Reviews (6)

Maybe more help later
The book is not for beginning players, but the explanations of the bets are. If you have been around the track for even a short time you know what they are called and have a general idea of how to play them. For me it is not realistic to try the strategies because my pockets are not that deep. I can't bet hundreds of dollars per race. The theory is good but the amounts to be bet are not realistic for me, yet. For now I need to work on my handicapping skills and leave the more advanced "exotics" to the pros.

Nothing new
Book was sent in a timely manner and well packaged but didn't contain anything I already know.

A must-read for any horseplayer of the 21st century
This bookelaborates on ticket-tailoring techniques, not on how to identify the contenders in a horse-racing program.Steve Crist does a great job explaining (with clear arithmetic arguments) when to opt for an intrarace exotic bet instead of playing to win/place, and when not to."The master of the pick-6" also shares his ABC-X technique to build interrace bets.
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Subjects:  1. Gambling    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. Horse Racing    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Reviews (11)

Forget The Handicapping Systems - Buy This Book Instead
This is a must-have book on horseracing handicapping. Don't be fooled by its title into thinking this book is only for beginnners - in fact it should become a handicapping classic. Over the last eight years, I have read many horseracing handicapping books - some good, some bad, but this is my clear favorite. Well-written, easy to understand, and it explains very well the four main handicapping factors - condition/form, class, overall speed, and pace. And, it provides guidelines on how these four factors are applied at the various class levels. The first time I applied the author's guidelines to a maiden claiming race I hit a 28-1 winner. From my experience, I am firmly convinced that successful horseracing handicapping long-term can not be achieved by a computer program or a mathematical method/system. But, you can achieve a positive ROI long-term by applying the handicapping guidelines set forth in this book and making value bets, not just betting on the likely winner in every race. Buy this book - it will pay for itself many times over - it sure has for me.

Horse Racing Made Logical
Brad Free is a great teacher as author of one of the easiest to understand books on Thoroughbred Handicapping ever written. For anyone who has tried to understand the myriad of issues in selecting winning horses, this book will surely help simplify the ordeal. It is written in plain language by a talented communicator. Add to your library.....PTWoodman

This is definitely THE place to start
Brad Free's Handicapping 101 is an outstanding book for the purpose that it was meant.Will this book make you an instant winner at the track?Probably not.Will it make you win more?Maybe.Will it help educate a beginner on what to look for, how to read past performances, and when/how to bet?DEFINITELY.
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Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. Horse Racing    3. Sports    4. Sports & Recreation    5. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Reviews (12)

Intelligent & Enlightening horse racing information!
Andrew Beyer has been a godsend to horseplayers.He has made it easy to understand and gave us an edge when making selections.Understanding horse race betting and the past performances of horses has opened doors to novice and expert handicappers alike!

Great for picking more than just horses
I've never bet on a horse race.I've actually only been to a track once in my life (we don't have a lot of it in this part of the country), and yet I still found this book tremendously useful.Why?Well, it was recommended to me as a guide to "Picking Winners," not just in the horse racing world but in the stock market as well.And, having now read the book I can say that it has proven a more effective lesson in choosing stocks than most of the investment books I've read.
Very Informative

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Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. General    3. Horse Racing    4. Race horse betting    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Gambling    8. Games / Gambling / Track Betting    9. USA   

Reviews (7)

Terriffic book- 5 plus stars!
Drawing from so many experts in the field and publishing their original material makes for a great work.Of the dozen or so handicapping volumes I have, this is the one I refer to most often because every each aspect from handicapping factors to money management and tote watching is covered by a true expert in that field.What I discovered after reading this is that I started looking for volumes by the writers herein that contributed chapters of interest.It has introduced me to a lot of guys I would never have found without this book.

Add this one to your library
I have read the first edition of this title over and over and the latest version is only an improvement on a fine work. I agree that a lot of the information provided in the chapters in not in great depth, but it's difficult to take a 200 page book and condense it into a few pages. Quinn has done a great job of doing just that. And since the author provides information on the various sources, it gives the reader the opportunity to reach out to those sources if they have interest in the topic. This is definitely a great addition to any handicapper's library. I have had the opportunity to meet Quinn and he is just as wonderful a person as he is an author.

