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Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing
 
 
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Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing [Paperback]

Tom Ainslie (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 15, 1988
Here is the third edition of the most complete, comprehensive and reliable guide to handicapping and understanding thoroughbred racing. Through twenty best-selling years, "Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing" has taught generations of racing fans how to become expert handicappers and pick winners at the track consistently. Now, in this all-new third edition, Ainslie turns his celebrated wit, clarity and no-nonsense realism to the latest trends and changes in thoroughbred racing.

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Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing + Picking Winners: A Horseplayer's Guide + Betting on Horse Racing For Dummies
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  • Picking Winners: A Horseplayer's Guide $10.20

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone (March 15, 1988)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0671656554
  • ISBN-13: 978-0671656553
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

22 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for beginners, November 13, 2003
By 
John Macri (Hopkinton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing (Paperback)
I read the original version many years ago and can say with absolute certainty that this book is a must read for novice handicappers. The section on the form factor alone is worth the price of the book as it will steer the beginning player away from many false favorites and towards logical overlays.

While not in itself a guide to instant profitability (no book is) this book provides a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build. The insights contained in this book would take many years (and dollars) to learn through trial and error handicapping and will put the player way ahead of other novice handicappers.

A seminal work in the field of horse race handicapping, this book provides a lot of useful info on a wide range of topics. While there may not a lot in here for experienced players, if you're just starting out then this should be the first book you read.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Complete but needs to updated, September 6, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing (Paperback)
The book covers eveything but tends to be complicated at times. The author provides so much info, it becomes almost impossible to remember all of it without reading the book several times. ( I read it at least 4 times ). Also, some of the information is quite outdated and might not be useful at this time. Overall this is a very good book , but needs to be revised.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The Old School Fundamentals, January 27, 2003
By 
Daniel Hancock (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing (Paperback)
I checked out the 1967 version of this book in the library when I first became interested in horse race handicapping. It was so full of information that I ended up buying it. A few years back, I loaned it to my brother and later asked for it back so I could review some stuff. But, his dominating wife had thrown it away. Well, enough of this boring stuff. This book does a good job of introducing a new, novice, or disorganized horseplayer to the fundamentals of handicapping--a fancy way to say picking winners at the track. Ainslie covers distance, speed, class, form, track conditions, breeding, and jockeys and trainers very thoroughly. The reader should avoid the laundry lists of specific qualifications for horses that appear periodically in the book. This book was published before the advent of Beyer speed figures and other new concepts in handicapping. Also, as in most how to pick winners books, Ainslie has sections of the Daily Racing Form from races where he made a big score. Racing authors seem to never have DRF examples of races where they lost their shirts. But, it is a useful treatise to learn the fundamentals of handicapping though even the lastest edition (1988) is a bit dated. I would advise the reader to learn the general concepts in the book and to avoid the specific criteria for picking horses. It is an excellent place for a new horseplayer to start. Now, if someone could write a book for my brother telling him how to stand up to his wife.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Most thoroughbred races are at distances of three quarters of a mile or more, around at least one turn, from a standing start. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
handicapping procedure, dime breakage, infield rail, mutuel prices, wagered dollar, mutuel payoff, allowance races, finish wire, base bet, furlong pole, good handicappers, mutuel pool, racing strip, dollar odds, claiming races, professional horsemen, racing secretary, claiming price, walking ring, juvenile races, betting opportunities, sloppy track, racing luck, odds range, turf course
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Daily Racing Form, Good Hopes, Bad Baya, Belmont Park, Gallant Passer, Kentucky Derby, Carry Back, Seattle Slew, First Tent, New Jersey, Ina Smith, Spectacular Spy, Blushing Guest, North American, Northern Dancer, United States, Garden State, Bill Shoemaker, Dual Honor, Fast Caz, John Henry, Ranger One, Say Gems, Angel Cordero
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