No comments about Les Courses de chevaux en France: Ouvrage contenant 19 gravures sur bois, 33 photogravures et 66 vignettes par Crafty.

5 comments about The Longest Shot: Lil E. Tee and the Kentucky Derby.

1. As one of millions who was caught up in "Arazi" fever following his stunning Breeders' Cup Juvenile win, this book provides a fascinating look at a horse which most people totally over looked.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed The Longest Shot. I found it at my local library but have since purchased a copy for my growing horse library. I've been a horse nut my whole life but had not been following racing too closely. However, reading this book rekindled my interest. The author weaves the story of the horse and his people. There was always someone who believed in the horse and his career continued. The trainer, Lynn Whiting, and the jockey, Pat Day are particularly interesting as they help this horse towards the top of the equine world. One does not have to be an expert in the racing world to enjoy the book, but at the same time it does not speak down to the reader. I have recommended the book to my family members who have accompanied me on my adventures to Kentucky to visit Lil E Tee. A very well written book which will bring tears to your eyes as you realize that the horse and his connections will actually WIN the Kentucky Derby. An excellent sports book. As well written as a John Feinstein book. Read it!



3. I purchased this book on a whim, let it sit around for a while, and randomly picked it up on my way to bed, thinking that I would read a little bit and then quickly fall asleep. Little did I know that I would be up all night, my usually short attention span completely riveted, as time flew by. This book provides a wealth of information about Lil E Tee's origin, racing career, and the people around him.

   Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the author had a tendency to introduce characters out of sequence. For example, sometimes background information would be provided on a person who was not involved in the progression of the story until several chapters later. By breaking up the sequence in this manner, the flow of the story was impaired and choppy. The author's sentence structure also tended to be loose and brief. Also this oversimplification made reading the story easier and faster, I did feel like the book was written for a younger audience.

   Again, the subject matter was facsinating and the author obviously did a lot of work to uncover a wealth of information on the life of a relatively obscure racehorse. If you're interested in racing trivia, or are simply looking for a captivating sports story, then this book should cater to you!




4. In May 1992, I sat down to watch the Kentucky Derby expecting to watch the coronation of a horse named Arazi as the best horse since Secretariat. However, a horse I had never heard of before, Lil E. Tee, pulled a shocking upset of Arazi and won the Run for the Roses. After Lil E. Tee failed to win the Preakness Stakes, he was forgotten in my mind. That was until I picked up this book.

   John Eisenberg's story of Lil E. Tee is one of the most fascinating horse racing stories you will ever read. A horse with suspect breeding, chronic colic problems, bad legs and who changed hands several times (including once for a mere $3,000) went on to win the Kentucky Derby over several royally-bred colts plus the so-called unbeatable Arazi. He also gave an accomplished jockey, Pat Day, his first (and so far, only) Kentucky Derby winner, when Day himself thought Lil E. Tee was one of his worst Derby mounts ever.

   John Eisenberg has provided a well-researched tale of the life of Lil E. Tee prior to the Derby. Interviews have been conducted with pretty much all of the principles of his story and those tales have been woven into an entertaining story that reads almost like fiction.

   "The Longest Shot" isn't quite the masterpiece of Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit", but I think that this book might have great potential as a movie, because it really is a true equine "Rocky"!




5. It took me until 2003 to read this book. As the book says Lil E. Tee had a dime store pedigree and I figured that being the case this book could not be that good. Boy was I wrong. Eisenberg researched this Lil E. Tee's story thoroughly. He loads the book with detail yet it reads like a novel. It is a fascinating creation. I could not put it down.

1 comments about Dead Heat.

1. This is Murray's last book, having passed away earlier this year. If you are a racing fan or otherwise interested in the world of the racetrack and the crazy people who inhabit it, buy this book. It's funny, touching, and all too familiar for those who love the horses. And then buy all of Murray's racing mysteries. This final book is a great read and I hated to see it end. Murray captured what makes a day at the races so special to many of us. One of these days I'll finally get out to Del Mar and hoist a beer and a few losing tickets in Murray's memory. Until then I'm stuck with the great books he wrote. If you love racing, you'll love this book.