Break out of your handicapping ruts!
The beauty of James Quinn's updated anthology is not any one revelation that he brings to the table, but that he's synthesized so many voices and give you so many more angles to consider.Those of you who play regularly know how easy it is to identify the obvious chalk-- and how hard it is to get past the two or three "best on paper" types to get to live, mid-priced overlays.You know, the horses that are the difference between a minus day and a wildly profitable day.
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Subjects:  1. Gambling    2. Gambling - General    3. Gambling - Track Betting    4. Horse Racing    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Non-Classifiable    8. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (14)

Interesting presentation
The title says it all in that early speed is the ultimate bias. It's like in the movie Top Gun where Tom Cruise says "I feel the need, the need for speed." The stats of the sucess of early speed don't lie, & this book presents an interesting way of compiling them with an emphasis that includes field size. And a large part of the book presents charts on trainers, jockeys, etc. But concentrating on the 1st call only without the all important 2nd call & no use of fractions means that this work as providing raw numbers is only a starting point for further research. The books of Ainslie, Beyer, Davidowitz & Brohammer should be studied first, as while this effort presents a formula for early speed points, the best system is that one that compiles information & experiances using the most complex computer, the one above the shoulders.

Speed Kills
I liked the book mostly for the Klein speed figures, I have applied them with some success. I was disappointed though when I figured out that it was pretty uneccessary to figure them myself, TVG for example has speed figures that almost exactly mirror what I came up with using the formula from the book. But it did give me a new respect for early speed that I will continue to use in my handicapping.

Early speed is important.However, what is the meaning of the formulas in this book?
I agree that early speed is important in horse racing and in particular horse racing on dirt.Klein Speed Points and Klein Track Bias Numbers as mentioned in this book give the horse racing fans some kinds of objective measurement and idea on how the speed of a race will look like and the likelihood that a horse will perform better because of the favourable change in the pace of a race as well as track bias.However, the author of this book does not explain how the formulas used to derive Klein Speed Points and Klein Trace Bias Numbers are created.
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Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Children's Books/All Ages    3. Gambling - Track Betting    4. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    5. General    6. Horse Racing    7. Race horses    8. Speed    9. Sports    10. Sports & Recreation    11. Statistics    12. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (9)

Andrew Beyer's Mentor
This is clearly one of the best books ever written on Thoroughbred Handicapping. It should become evident soon after the opening chapter how complex and laborious the life of a professional horse bettor must be to hold an edge over the betting public. Steve is a genuine winning handicapper himself, and reveals what it takes to win. The percentage of winning bettors at any given track on any given day has been estimated to be 5%. (2% remain the same consistent winners day after day). It takes an immense amount of never ending study to remain financially solvent as a bettor. Steve, as a responsible author points this out. This reviewer will also confirm this to be true. There is no book on the market that will make a winner out of a nonwinner without effort as in any other great endeavor. I give this book a 5 Star Rating for leaving no stone unturned in the handicapping picture.

Fantastic stuff- the best comprehensive handicapping book
Any book or author that introduces a concept that becomes part of everyone's handicapping arsenal deserves recognition for their genius.Davidowitz was the first to really publish insights into track bias and it's power.Other than that concept, this book is full of good ideas across the board.The revised edition's treatment of pace is good stuff even for those who approach pace more technically like Brohammer.Davidowitz's work on charts and how to use them to find key races and trip overlays is more gold for serious players.
Buy this if you are already skilled and want an edge
I bought this book as a novice thoroughbred better, and no one in my casual group of horserace friends has been able to glean much useful information from it.I should have been warned--the title clearly states that it is for professionals.While this book didn't help me personally, it is probably an excellent resource for someone already in the field looking for the next step in their edge over the house.
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Subjects:  1. Gambling    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. Games    4. General    5. Horse Racing    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Reviews (6)

