Customer Reviews

Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century: A Professional's Guide for the Horseplayers

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The latest edition of this classic work is an extremely detailed work with benefit to both beginner handicappers and those with substantial expertise. Although many of Steve's commentaries about the game in general are an interesting read, the most valuable portions of the book deal with strategies for making money at the track.

The chapters entitled "What's He Doing in Today's Race" and "The Mystery of Allowance Races" offer extremely valuable lessons in trainer intent and class, two factors that get downplayed in the current climate where the focus tends to be on speed figures, pace figures, and computer generated statistical analysis.

The chapter "To Bet or Not to Bet and How Much" is an integral walk through money management, a skill that even the most saavy handicapper often lacks.

In my opinion the book is not meant to be read from front to back, but instead better utilized by focusing on particular concepts, carefully reading and applying the same to your handicapping challenges.

A must read for any fan of the game.

I have read Steve Davidowitz' "Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century" and find it to be a FIVE STAR piece of work by a terrific writer, who explains very well the way the game of horse racing has to be played in the modern era. . .Davidowitz gives precise, careful guidance to horseplayers of any age or experience on how to deal with the new synthetic tracks; how to catch winners trained by the group of trainers who are winning at unprecedented rates, and how to play the game effectively in the world of nationwide simulcasting and greatly expanded exotic wagering menus. Fact is, Davidowitz' insights helped me pick a 9-1 winner trained by Todd Pletcher at Belmont Park on Sept. 16, a horse I would have missed without his profile of Pletcher's best winning tendencies in one of several chapters on the importance of trainer patterns in today's game.

The past performance illustrations are quite legible and easy to read, (which makes me wonder if Fat Philly needs glasses). . .The book also contains updated lists of potent turf sires, off track sires and some of the sires who have been producing high percentasge of winners on synthetic surfaces. There is so much good information in this book and it is so clearly presented that BETTING THOROUGHBREDS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ ON THE SUBJECT OF HANDICAPPING.

It is even stronger than Davidowitz' prior two editions and more comprehensive than anything on the market. (I love the way he blended old illustrations with new ones here). . As a player of more than 1o years myself, I could not recommend this book more highly. Frankly, if you are hoping to improve your game or learn how to win, this is probably your best bet of the season. . .Larry Pick 6.

This marvelous book, which was first published in 1977, has undergone a multitude of changes, all for the better as the betting game has evolved. Davidowitz offers 25 solid chapters covering virtually every pertinent topic on handicapping including: track bias, synthetic track handicapping, the trainer, allowance races, Beyer Speed Figures, pace handicapping, workouts, pedigree handicapping, use of drugs, exotic wagering, watching replays, how to read the Daily Racing Form, & speed and pace figures.

Horseplayers will love this latest edition for its clarity and balanced approach to the subject. With its many charts, tables, race examples, and past performance summaries this book is a must-have, must-read item for any serious horseplayer.

Books on playing the races are best when written by dedicated and successful practitioners of the art and no finer example can be found than Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century by Steve Davidowitz. The third edition of a standard that traces to 1977, no less, Davidowitz was roundly and rightly applauded especially for three telltale contributions in the original book: the key-race method, comprehending trainer patterns, and the author's signature discovery, the overarching importance of identifying track biases, a term the author coined. Now Davidowitz has returned with extensive treatment of the newest challenging developments in the contemporary game: synthetic surfaces (the author relays profiles of every track with artificial surfaces), the supertrainers (who they are, what to look for), a definitive chapter on the elusive topic of workouts (and how to intepret them), and an extensive treatment of pace analysis and using pace figures in combination with the Beyer Speed Figures. Davidowitz is excellent on pace analysis, in particular on the use of "race shapes" to identify the running styles that might be advantage and disadvantaged in a specific race. As the effective use of pace figures (or fractional times) persists as one of the few remaining edges in the information age, handicappers that have devoured the original edition or its first revision should grab this third edition too.
This book probably represents the most current book in the market with various appeals to novices and regular players as well. A long exhaustive book, users are encouraged to read its chapters in small doses instead of huge bites, as Davidowitz tends to be meticulously comprehesive on all topics.
As has been the author's playing experience, the book is comprehensive, diverse, and successful in its descriptions of the handicapping ideas and tools. I give it five stars and you will too.
James Quinn, Los Angeles

I am a graduate of the Steve Davidowitz handicapping school. I began my handicapping career after reading Betting Thoroughbreds back in 1983. I loved the book, still have it, with notes scribbled all over. Steve has been a friend of the handicapper who is willing to learn. Steve is a great teacher. He revisits old and new angles of his vast handicapping library in Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st century. The appendix sections, speed Figures, Pace Figures, and Exotic Wagering Strategies are worth the price alone. He is also one of the few authors that has taken on the 'Drugs in Racing' challenge. He explains 'The Supertrainers'' and he clearly instructs novices on how to develop a solid handicapping foundation by adressing the Synthetic era. This book is for all racing fans, young and old, pros or novices. Steve is a consummate professional. A gamer in thoroughbred terms, and in only Trevor Denman's coined phrase ''moving-like- a-winner'' can you sum up what Steve Davidowitz's Betting Thoroughbred for the 21st century can do for you, the handicapper. So, get a leg up on 'Betting Thoroughbreds' in this era, and it will pay off at the finish line tenfold. Take it from someone that got involved in the game, handicapping, and owning racehorses, after reading Steve's work.