No comments about Melbourne Cup 1930: How Phar Lap Won Australia's Greatest Race.

No comments about American Racing Manual 2004 (American Racing Manual).

1 comments about Winning Without Thinking.

1. This book is written by a Brit and spends the majority of the book talking about British race tracks and wagering in pounds. I found the statistical parts of the book too detailed and I soon lost interest. I'll be glad to sell my copy to anyone for ten bucks American.

5 comments about Handicapping the Wall Street Way: Picking Xtra Winners at the Track.

1. This book is a beautiful blend of both stock market and handicapping theory. Mark Ripple has the double fortune of an advanced knowledge of both and it shows in "Handicapping the Wall Street Way." He takes the time to explain how to win certain races, and utilize strategies that he developed. I found that extremely helpful. He picked Pleasant Home at 30-1 to win the Distaff on Breeder's Cup day (not in the book; a Las Vegas radio show) and gosh, that was amazing in it of itself. There is a great section on exactas as well. This book pieces a lot of things together for me, and that is the point I am trying to make. Previous handicapping books were fine, but when you tie this one in, you will soon see that past, present, and future books (even this one) are not meant to stand alone, and that one really needs a library of them.



2. I read the book in about 1-1/2 hours two nights ago. The author is not a skilled writer. Like a lot of horse racing books, he repeats certain information far too much. The book is also small and thin (starts on page 11 and ends on page 82 with blank and significantly less than full pages between. I will not agree with the author with respect to Martingale betting and in over simplifications regarding professional, rational and irrational bettors. The book appears to have been written over a two week period in November 2004.
   
   I think there are some reasonable points raised with respect to ideas such as wagering on Belmont Stakes (bettors caught up in hype), types of races to look for (e.g. 3+ yo vs. 2 & 3 yo), and strategies for certain types of races (e.g. MCl and MSW races). Many books I have read advocate avoiding horses higher than 5:1, but the author has some ideas for higher odds horses (not tried). He also tries to tie the ideas together at the end.



3. If you play the horses regularly you'll want to keep the insights of Handicapping The Wall Street Way: Picking Extra Winners At The Track close at hand: it's a slim handbook but packed with insights analyzing the betting market, the psychology involved, strategies for successful horseplaying at the track, and developing an effective personal risk profile to hone risk and skills. A very basic, excellent introduction to handicapping horse races!



4. After reading about this handicapping book in an interview Mark E. Ripple did for CBS Marketwatch.com shortly before the Kentucky Derby, I bought it, and was able to coax my friends into making a few online racing bets. The results were fantastic! In that interview, Amy Hoak called Mark Ripple an expert, and I will agree that he certainly is an expert teacher.
   
   Handicapping the Wall Street Way is a very well-written, easy to understand book for novice horseplayers like me. Another one of my friends, who I would consider an intermediate to advanced player herself, said that she could relate to the stock market, financial aspect of it, and it changed the way she thinks about certain types of bets. I have a financial background, and I'd wager that I will start to rethink some of my investment plays as well.
   
   I wasted a lot of money on a lot of handicapping books, and I can honestly say that for $12.95, this is by far the Handicapping the Wall Street Way: Picking Xtra Winners at the Track.



5. This is the best horse racing book ever! I went to the Derby last year and won over $150,000 using the pointers described in this book! Since then I've quit my day job and now travel the country implementing the very techniques in this book. It's amazing! I never thought that two hours reading time would turn in to a fortune! I thought it would take years to learn to play the horses, it only took two hours! Highly recomended read, it will change your life!

2 comments about The Illustrated Guide to Horse Tack: For the English Rider.

1. Susan McBane has a written a very informative and wonderfully illustrated book. This book has the ability to appeal to both the beginner and experienced horse person. It is a book that can span many age groups, easily understandable to all. This book will be a constant companion for many riding levels. The text and accompanying illustrations will aid even the most seasoned rider. It serves as a great reference guide as well as an instructional manual for beginners. The book answers many technical questions about saddle sizing, bridles design, and many more useful topics. As a horse person myself, I wouldn't want to be without Illustrated Guide to Horse Tack. It is a great reference tool.