Excellent work on cycles
Of the DRF peperback series on the elements of handicapping, this is clearly the best work.Cardello really gets in depth on how to weed out value in form cycles by using the Beyer figures. His real life example of how to find "hidden" lines in the past performances are explained in a way that most anyone can understand how he approaches the neverending quest for winners.Clearly he is an expert in handicapping and not just a fan writing a book to fill space on the shelf. Strongly recommended for novices looking to inject a little value by using readily available information in the form, as well as, more experienced handicappers who may be missing out on more opportunities to cash in.

Great Handicapping Book
In preparing to bet the Kentucky Derby and other races this year I read Andrew Beyer's fantastic book "Beyer on Speed" and this book.These books go together like ham and eggs. After devouring the information in Speed to Spare I, like any eager handicapper, was looking forward to applying some of the tips in this book.One way this book made me think "different" is how it helps you spot the potential favorite that may be ripe for a fall which can result in a big pay-off.I went to a track in Michigan that was simulcasting races at Santa Anita (in March, 2005) and WHAM! - I hit a trifecta using the information found in this wonderful book; for the first time in my life found myself at the IRS window with a payoff of over $3,000.00! The presentation of information in this book is easy-to-follow and the actual examples really help the "part-time" handicapper that only spends a limited amount of time at a racetrack each year. I salute Joe Cardello's book and urge anyone interested in using Beyer figures to enhance their trip to the track to buy and read this book.You will not be disappointed.

Wonderful.
Joe Cardello, Speed to Spare (DRF Press, 200?)
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Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Beyer, Andrew    3. Gambling    4. Gambling - General    5. Gambling - Track Betting    6. Horse Racing    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. United States    10. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Reviews (10)

Decent
The Quinn compilation is a much better book and doesn't lock you into DRF, which this book does.Some good perspectives from experts on particular elements of handicapping, but geared towards the DRF audience and promotes to them.

A must-own for handicappers.
Victor Mather (ed.), Bet with the Best (DRF Press, 2001)
Packs a Punch
Bottom Line: Excellent book, well worth the money.You can go blow $20 bucks on an overbet favourite or buy this book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    3. Horse Racing    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Sports/Outdoors   

Reviews (17)

Still a classic
What an eye opener it was when I stumbled on this fifteen years ago!Some of the material is dated, but the fundamentals are well covered and still relevant.Still a terriffic primer for someone wanting to learn the game.

Dated, but worth mining through...
Let's start with the obvious.Ainslie wrote in a different time: before exotic wagering, which he considered a gimmick, became 70+% of the daily handle.His specific advice about WPS betting and money management, as a result, should be discarded.Likewise, his advice about which trainers and jocks to follow has aged poorly.
The Horseracing Information Bible
I had read nearly a dozen books on horserace handicapping before I read Ainslie's book. This should have been the first book on horseracing that I read.Ainslie covers every aspect of handicapping and the racing game imaginable.He writes in a simple, concise, easy style -- easy on the eyes, easy to absorb.
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Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. General    3. Horse Racing    4. Horse race betting    5. Horse-racing    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. United States    9. Games / General   

Reviews (11)

Beyer brings it together
While probably not the best handicapping book even from the Beyer set, this is one of the more entertaining handicapping books around.You should read his earlier stuff first to see how he evolved as a handicapper to incorporate some ideas such as pace, trip, and form cycles, where earlier he had largely dismissed those.Where I spent a lot of time taking notes from other handicapping books, I spent more time turning pages and just enjoying a good read here.

A safe bet.
A very well written book. Easy to read, entertaining and full of useful information, this book makes otherwise complex theories easy to follow. The use of anecdotes and real life examples allow for easier understanding of the ideas presented. This is a useful addition to the library of any horseracing fan. The serious student of horse racing handicapping should easily recover several times the price of the book from using the information presented - that is a safe bet.

