No comments about The California Cowboy.

1 comments about Own a Racehorse Without Spending a Fortune: Partnering in the Sport of Kings.

1. Harold Metzel is the owner of fourteen Thoroughbreds in a variety of partnerships. He draws upon his experience and expertise in Own A Racehorse Without Spending A Fortune to produce a practical guide to the many different types and levels of involvement in owning a competitive racing steed, including racing, breeding, and claiming partnerships. Emphasiz-ing the importance of pursuing a plan that best accommodates the aspiring horse owner's individual needs, and deftly addressing issues ranging from protecting oneself against liability, to common day-to-day events at the track, the farm, and the auction, Own A Racehorse Without Spending A Fortune is a "must-read" primer for anyone interested in investing their hard-earned money as an owner in the exciting sport of horse racing.

3 comments about Exterminator: Thoroughbred Legends.

1. It's not often that a really special horse comes along. This is a must read about a gelding that had it all and then some. A definite must read about an almost lost and forgotten legend, Old Bones.



2. A terrific book about a terrific horse. A story of a horse that was almost overlooked and went on to become a superstar. If I could own only two horses they would be Exterminator and John Henry. Great read that answered a question that I didn't know existed. Exterminator actually had 99 starts instead of 100 as popularly believed.



3. Exterminator: Thoroughbred Legends is unfortunately a bit dry (compared to, say, Kelso: The Horse of Gold, or Seabiscuit: An American Legend), so the power and excitement of this one-of-a-kind racehorse and his knuckle-biting racing style, not to mention his trials and tribulations, are not conveyed. However, if you just want to know more about Exterminator's brilliant career, this book will do, down to the NTRA racing charts for all his 99 (yes, 99) races.

1 comments about Forego: Thoroughbred Legends.

1. "My horse will never see that big red rump again," promised Forego's trainer (slightly paraphrased) after Secretariat's record-breaking 1973 Kentucky Derby. Following his fourth-place finish in that Derby, the huge bay gelding whose nickname was `Big Joe' would finish out of the money only four more times in forty-nine starts. He would go on to earn `Horse of the Year' titles in 1974, 1975, and 1976.

   But `Big Joe' never did race against `Big Red' again, partly because of his trainer's promise, but also because Forego didn't really come into his best form until he was a four-year-old---the year that Secretariat retired to stud.

   "Forego" is the sixth volume in the excellent `Thoroughbred Legends' series published by the Eclipse Press. This book celebrates one of modern racing's greatest weight-carriers---a hard-trying, seventeen-hand gelding who towered over his lightly weighted opposition, in spite of chronic ankle problems. `Big Joe' raced over six seasons and earned scores of loyal fans who almost always made him the favorite, no matter how much lead he had to carry under his saddle. His special nemesis, the New York racing secretary Tommy Trotter once assigned him to carry twenty-seven pounds more than his lightly regarded opposition.

   Trotter's handicapping skills helped to bring about one of racing's greatest moments: "...Forego's desperate rally on the far outside to catch Honest Pleasure at the wire in the 1976 Marlboro Cup while carrying 137 pounds, eighteen more than the horse he had to run down, on a sloppy surface that Forego usually could not handle."

   Like two other great Thoroughbred geldings of the latter part of the Twentieth century, Kelso and John Henry, Forego ran until he just plumb wore out, always giving his fans his formidable best. No matter that his trainer had to spend three hours a day hosing down Big Joe's sore legs. No matter that he had lost his previous race, or had to carry twelve to twenty-seven more pounds than his four-legged opponents, Forego's fans made the towering bay their betting favorite.

   Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker who won the Belmont five times, the Kentucky Derby four times, and the Preakness twice on Thoroughbreds other than Forego, paid special tribute to the great heavyweight champion: "This has to be the best horse I've ever ridden."

2 comments about Commonsense Betting.

1. This book explains the science and mathematics of "Wager Value" like no other. After reading this excellent book you will understand why the secret of handicapping is NOT determing the horse most likely to win and then betting on that horse (and you will learn Dick's number one rule... "no value, no bet"). As a student of probability I found this work top notch and consider it one of the most overlooked handicapping books ever published. ...it is worth every penny.



2. Dick Mitchell, Commonsense Betting (Morrow, 1995)

   When one picks up a handicapping book by Dick Mitchell, one can be assured one is getting good stuff. Mitchell, a college statistics professor, knows his math. Granted, his style of relation may be annoying at times (after the fiftieth sentence starting with the word "please," perhaps one will pick up on the not-so-slightly condescending tone), but if you can get past it, the information to be found here is great stuff. (And really, Mitchell's not as bad as some other handicapping writers.)