As a professional racing writer and full-time horseplayer for more than twenty-five years, I sometimes feel like I can't learn anything new at the track. That's when I'm winning, which happens a lot less than losing. You've read the books, lots of them, and feel like your angles are so stale. Are you really going to come back to Steve D., who seems like he's been around forever? The answer can only be found when you actually pick up the book, and then it's like you've been grabbed (by the ear) by your favorite teacher and sat down in detention for remedial work. It's deceptively written (such a breezy, easy read) and just stuffed with good advice, sensible review that is red meat for newcomers and some real good inside knowledge on what the hell you maybe should be doing with your hard-earned money. I feel like an idiot for even considering resisting this book. One of the great men of handicapping books -- Quinn -- has a review up here, and I recommend his work too. Of course Beyer is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. What sets these men apart from all the other handicapping books? These guys are writers, too. Handicapping is hard, hard work. But so is being really good at karate. When you've mastered both, though, the way of the flow feels like real power. Synthesizing the many facets of this, the greatest game, to the point where they come second nature is what it's all about. It's a lifetime achievement. Unlocking the secret is a great reward. I know from experience. I also know that no matter how much you've learned, it pays to review. This is one of the best books for that. Beginners, take note: It goes down like smooth bourbon. Start the path here.

Steve Davidowitz's revision offers a comprehensive tool for conquering today's challenges and opportunities at the track. This book has a broad appeal to anyone interested in the game, no matter what level of proficiency. I found Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century wonderfully entertaining, really well-written with a wealth of great personal stories, and full of critical historic information necessary for those who love this sport. It should be a handbook for anyone aspiring to greater handicapping success and a means to finding the key to picking winning contenders - or simply a valued reference book for your library.

If you are a seasoned player, Steve's updated classic can still expand your hard-earned knowledge and offer you an edge and insight only this author can give you to improve your game.

If you are a novice or occasional handicapper, Steve's updated classic will provide you with a depth of fundamental knowledge and information only attained through years of study and dedication to the world of horse racing.

If I were to pick out one book on horserace handicapping that taught me more than any other did, it would be "Betting Thoroughbreds" by Steve Davidowitz. Originally published in 1977, Betting Thoroughbreds is as important in the development of one's wagering wisdom today as it was then. That's because Davidowitz spends a lot of time elucidating concepts that can't be captured by a simple speed figure, or a pace figure, or any of the other "figs" that handicappers (myself included) love to use.

Chief among these non-numerical concepts is trainer intentions. In his chapters entitled "The Trainer's Window" and "What's He Doing in Today's Race," Davidowitz shows horseplayers how to ascertain what a conditioner is trying to accomplish with certain races, workouts and other patterns. If you're one that judges a trainer's acumen solely on the basis of his/her winning percentage or reputation, you will surely find this chapter illuminating. Davidowitz also discusses "track bias," "hidden" class moves and "key" races -- all ideas he pioneered and that, now, are widely discussed (and used) in handicapping circles.

In his newest incarnation of this master work, "Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century," Davidowitz covers all of the above and more. He opines on the winning and losing patterns of today's "supertrainers," value wagering -- including a great section on what likely is and what likely is not "smart" money -- and, of course, synthetic surfaces. In fact, the in-depth chapter on "Synthetic-Track Handicapping" is arguably worth the cost of the entire book, as Davidowitz profiles all of the major all-weather racetracks and details the idiosyncrasies of their main-track surfaces.

New chapters on speed and pace handicapping, subjects barely touched upon in his original work, are also well worth reading.

All in all, I think Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century is a must-read for any aspiring player or fan of the Sport of Kings.

I bought this book as a gift for my boyfriend. He works in the racing industry and is very pleased with it. He has not been able to put it down and has taken notes from this book. He has told me that it has helped him tremendously in handicapping. I'm happy that he likes it so much. He has told me that he wants more books of this kind to help him understand the sport more. I believe this book would be recommended to anyone wanting to learn how to brush up on horse racing skills.

Any book that begins and ends with Secretariat sets the bar pretty high. But between Big Red's lifetime past performances and the official chart of his romp in the 1973 Belmont, Steve Davidowitz has authored the most complete treatise on the current state of thoroughbred handicapping concepts and methods.

Updated to reflect the realities of the 21st century racing game, Betting Thoroughbreds is a must for any player looking to understand and integrate the various handicapping factors into a comprehensive approach.

I bought the first edition of this book over thirty years ago and am still reaping the dividends. If there is one thing I know about this game, it is that no one knows it all. There is always something new to learn, and Davidowitz, who can spin a phrase, has plenty of nuggets to share.

Cary Fotias

President - Equiform