Handicapping Classic
Andrew Beyer is the godfather of speed figures in thoroughbred racing. In preparing to bet the Kentucky Derby and other races this year I read Andrew Beyer's fantastic book "Beyer on Speed" and Joe Cardello's book "Speed to Spare".These two books fundamentally changed the way I handicap races. It is simply careless to handicap races without understanding Beyer Speed Ratings and use them to your advantage. This book explains the origins of the Beyer Speed figures and walks you through an understanding of how the speed figures are calculated and how they work. I used the information on "Beyer on Speed" and "Speed to Spare" this year (March, 2005) to hit a big trifecta at Santa Anita - without Beyer Speed ratings and the information they provide, I would have never made the bet I made.
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Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Gambling    3. Gambling - Track Betting    4. General    5. Horse racing    6. Motor Sports    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. United States    10. Games / Gambling / Track Betting    11. Sports & Outdoor Recreation   

Reviews (8)

the odds are crazy
Definitely worth reading, interesting views (not the normal speed, pace, bias, trip stuff).Wish book had more on handicapping however.

What's he selling?
This book seems to be more of a 200 page ad for Sheets than anything else.There are some entertaining elements and a little handicapping, but overall he seems to be stroking his ego and taking shots at Beyer's methods.The book is more of a commentary on Ragozin's life than insight into his methods.

The "Sheets"
This is one of a few "must have" books for the serious handicapper. It explains the development of the racehorse in terms of speed. Rags has developed several angles that are now common racetrack jargon, such as the "bounce" and "looping back around" to a better back number. He explains several patterns of two year olds, then the three year olds, and finally older horses. Whether you buy the "sheets" or are a small better that uses the 50 cent track program, you will learn alot. Its a facinating read and I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Gambling    4. Gambling - Track Betting    5. General    6. Horse racing    7. Sports    8. Sports & Recreation    9. Sports - General    10. Biography & Autobiography / Sports   

Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. General    4. Horse racing    5. Sports    6. Sports & Recreation   

Reviews (5)

Another winner
Beyer expanded on his legendary speed figures by implementing trip and pace factors into his handicapping.He gives you real world examples of how giving attention to those elements can improve your win %.As usual, Beyer's writing incorporates a certain flair that other writers on the subject just don't seem to have.That's what seperates him from the expert handicappers who write books.Andy Beyer is both and everyone who wants to better understand the sport needs to read all of his works.

Another top book, by Andy Beyer
Andy Beyer is speaking of very sophisticated and advanced technique's in track bias at the many different tracks a person may play or go to. some good info, some biased material
This book is worth reading for the appendix and details on trip handicapping, but the material on track biases smacks of type 1 errors (finding differences that aren't really there). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Beyer, Andrew    3. Biography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Gambling    6. Gambling - Track Betting    7. General    8. Horse Racing    9. Horseplayers    10. Sports & Recreation    11. United States    12. Games / Gambling / Track Betting    13. USA   

Reviews (18)

Interesting but too complex
The concept of turn time is very interesting and very ingenious but implementing the Brohamer method is too complex and time consuming. I'm sticking to the Taulbot and Ainslie's methods of pace evaluation.

Extremely poor writing and editing.
I've read a few books of all kinds."Modern Pace Handicapping" is one of the worst, frankly, which makes it definitely the worst racing-related book I've ever read.It's particularly sad when it is supposed to be teaching you something and not just narrating a story.I understand the concept of pace handicapping, but the nuts and bolts hardly fit together in this work.I'm surprised I got any theory out of this book at all.It is truly one of the most poorly written/edited/formatted/arranged books I've run across.
Very Satisfied
At only page 13, I achieved my objective.I bougth this book to
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Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. General    5. Horse Racing    6. Horses    7. Paces, gaits, etc    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. Outdoors   

Reviews (1)