   If you've read a number of handicapping books, especially Mitchell's other works (and Winning Thoroughbred Strategies is one of the best handicapping books on the market, and should be read by every horseplayer, casual and serious), much of what's here is going to be another look at the tips and techniques we've seen before, but through the lens of money management as applied to various types of bets (exactas, pick threes, etc.); stuff the average player could probably figure out given an unlimited amount of time, computer power, and the knowledge of the right questions to ask. But why expend the energy? Get back to handicapping and let Papa Dick do the work for you.

   The book's real gem, though, is the last chapter. (And this will probably be a controversial paragraph with horseplayers, who are wondering why the thing was even in the book in the first place.) Mitchell abandons handicapping, racing, the whole bit altogether, and gives the punter a lesson in money management 101 for the time you spend outside the racetrack. As with his work on handicapping, Mitchell documents everything he says nicely and leaves a long, glowing trail of other reading for the handicapper to pursue; the only difference here is that Mitchell is praising the likes of Bill Donoghue rather than the likes of Jim Quinn. One you've figured out that the last chapter ain't about horses, please, don't skip it. In fact, even if you couldn't care less about horses, beg, borrow, or steal a copy of this book and read the last chapter (unless you're already familiar with outside-the-racing-world money management books by authors like Donoghue and Peter Lynch); it's stuff we could all use, and most of us don't. ****

No comments about The Historyand Art of 25 Travers.

1 comments about Handicapping Contest Handbook: A Horseplayer's Guide to Handicapping Tournaments.

1. This is a reference book for contests. I wish I had purchased it earlier and used the information to enter DRF/NTRA contests. If you are interested in participating in contests this is a must. Mr. Michaels should have an inexpensive way (web site?) of updating his readers annualy or as needed regarding contests. I don't see any reason future contest "books" need to be priced over $10.

No comments about The Complete Guide to Hunter Seat Training, Showing, and Judging: On the Flat and Over Fences.

5 comments about Horseplayers: Life at the Track.

1. 
   This is a fun book for the literate two-dollar bettor or for anyone whose pulse quickens when they hear the words "Breeders Cup" or "Kentucky Derby." Mr. McClelland really captures the variety and perseverance of the dedicated handicappers who make the track their second home. I grew up going to the track with my father, and have met the same types at tracks in the midwest and Florida years ago. (Maybe old horseplayers don't die -- they just go to another meet?) Some of the characters and vignettes are funny, some poignant; and all are well-written and very entertaining. Damon Runyon would have loved it!



2. Found the book to be an easy read for me. I could relate to most of the characters in the book. I would recommend this book to anybody.



3. The premise alone invites envy and curiosity. What aspiring writer would not wish to be paid for the priviledge of researching and writing about his own vice and be given a year to do it. The author's grasp of the material gives credibility even to his introduction to the world of thoroughbreds. His exposure of the invisible(to the ordinary visitor to the track)cadre of inveterate bettors is a real introduction to the pecking order and the order of intellect. From the railbirds to the racing form studiers tucked away in their respective hideouts waiting to make their move the author brings them to life.
   
   As one who has followed the racing scene for over forty years and has spent a lot of time on the back of track I will admit to learning much more about what distinguishes horseplayers from handicappers and the art of betting the bettors and not the horses.
   
   I look forward to his next book. Apparently another paid for vacation to explore the third coast. Another very clever premise.
   
   Congratulations to the author.



4. OK but I had to struggle through it. I wouldn't recommend it for a seasoned horse player!



5. McClelland brings the track into a perspective that any horse player can relate to. If you "work at the track", this read is a "sure thing".

5 comments about The Winning Horseplayer.

1. The main theme of this book is trip handicapping and a horseplayer who mainly focuses on figures must read. This book will change your mind and ways of thinking. I am actually quite surprise that this book was written over 10 years ago.



2. 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).



3. 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.

   In this age of simulcast wagering at multiple facilities, this book is even more important.

   You have to keep a detailed log book as far as we are conerned to know what the bias is at different tracks.

   Andy correctly points out many important factors that the majority of the horse racing public would not consider, and thus if you considered them would give you an advantage.

   Beyer is the King !

   Best Regards to All, MC - TheStickRules.Com




4. 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.



5. This book was a waste of money. I did not learn one thing. All this book would do for anyone is confuse them. The speed figures in this book are nonsense. This book was a waste of my time and money.