5 comments about The Best of Thoroughbred Handicapping: Leading Ideas & Methods.

1. 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.
   
   In addition, the fact that he has brought so many voices together on money management-- the topic I see the least amount of literature on-- alone makes this worthwhile.
   
   This isn't the type of book I'd toss to a novice, but it will make the intermediate player much more flexible and creative.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. This book is outstanding, well written, insightful, and pulls together so many different angles on handicapping. The only problem is trying to digest all that is here. Excellent work.



5. A lot of methods and ideas from previous books I've read. Not really impressed.
   
   Thanks, PSL King

5 comments about The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship: Advanced Horsemanship B/HA/A Levels (The Howell Equestrian Library).

1. This is the third of a series of three volumes of the United States Pony Clubs' Manual of Horsemanship. While similar in scope to the British Horse Society's one-volume book of the same title, the USPC has taken the approach that the horseperson can read one volume when starting out, a second when they have assimilated a bit more, and finally this third volume when they feel like they know just about everything there is to know. I can promise you that no matter how much practical, useful information you had before you pick up this volume, you will put it down having acquired much more. While it is very readable, it is not a "page-turner". I found that I would read two to five pages, go off and think about it for a day or two, and come back again for more. If you liked the first two volumes in the series, you will like this one. If you approach this book without reading the first two volumes, you will probably find the book incomplete and coverage spotty. The book is written to match the Pony Club standards, and provides the necessary information to advance to the highest ratings -- remembering that the higher ratings in Pony Club build on the lower ones. It is hard to believe that anyone in America today could consider themselves a serious horseman without digesting this volume. Bravo to the USPC for the whole series!!



2. This book is very informitave and helped me alot. I am only a D-2 but it still answered alot of the questions I had. It covers everything from teaching horsemanship to jumping and yes even vet care. The jumping part helped me to understand alot of things that helped me train my horse. I recomend that you buy it.



3. This is a great follow-on to the first two volumes of the USPC manuals. Together, they are the best "curriculum" on horsemanship available, bar none. (I say that, owning 900 horse books! The three USPC Manuals are the most useful of all.) As another reviewer said, it's not "complete"--one should read the first two volumes, first, as, like the USPC Standards of Proficiency, the Manuals build upon each other. I am a long-time riding instructor (over 22 years), especially with the US Pony Clubs. The three-volumes of the USPC Manuals would be a solid foundation of a good equestrian library.



4. This book is great for learning about the body systems of a horse.It also briefly explains how to manage a stable with things such as how to make a stall have good drinage. It is the best book to get if you want to meet the requirements of Pony Club levels A, HA, or B. But I recommend getting this book only if you are at the advanced levels in riding and horsemanship because otherwise you will find that the book overwhelms you with information.I may suggest that people buying this book should consider buying Pony Club Manuals on levels C and D before or perhaps in addition to this manual.Overall, a good book for learning about the horse.



5. This book has helped me so much! I began reading and studying it at age 10 when I was still a C2, and throughout my ratings and progression it has answered my endless questions and supplemented the material from the D and C manuals. While the B, HA, and A manual is very informative, it should only be read by those who can thoroughly comprehend and extract inportant information from the text. I was always a very mature reader, but at times I even had to reread pages to be sure I understood correctly. This book has helped me through my B, HA, and just recently helped me pass my A, so this book is the best way to go to becoming a good rider!
   
   Thank you so much for making this Manual!
   Love,
   Anna

5 comments about THE BEST and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing.

1. I have a very large collection of books on thoroughbred racing. They cover the gamut from owners to breeders to trainers to jockeys to players. I thought I knew pretty much all there was to know about this sport and its athletes. This books was a pleasant surprise in that in the first twenty pages I found new information on horses I had read what I thought were complete biographies about. I would recommend this book to anyone new or old to this sport. It will give you an "inside" view of what these beautiful creatures go through on their journey to become champions.



2. I read Steve Davidowitz's "Professionals Guide" a few years ago and it ranks as one of my all-time favorite handicapping books. His latest release, "The Best and Worst", once again hits the mark as an excellent and informative read.
   