Valye Betting a REAL Winner!
Like so many handicappers and horse racing bettors, I have heard of and thought I was knowledgable about value betting. But, Dr. David Johnson has really opened my eyes!!! His treatment of the subject, his exposing of the perils of angle betting, and his totally "breakthrough" development of The Valuline betting reports are detailed in his Value Betting At The Racetrack book. This one is a definite "should read" for anybody that wagers on horse racing! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. Games    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. Games/Puzzles    5. Games / Gambling / Track Betting   

Reviews (4)

Good primer but outdated
The book starts out well enough with emphasis on the importance of early speed and how effectively it finds winners.From there it touches on several elements of handicapping, but many of the approaches are outdated.Someone being introduced to the game for the first time can definately find some useful information, but it is not very helpful for experienced handicappers.I must say I was a bit disappointed as I have seen other books that referred to Quirin, so I was expecting more from this.

outdated
the angles in this book are no longer profitable if they ever were and the formulas in the back of the book no longer are profitable. i have applied the angles in this book to tests on my computer database software over thousands of races.
The Greatest Book Ever Written...
William L. Quirin is a genius! All of his works are completely amazing and infinitely helpful.I would suggest his books for everyone! Read more

Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Data processing    3. Gambling - Track Betting    4. General    5. Horse racing    6. Multivariate analysis    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Statistical methods   

Reviews (6)

Possibly the best book ever on the subject
Quinn takes class evaluation of thoroughbreds to a new level and backs it all up with statistical data to prove which horses are best suited for each race and it's conditions.Quinn explains in exceptional detail how to seperate contenders from pretenders.I don't think you want to throw a true beginner into this, but novices can substantially improve their understanding and win percentages by mining this volume for ideas of what to look for.The Appendix summarizing what kind of horse to look for in each type of race is worth it's weight in gold and is something almost anyone with even limited experience can apply to their handicapping.I can honestly say that I believe my handicapping is going to a new level as I read and re-read this book to absorb the material.

how to pick the favorite
pretty comprehensive
Increase your handicapping I.Q.:
james Quinn has written the Bible of race conditions.Quinn de-mystifies race conditions and melds conditions into class considerations.He has a separate section for each condtion: Maiden Special Weights, Maiden Claimers, Alw NW1X, NW2X, etc, claiming races -- Stakes etc.Quinn devotes an entire section on 3-year old races.After reading and absorbing this book, the handicapper is able to "throw out" non-contenders at nearly a glance -- leaving only the horses that can win today.Quinn has made me a knowledgable handicapper who knows exactly why the horse I am betting on today should win.
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Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. Games / Gamebooks / Crosswords    4. General    5. Horse Racing    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Thoroughbred horse    9. United States    10. Sports & Recreation / General    11. Outdoors   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Gambling - Track Betting    2. General    3. Horse Racing    4. Sports    5. Sports & Recreation    6. Betting systems & theories    7. HORSE RACING_GREAT BRITAIN    8. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Subjects:  1. Betting    2. Gambling - Track Betting    3. Games    4. Games / Gambling / Track Betting    5. Horse Racing    6. Sports & Recreation    7. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing   

Reviews (9)

A Winning Ticket
Ted McClelland puts cash in the kitty and takes a year to explore the real world of handicapping the races....from the cheap seats at Hawthorne Park to the splendor of Arlington Park and at tracks throughout the country.
Horseplayers: Life at the Track
Great read!!!.....As I went through the chapters, I thought to myself: " I KNOW these guys"!...very insightful on what goes on in guy's heads that makes horseracing such an intriguing and wonderful pastime. The characters are as varied as night and day, and the author's own experiences in gambling bring forth the why's and what-for's of the sport of kings. Highly recommended!

More than horse racing
This is a great book that provides a valuable and in-depth view of horse racing, the colorful characters that frequent race tracks and how the industry operates.It takes us on a search to find the holy grail of making money in horse racing and comes up with some pretty surprising and unexpected answers.
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Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Betting    3. Gambling    4. Gambling - Track Betting    5. General    6. Horse Racing    7. Horseplayers    8. Sports    9. Sports & Recreation    10. United States    11. Sports & Recreation / Horse Racing    12. USA