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Horse Racing Handicapper's Library Books
There have been numerous books written on the subject of handicapping horse races. The list below includes
some of the best books on the subject. We have found that with handicapping books you don't necessarily
have to subscribe to a particular handicapping methodology in order to learn something from a book.
 
Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing, by Tom Ainslie
This is the third edition of the most complete, comprehensive and reliable guide to handicapping and
understanding thoroughbred racing. Author Tom Ainslie has taught generations of racing fans how to
become expert handicappers and pick winners at the track consistently. This new edition turns his
clarity and no-nonsense realism to the latest trends and changes in thoroughbred racing. He shows
how any handicapper, whether neophyte or veteran, can improve results by taking advantage of new
technology, such as computerized prerace displays of probable pari-mutuel prices and increasingly
detailed past performances records.
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The Best of Thoroughbred Handicapping: Leading Ideas and Methods, by James Quinn
With the Best of Thoroughbred Handicapping, James Quinn arms the modern player with the ultimate edge
and provides the necessary tools to compete in today's high-tech, complicated simulcasting era. Quinn
has encapsulated the ideas and methods of several new voices in handicapping (Steve Fierro, Barry Meadow,
Cary Fotias, Dave Litfin) and enhanced the contributions from some of the older voices (Andrew Beyer,
Steve Davidowitz, William L. Scott). This updated and expanded anthology represents 21 authors and
27 books and articles, characterized by the kinds of scholarly contributions that were unprecedented
just a generation ago.
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Bet With the Best, by Beyer, etal
All New Strategies from America's Leading Handicappers This is the first book in more than a decade to
provide contemporary strategies to compete in this new racing and wagering environment. Authors, such as
Beyer, Brohamer, Crist, Davidowitz, Litfin, Quinn, Shuback, Stich and Watchmaker bring you their own
specialties like simulcast outlets, pace, value, track bias and more. Each chapter is outlined for
illustration with Daily Racing Form PP's and result charts. Bet With The Best is like spending a day
at the track with expert handicappers.
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Betting on Myself: Adventures of a Horseplayer and Publisher, by Steve Crist
Author Steve Crist's unique memoir takes readers through his personal journey into journalism, gambling,
politics and high finance. Whether you're someone who has never seen a Kentucky Derby or a veteran horseplayer
trying to turn a profit in a changing game, Betting on Myself is an unprecedented and compelling tale.
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Betting Thoroughbreds: A Professional's Guide for the Horseplayer, by Steve Davidowitz
This second revised edition is greatly expanded from the original Betting Thoroughbreds, which introduced
horseplayers to trainer patterns, key races and track biases. Steven Davidowitz includes chapters on
pace analysis; innovative approaches to handicapping claiming and allowance races at major and minor
tracks; new ways to use workout and breeding information; successful strategies for simulcast betting,
exotics and the Pick Six; plus much, much more.
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Beyer on Speed, by Andy Beyer
Andy Beyer has long been the serious horseplayer's best friend. In 1975, Beyer's Picking Winners revolutionized
handicapping by popularizing the use of speed figures. Making the necessary calculations to develop a set of
figs for each horse in each race was too time-consuming for most horseplayers, so in 1992 the Daily Racing
Form commissioned Beyer to provide his speed figures for every horse competing in North America. But how do
you use Beyer Speed Figures? This book shows the way, explaining how to relate the Beyer numbers to factors
such as pace, track conditions and bias. It reveals optimal uses of Beyer figures based on computer analysis
of more than 10,000 races, performed by the Daily Racing Form exclusively for this book. Beyer on Speed
presents a revolutionary way to play the horses and win.
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Dave Litfin's Expert Handicapping: Winning Insights into Betting Thoroughbreds, by Dave Litfin
Litfin's approach to analyzing thoroughbred races is eclectic rather than systematic, which is another way of saying he refuses to simplify the game's fascinating complexity. Instead, he focuses on certain recurring situations in which an observant handicapper can gain a clear betting edge, either by backing underbet horses on the verge of improvement or by going against false favorites. Some of his insights pertain specifically to New York racing, which Litfin covers as the highly respected racing analyst for the Daily Racing Form, but most are equally valid for racing throughout North America. Litfin knows his stuff, and his book is among the most useful to appear in this crowded field.
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Dosage: Pedigree and Performance, by Steve Roman
Originator of the contemporary Dosage System, Steve Roman has, at last, written the definitive book on the subject. Although originally devised as a breeding theory, Dosage has evolved into a pedigree classification technique used by owners, breeders and handicappers to buy, breed and bet on the best. Roman's research and development of the roster of chefs-de-race, those prepotent sires that have shaped the breed, has changed the way thoroughbreds are bred, bought and sold.
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Handicapping 101: Finding the Right Horses and Making the Right Bets, by Brad Free
West Coast handicapping expert Brad Free adds a new light to today's modern handicapping era by evaluating speed and pace analysis, handicapping betting theories and the psychology of winning. In Handicapping 101, the handicapper is taught to master the nuts-and-bolts of handicapping by understanding today's advanced past performances, thus gaining a significant edge on the betting public.
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Handicapping Contest Handbook: A Horseplayer's Guide to Handicapping Tournaments, by Noel Michaels
This book has everything a tournament player needs to stay one step ahead of the competition! Noel Michaels, of Daily Racing Form, covers the history of these contests and goes into detail on winning tournament strategy. This informative book contains an index of all the major handicapping tournaments, including each contest's format, entry fee, prize structure and field size. Plus travel tips, contact information and more.
