I started to go the horse racing track and wanted to know of a book I could read to help me pick horses?

Question

I started to go the horse racing track and wanted to know of a book I could read to help me pick horses?

Answer 1

Eh....I ought to talk to my friend Kyle and see what he says....he's a TB trainer and a jockey.....he'd know obviously.

Answer 2

any book by......James Quinn

at my website we have a handicapping 101 button...

www.reyenterprise.com

Answer 3

If  you read only one book about picking winners, it should be Sam Lewin's

Education of a Horseplayer.  What a great book.

A good novel by and about a horseplayer is Mark Cramer's Scared Money

  Explains the gambling mentality pretty well.

Beyond that, Andrew Beyer's books are pretty good, though they are a little heavy on the math.  Betting on Horse Racing for Dummies is surprisingly good, gives an overview of the whole sport.

The first answer is absurd.  You should decide for yourself which horses to bet on, but a book about handicapping will give you a good idea what to look for.

Answer 4

don't read any books as these are just one persons opinion & if they knew how to back all the winners then they wouldn't tell anyone.

my advice is read the form & watch as much horse racing as possible,both on tv & at the course( i'm english so it's a racecourse) but don't have a bet until you feel you are in a position of knowledge & only start to small stakes until your knowledge & confidence grows.

  goodluck & happy punting.

p.s. try & avoid handicaps  to start with as it is hard enough picking a winner when the field races off level weights.

p.ps. coco & edward why is this a strange answer? if the author of racing books( about handicapping,breeding,speed or whatever) or racing journalists had all the winners they wouldn't be writing & letting us all into the secret but backing winners & living in somewhere warm & sunny! in addition what is wrong with just watching horses & building your knowledge until you have a good basis to have a bet ??

Answer 5

As with a previous answer, there aren't any books that really benefit the horseplayer much. If there were, the authors sure wouldn't be giving out their best info, it kills the odds, and makes them less money. As a professional handicapper of over 30 years experience, the most valuable sources are DRF (daily racing form) and close observation. There are websites that you can watch race replays. Most sites such as Youbet.com, tvg.com offer live racing and free 60 day trials while you learn more about it. Equibase.com is also a good source. Remember to be your money smartly. You don't have to bet every race, and it's best to pick and choose the races you like and bet a little more. $20 to win on an even money shot, one or twice a night, is better than a $5 win ticket in every race. It's about money management.

Answer 6

There are a couple of books by Andrew Beyer.  He was the one who invented the Beyer Speed figure.  You can get them on Amazon.com.  

Basically the best way to learn how to pick a horse is to grab a daily racing form and learn how to read it.  The form has instructions as to how to read it and what certain things mean.  Most tracks also have handicapping classes that you can take.  They are generally on Saturday mornings about once a month.

To be honest with you the best way to learn how to pick horses is to sit close to successful handicappers and watch what they do and the strategies they use.  But there is no short cut, no easy way to learn handicapping.  There is also no book that can teach you how to pick a horse.

I have been handicapping for 25 years and read about 10 books about handicapping, breeding, speed ratings, and different strategies and sometimes I still can't pick a horse.  It takes time.  This comes from a guy who started writing a book on handicapping and has hit the pick 6 at Aqueduct a couple of times and consistantly makes money at the track.

The best advise I can give you is to bet with you head and not above it.

Answer 7

the first answer is kinda strange... what i do is just look at the horses build+overall condition+past race