   "The Best and Worst" isn't a handicapping book but instead is more of a history lesson of thoroughbred horse racing as seen through the eyes of one of the sports best players. Davidowitz covers a vairety of topics such as "The Best Jockeys", "The Greatest Upsets", "The Worst Disqualifications", and many, many more. For the most part, Davidowitz examines each of these topics from his own vast experiences within the game and as a result he brings life to the discussion of each topic. Davidowitz doesn't give a stale account but many times is able to weave a fascinating personal story about an individual or an event.
   
   Davidowitz has a very friendly and easy-going writing style that allows the reader to immediately become immersed in the book. In "The Best and Worst", Davidowtiz doesn't claim that his rankings are the final authority on the subject of best jockeys, trainers, etc. Although to a reader with the knowledge of his considerable experience within the game, it is hard not to come to that conclusion.
   
   If you are a die-hard horse racing fan and want to relive some of the great moments of the sport, you will enjoy this book. If you are a causal fan of the game, you will enjoy this book. And if you know nothing about horse racing at all but are interested in learning more about the sports history, I think you will enjoy this book.
   
   In the end, "The Best and Worst" is a wonderful account of many of the important events in horse racing history, most of which were experienced first hand by the author. Davidowitz has once again written a book that will stand alone on the book case of any horse racing fan.



3. As the writer will admit himself, this book is designed to get people thinking and starting their own debates. It's a great place to start in that respect. There is much here that leaves you nodding in agreement or shaking your head in disagreement, but either way racing fans will enjoy reading Davidowitz's opinions and stories behind them, then making your own judgements on the topics he opens. The book is a good read that will keep you jumping from chapter to chapter.



4. Author does a good job of relating to all the best and worst horses, owners, trainers and jockeys. Probably could have done a little more on the "worst" but all in all very well done. A good read!



5. another great read for anyone who is a horse racing fan and would like to know about the sport...

5 comments about SHAM: In the Shadow of a Superhorse.

1. Sham was a very good horse who should not be forgotten. However, there is some misinformation being referred to as factual and also some non-information that would at the very least have been useful, leading me to wonder if this is the best way to remember him. Riva Ridge was referred to as "a lithe, handsome, chestnut horse". Riva Ridge was a bay. Lithe and handsome are opinions, however his color is not. It was also said that Riva Ridge, Key to the Mint, Autobigraphy and Cononero II were engaged in a battle for the 1972 Older Male Eclipse Award. Since Riva Ridge and Key to the Mint were three in 1972, neither horse was eligible for said award. Also one of the reasons I bought the book was to find out more about Sham's pre-Sommer/Martin career. One fact I would have loved to find out was who trained Sham for Claiborne? This person is simply referred to as the trainer. All in all though, I'm glad the attempt was made, however I don't know now whether to trust some facts that I don't have commited to memory.



2. As a thoroughbred racing fan, I've always had the utmost respect and awe for Secretariat, as I feel he was the epitome of the racehorse, and that's why even to this day, other horses are constantly compared to him (and found wanting). Often forgotten, however, is his worthy opponent, Sham, who very likely may also have been a Triple Crown winner if he hadn't had the misfortune to be born in 1970. I've always had a soft spot for Sham because he tried so hard but was chasing a red rocket, impossible to catch. Even Penny Chenery, Secretariat's owner, said she secretly was rooting Sham on, even if just a little, because he was such a fighter. I like to think that Sham helped push Secretariat on to those record-breaking performances.
   
   Although volumes have been written about Secretariat, I never knew much about Sham before his meetings with Secretariat, nor what happened to him after the Triple Crown - so Mary Walsh's "Sham: In the Shadow of a Superhorse" fills a niche. The author weaves Sham's and Secretariat's stories together, because it's truly impossible to tell one without the other, and she adds a nice chapter at the end which tells us what happened to many of the chief players associated with the two horses, as well as some of their equine competition. This book contains a good deal of information I never knew, has lots of photos (although I wish they were in color), and it's written with obvious affection for the subject. If you're a fan of horse-racing history, this book will make a very nice addition to your library.



3. I was thrilled to see that someone had finally written a biography of this great and sadly underrated horse. But aside from the photographs and the interesting summary of the fortunes of 1973's other contenders, this book is a huge disappointment.
   
