hi guys, I'm currently using Vossie's Timeform API Project (which is great) for horse racing and am using an API call to get each horse's past race information. I like the API because it avoids some nasty Racing Post screen scraping (sorry Birchy, I know you're a scraping fan!). Anyways, some of the 'beaten by' fields contain abbreviations that I'm not familar with.
So for example, I know ns=nose, hd=head, nk=neck,sh=shoulder...but what do dh and ds mean? Not really a bot question per se but I'm sure one of guys will know the answer.
PS. I'm finding the Adam Heathcote thing highly entertaining, it still continues to rumble on...
I like the API because it avoids some nasty Racing Post screen scraping (sorry Birchy, I know you're a scraping fan!).
No offence taken, i'm a believer in using whatever is easiest. Besides, i used to scrape the Sporting Life website cos it's easier than the RP. ha ha. So Timeform now has an official API? How much are Betfair charging for access? Or are they trying to get everyone on the bandwagon first?
Regarding the abbreviations:
dh = Dead Heat?
ds = disqualified?
These are my edumacated guesses but they're prob right.
Cheers Birchy, those make sense, I like your thinking.
Amazingly, the Timeform API is free (at least, for now). Vossie's project is C# based, but because the API is all HTTP/json based it would be easy to adapt to php, ruby, java etc. It implements the following calls:
- GetFutureMeetings
- GetActiveRaces
- GetRacecourse
- GetTopTrainers
- GetTopJockeys
- GetRacecard
- GetHorsePerformanceAll
- GetJockeyPerformanceAll
- GetTrainerPerformanceAll
- GetMeetingsOnDate
- GetRaceList
- GetRaceResults
- GetLastRun
- BetfairMarketToRaceMatching
Example:
http://form.horseracing.betfair.com/timeform?&key=horse_performance_all&horse_code=00284089&page_sz=999&page_no=0
The full C# project can be found here:
http://forum.bdp.betfair.com/showthread.php?t=340&highlight=timeform
I thought it was an official API seeing as it was done by Vossie who is BDP staff or whatever. Having read it through, it's just web scraping code dressed up with a few fancy function names, so nothing new. But still, i guess it's easier than writing your own. :)
I wouldn't be surprised if betfair have got Vossie to release this because quite a few botters were already doing it. You know what betfair are like for moving the goal posts if a customer finds a profitable strategy...
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