2. McBane has written an extremely thorough book which is of value to any rider who wishes to expand their knowledge of English tack and related equipment.

   The book has the following chapters: Saddles and Accessories; Bridles and Bits; Training Equipment; Headcollars and Halters' Clothing; Protective Equipment; Driving Equipment; Care of Equipment; and a good Index. The book is filled with color photos as well as black and white line drawings so you know exactly what she is referring to. As well, she puts in sidebars which go over the reasons why or why not you might want to use a particular piece of tack. Included are some history on various types of equipment and techniques for using the various items correctly.

   All in all this is a wonderful book for the English rider of any age or skill level. Don't hesitate to buy it.

1 comments about Betting Horses to Win (Horse Players' Winning Guides).

1. A simple, proven system of picking winning horses. Shows the beginner in a few easy lessons how to be his own handicapper. Shows the experienced race-goer a new type of long-priced, real best bets that have won with astonishing consistency in different months and in different years. Text includes reference rules, glossary, and examples of how to calculate and make a winning bet. 183 pages plus list of major tracks. Sequel to "Payday at the Races." The necessary requirements for each of three of the most powerful types of selection are presented in a nutshell so that each can be recognized almost at a glance. No stone was left unturned in making sure that the "power plays" would win reasonably often under all conditions. Tests were taken at all major tracks but it was demonstrated that these methods also would work well at small or "minor" tracks, which hitherto have been the bugaboo of most amateur handicappers. If these methods continue to produce such astounding results, the reader should have little hesitancy in conducting his operations with the utmost confidence.

5 comments about Small Track Betting: Pick More Winners Using this Sure-Fire Eight-Point System of Race Analysis.

1. This is an awesome introduction into the world of track-betting. This really gives you the jump start you need with information about tracks, jockeys, horses. Easy to understand, by the time you put this down, you will be playing the ponies in no time.



2. This book is awful. I have a large collection of materials about horseracing and handicapping,with varying amounts of good information and insights. This book contains zero. One of the authors "sure fire" points of race analysis is "select either a phone or online account to place your bets" This book is worthless



3. The author gives several examples of winning races @ several small tracks. However, he doesn't tell us how he came up with the winning selections. The book doesn't tell you how to win at these small tracks at all!
   
   It is a complete waste of time and money. The title has nothing to do with the contents of the book at all. Surprised it ever got published.



4. This is not a book about betting or handicapping, at least in the sense of helping the reader get any better at either of these skills. As several other reviewers have noted, the author simply doesn't explain the mental process used to rate the horses in a race. Unlike every serious book on handicapping--and I own almost a hundred of them--there is not a single excerpt from any informational source used to handicap a race (Daily Racing Form, Brisnet Past Performances, Ragozin Sheets, whatever). So the reader obviously cannot follow along with the author's process of selecting winning horses or making sensible wagers.
   
   I specifically agree with one prior reviewer... with every new handicapping book or pamphlet I read, I try to find at least one idea or angle that I can incorporate into my thinking, even if only for the occasional odd situation or race. But this book had nothing of the sort. The only reason to buy this book is to learn a little history of the six tracks discussed (Finger Lakes, Great Lakes, Lone Star, Turf Paradise, Tampa Bay, and Turfway).



5. I had a friend buy this book (lives near Lone Star Park and I live in Austin) as he was excited about it BUT WHERE DOES HE (THE AUTHOR) COME UP WITH THE FIGURES? I took a looksee at it but NOWHERE in the book does he explain his system. My friend is a novice to the track and he thought the book was junk also (having not really looked into it) so he takes the shame for that waste of money. If the author reads these reviews, please explain or put up a website that explains your system! How do you give tens out, nines and eights with the different 8 point system you tout? I can talk about my winning at the track with my system and waste peoples hard earned money by not explaining how I got to my winnings and making my wins up. And shame on the editors for publishing this. If they knew anything about horseracing, they would have had the author accountable. Sheesh.