   The prose reads like a high-school term paper, sprinkled with grammar and vocabulary errors, hyperbolic adjectives and an inexhaustible supply of exclamation points.
   
   A big problem is that Walsh can't decide whose story she's telling. While Secretariat of course will play a pivotal role in any telling of Sham's story, page after page is devoted to details already covered elsewhere about Big Red and his connections, leaving us to wonder what Sham was doing in the meantime.
   
   The book is built almost entirely on secondary sources. Sham's connections are never quoted as part of an original interview, and when the author can't locate a name, people just become a "trainer" or a "groom". Pancho Martin and Laffit Pincay are both still alive, and it's hard to imagine that they would be unwilling to talk about Sham if asked. The only primary source besides Penny Chenery (Tweedy)--also more of a part of Secretariat's story--seems to be Sham's co-owner, Viola Sommer. But instead of letting us hear her words directly, we're given imagined/dramatized conversations with her husband and/or Martin.
   
   And that is the book's biggest flaw: dramatic license that stretches the truth to unacceptable levels. The imagined conversations and "thought bubbles" quickly become a tired device, but far worse are the liberties taken with facts. Walsh writes dramatically of Sham's death under an oak tree in his Walmac paddock, and of his (again unnamed) groom remembering how the horse proudly "pranced toward the breeding shed." In fact, Sham's fatal heart attack occurred in his stall as stated in his obituaries, and he was frequently too keyed up to enter the breeding shed until after repeated attempts, as two of his personal grooms told me when I visited Walmac recently.
   
   Both Nack's and Hillenbrand's books succeed so perfectly because they draw faithfully from the inherent drama of a true story. It was a nice thought, but this can't really be called a biography.



4. Nice story about not only Sham, but his contemporaries as well. Numerous pictures enhanced the book. The only thing I believe was incorrect by Walsh was the race announcer for the 1973 Kentucky Derby was Chic Anderson and not Jack Whitaker as she said. Whitaker did other reporting and commentating, such as Sham loosing two teeth in the Derby.



5. Sham is the forgotten champion in the titanic 1970s of Thoroughbred racing. Author Mary Walsh sheds light on a career that lasted 13 races (five wins and places, respectively, and one show finish, at ages two and three), but was pushed into the shadows by the legendary Secretariat.
   
   In a four-race sequence in 1973, Sham (second place) defeated Secretariat (third place) in the Wood Memorial, kicked home to a pair of closing second place finishes to Big Red in the Kentucky Derby (running the second fastest time ever) and Preakness Stakes. But in the Belmont Stakes, Sham's jockey, Laffit Pincay, Jr., was instructed to challenge Secretariat every step of the race......
   
   ......Walsh does an outstanding job in exploring Sham's life, with quality summaries of the races, including a wealth of photos, and dispelling the myths surrounding his health after the Belmont Stakes, with a good analysis into the cause of the mid-July injury that forced his retirement.
   
   Sham died at age 23 in April 1993. And even in death, the legacy of Secretariat kept him in second place. The necropsy of both racers found each with enlarged hearts, but Big Red's was larger by a couple pounds.
   
   A biography of Sham should have made it onto the track years ago. Walsh makes the wait well worth it.

3 comments about Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments.

1. In this review of the top 100 moments of Thoroughbred racing you will find all of the captivating moments you would expect. However, you also get a glimpse into some other, less publicized events and how they have affected the game. The inaugural Breeder's Cup, for example, was much more important that I had imagined. The chapters are well written by educated and experienced individuals who make strong points for their 'moments.' This book can be at home on a coffee table, or in my bookshelf with 50 other horse books.



2. Compiled by the staff of Blood-Horse Publications, Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments is a nostalgic compilation of great instances in the history of the sport of kings. Each two-page spread of this trade paperback is devoted to memorable occasions ranging from Cigar's historic victory of the first Dubai World Cup, to the very first race call as conceived by George Schilling in the mid-20's, to the broadcast of Man o' War's funeral, each great moment is described in clear prose and illustrated with vintage black-and-white and color photographs. An enjoyable treasury and giftbook especially for horse racing enthusiasts.