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Handicapping For Bettor or Worse, by John Lindley
Every handicapper is looking for an edge. Handicapping for Bettor or Worse helps horseplayers create their own luck by teaching them to develop their own approach. Author and well-known handicapper John Lindley discusses the methods used by such handicapping stalwarts as Andrew Beyer and Len Ragozin. He focuses on what readers can learn from their systems but also analyzes the limitations and advises players on how to form a more comprehensive approach.
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Handicapping Magic, by Michael Pizzolla
Handicapping Magic presents a comprehensive approach to handicapping. It's not just another book by an expert showing how good he is. Instead, the techniques are explained step by step with dozens of real life examples. Fulcrum Pace, Pace Balanced Speed Numbers, Projected Power Fractions, Form Cycle Windows, and much more are explained. Read Michael's advice on avoiding the Seven Illusions of handicapping and answering the Seven Magic Questions. Learn the real meaning of the overlay. The techniques revealed in this book are so simple and straightforward, so easy to use that it will truly seem like Handicapping Magic! There's even a companion software package called The Handicapping MagicianTM that does all of the calculations in the book for every running line for every horse in every race at the push of a button.
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Handicapping Speed: The Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Sprinters
More than any other form of gambling, horse racing has a dream to fit every imagination. From the great Thoroughbred farms of Kentucky to the backyard breeders across the country, and from the $2 bettors on the rail to the exclusive glass booths in the grandstand canopy, each mind is filled with hope. The dreams are so varied that they often have little in common, except that they have horses at their center. In horse racing, any realistic dream is a little more attainable. The realistic dreams are those in the middle of the spectrum. Pick-Six bets and picking a Kentucky Derby winner out of a pen of yearlings are off opposite ends of the scale. For serious handicappers and serious horse owners, racing provides attainable goals. Both are in search of speed. As Handicapping Speed looks at each factor, from the industry in general to the finest details of the mathematics of time, it will be for the purpose of finding what adds and detracts from speed.
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Modern Pace Handicapping, by Tom Brohammer
Tom Brohamer takes the concept of pace handicapping to new levels, using an innovative computer-assisted strategy that integrates fractional times, running styles, turn times, track variants and final times into an interrelated whole. Intended for the serious horseplayer that plays the game to win, Modern Pace Handicapping gives you the tools to understand how a dead loser at Belmont can be a runaway boxcar winner at Hollywood Park.
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Money Secrets at the Racetrack, by Barry Meadow
Money Secrets At The Racetrack is an amazing money-management manual for thoroughbred, harness, quarter horse, and greyhound players. It shows you exact methods on how to make the most money at the track.
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Off the Charts: Turning Result Charts into Profitable Selections at the Track, by Nick Borg
Analyzing and applying information found in result charts has been, according to author Nick Borg, an area too many handicappers, including himself, have not fully appreciated or studied enough. In sixteen key sections, Borg discusses the differences between grass and dirt races and how to properly interpret race results to determine a horse's state of conditioning; also how important it is to comprehend the different riding styles of jockeys and various conditioning maneuvers. He explains how to understand pace, how to redefine a key race, the proper way of using trip notes, understanding track bias, and looking at post position and turns. He also offers a chart checklist and advice on being methodical in order to be more accurate in identifying winning angles.
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Pedigree Handicapping, by Lauren Stich
Pedigree is one of the newest but still widely misunderstood handicapping factors in thoroughbred racing. Learn how to integrate the fundamentals of breeding into the handicapping process and uncover hidden overlays. Pedigree handicapping reveals how evaluating a horse's bloodlines is most commonly used in maiden claiming and maiden special weight races. It also points out the many other areas where pedigree handicapping has proven to be a powerful tool.
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Picking Winners: A Horseplayer's Guide, by Andy Beyer
This is the book where the modern, speed figure era of horse racing began. This edition of Picking Winners features a new foreword by the author discussing the canges that have swept the sport since the book's original publication. But Picking Winners remains the classic book in its field. Sports Illustrated wrote that its lessons "are framed in anecdote and aphorism, delivered in the clean, rapid-fire prose that is a Beyer trademark. The sheer energy of Picking Winners made it, like its author, irresistible even to the people who were not likely to go around the bend about thoroughbred racing."
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Speed to Spare: Beyer Speed Figures Uncovered, by Joe Cardello
Veteran of three decades at the track explains further why we need speed figures and why final times are inadequate and often misleading. Tom Bohamer, author of Modern Pace Handicapping, says author Joe Cardello's work will be of use to any player using any type of speed or pace figures. The chapter on turf figures and how to handle the high last-out Beyer figure are alone worth the price of the book. Chapters cover Beyer Patterns and Cycles; Beyers on Grass; Top Beyers.
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Turf Overlays: How to Handicap Grass Winners That You May Be Missing, by Bill Heller
Eclipse Award-winning author Bill Heller has a written a straightforward, no-nonsense guide for anyone hoping to improve their turf handicapping. Turf Overlays offers readers powerful stats on turf sires, insights into trainers and jockeys who excel on the lawn and a unique analysis of turf mares. As an added bonus, Heller outlines 10 easy steps anyone can follow to improve their handicapping of turf races.
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The Winning Horseplayer, by Andy Beyer
This is the book where it all began. In The Winning Horseplayer, Beyer goes into an in-depth analysis of speed handicapping and how he developed Beyer Speed Figures. He also examines successful trip handicapping, exotic wagering and how to profit from track biases. A must-read for all horseplayers!
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