3. My husband is an avid horse race lover and this book provided him with alot of enjoyment and facts. He thoroughly enjoyed it.

1 comments about Handicapping 101: A Horse Racing Primer.

1. THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO THE ONLY SPORT WITH MORE STATISTICS THAN BASEBALL! THIS BOOK CAN HELP BOTH THE BETTOR WHO THINKS HE KNOWS IT ALL AS WELL AS THE BEGINNER TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE BETTING SYSTEM.
   WELL WRITTEN AND ENJOYABLE AS WELL AS INSTRUCTIVE.

2 comments about Teaching Children to Ride: A Handbook for Instructors.

1. Very complete book, not only gives pointers about safety and teaching but is full of ideas of games to make learning easy for kids!



2. I was hoping there would be more games and ideas than there were but overall it is an ok book.

No comments about Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown.

5 comments about Speed to Spare: Beyer Speed Figures Uncovered (Elements of Handicapping).

1. Andrew Beyer must be the best thing to come out of the Washington Post since Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein....hey, who says politics and horse racing aren't analogous??

   Seriously though, Cardello has done a superb job of taking the figs and giving Joe (or Jane) Horseplayer what he desparately needs in 21st Century wagering...a concise guide in how to cull the figures in the PP's, establish a pattern, and, perhaps most importantly, begin with eliminating the losers.

   OK, OK, I know, easier said than done. But this book should definitely be on every handicapper's reading list. Well, only those who wish to take more currency from the mutuel windows than they push through them.




2. Joe Cardello, Speed to Spare (DRF Press, 200?)
   
   Speed to Spare is not a book you read; it is a book you devour. Horseplayers who use the Beyer Speed Figures published in the Daily Racing Form who do not yet own a copy of this book, pick it up immediately (after all, it costs only eight win bets after tax). Read it. When you're done, read it again. Follow along, both in the book's examples and in random races you pick from your Racing Form. You will learn more about speed figure handicapping in an afternoon than you have learned since DRF started publishing the Beyer Speed Figures. Guaranteed.
   
   This is a must-read for horseplayers, from the professional bettor to the casual fan. **** ½



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. This is a wonderful book for learning to intelligently use Beyer Speed Figures in your handicapping. Cardello gives a helpful background on the statistics of Beyer speed figures, especially his own statistics on Beyers calculated for turf races. Even more important, he provides example after example (from dirt, turf, sprint, and route races). Gradually you begin to understand how to apply Beyers and how they can improve your chances of winning. There is no 'formula' for using Beyers. He teaches you the 'art' of using Beyers through his examples. I read this quickly and it has already helped me. I plan to read it over and over again until his way of applying Beyers becomes second nature to me. Of course, I expect my understanding and application of these principles to be modified and improved with personal experience.

5 comments about Betting Thoroughbreds: A Professional's Guide for the Horseplayer: Second Revised Edition.

1. 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.
   Years after I first read this, I have realized how great this book is for horseplayers. Davidowitz has covered a difficult array of factors with provoking insight into each and has done a masterful job of explaining how to incoporate into the handicapping puzzle.



2. 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.



3. I've read pretty much everything that's been printed on playing the horses...this book ranks at the top of them all. In my opinion, the most valuable part of this book is the chapter dealing with ticket construction. Davidowitz looks at multiple scenarios and outlines sample tickets to go with each. For example, is there a race where you like one or two horses fairly strongly and want to play a trifecta? Davidowitz develops several different strategies for betting in that situation, as well as suggests that appropriate amount of bankroll to be used.
   
   If you combine the ideas and methods in this book with those in Crists "Exoctic Betting", you would have a very fine grasp on wagering strategies.
   
   One word of caution, this book is definitely for more advanced players. Those who are $2 bettors or play with a limited bankroll can learn a lot from this text, but many of the ideas and methods will be difficult to incorporate. However, I would still recommned this book to anyone who wants to expand his horseracing knowledge.



4. Useful information and definitely not for beginners. Great for handicappers trying to take the next step. It is probably ready for another revision as new aspects of horse racing have come into play over the last 5 years.



5. A well written book that has a lot of value to the handicapper. One of the best ever written imo.