Customer Reviews

Beyer on Speed (.)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Reading Andrew Beyer is at once informative and entertaining, which anything on handicapping has no excuse not being. While his first book introduced speed figures, and his second mixed the application of them with an appreciation of other aspects of handicapping, this book revisits the holistic approach - always emphasizing speed figures - in an era when everyone has access to more information than ever, and many even know how to use it. What makes reading Beyer so fascinating is that one is made to see, vividly, the endless testing and working out of new ideas and approaches, in the stories - one might call them lessons - he recounts (the chapter on turf betting is a classic of sports writing). Beyer, like Bill James, is a scientist, and thinks like one, to the edification of all who choose not to keep recycling the same old bromides, and making the same old mistakes. People like Beyer and Steve Davidowitz are largely responsible for the ever-escalating arms race which parimutuel bettors are fighting amongst themselves. It's a wonderful game, but if you don't want to get left behind, better read this.

"Beyer On Speed" was the first American book I read on horserace betting. Many would consider the content irrelevant to British horseplayers, but the reverse is true. American racegoers have access to so much more material than their British counterparts, that those who care to avail themselves of the methods of those such as Beyer have a huge advantage in the quest for profit. Beyer himself refers to a "benighted era" of racing, where his speed figures were so little used that he could make money on blindly backing his top figure horse, an advantage which has all but been eroded in American Pari-mutuel wagering since the inclusion of Beyer speed figures in the Daily Racing Form. In addition to the information contained within, the book is written in pithy and perspicacious style. Beyer is a great anecdotalist; many of his stories are salutory as well as entertaining.

Beyer's book is entertaining and enlightening at once. The book gives the reader the theory behind speed handicapping and is full of examples, but even if you never cash a ticket, Beyer is so entertaining you won't care. He is not only a shrewd bettor, but a masterful storyteller. It's a great book, and not "stuffy" like some of the more conservative handicapping books we've all read.

I had had winning days at the racetrack before I read this book. I knew how to watch races, to look for troubled trips, to read the information in the Daily Racing Form, and to keep an eye out for sharp trainers and the patterns they employed with horses. I knew how to do just about everything but win.

After reading this book, I went to Hollywood Park on a Friday night and won. It didn't win because of some shocking new revelation, but because Andy Beyer stresses where the handicapper's attention should be, what information is crucially important and what is not. After reading this book, I felt as though I could see the way a race would take shape in my mind, who would go to the lead, who would go four wide on the far turn and make a move. Everything suddenly made sense. I have a lot to look forward to the next time I go to the racetrack, and most of the credit for that is because of this book.

This book is not for the beginning handicapper, but has some of the best information in it of any handicapping book I have read. Most books just give you information about how smart they were to make certain picks, but little knowledge is given to the reader. Beyer tries to pass on information from many years as a professional handicapper. I wish he would write a handicapping book that would have racing forms for 4 or 5 days, then show you how they break down the races to make their selections, not with programs they want to sell. It would be interesting to see the steps a professional handicapper goes through to handicap all races for a track, if they would bet it or pass it.

Andrew Beyer is the godfather of speed figures in thoroughbred racing. In preparing to bet the Kentucky Derby and other races this year I read Andrew Beyer's fantastic book "Beyer on Speed" and Joe Cardello's book "Speed to Spare". These two books fundamentally changed the way I handicap races. It is simply careless to handicap races without understanding Beyer Speed Ratings and use them to your advantage. This book explains the origins of the Beyer Speed figures and walks you through an understanding of how the speed figures are calculated and how they work. I used the information on "Beyer on Speed" and "Speed to Spare" this year (March, 2005) to hit a big trifecta at Santa Anita - without Beyer Speed ratings and the information they provide, I would have never made the bet I made.

Andrew Beyer is not only a great author, but he is at the forefront of making a day at the races enjoyable to all. "Beyer on Speed" is a book that will absolutely make your trip to the track more enjoyable than you can imagine. Beyer doesn't sugar-coat the various elements that make handicapping a less-than-perfect science, but he does help you understand the fundamentals in a very concise way.

I appreciate Andrew Beyer's commitment to racing/handicapping that is so evident in this book and in all his other writings. Andrew Beyer remains at the forefront of the war against doping in racing and other honesty/integrity issues. Andrew Beyer is one of the reasons that horse racing is such a great sport. This book is for anyone wanting to know how to quickly understand the joys and pitfalls of handicapping - and why thorougbred racing is so much fun.

This is not a "NEW" Beyer book. It was orginally published in 1993. The only "NEW" is a six page preface. If you have the original Beyer on Speed, you don't need to purchase this one.

If Andy ever reads his reviews, I wish to extend a personal thanks for this 1 book.

Beyer on Speed is the Bible of Speed Figures. It sets forth a principle and reliable pattern to allow the advanced handicapper to find horses he might never have played before.

This book is the single most important book for Horse Racing speed Figures.

G-d Bless Andy Beyer,

Best Regards MC - TheStickRules.Com

While probably not the best handicapping book even from the Beyer set, this is one of the more entertaining handicapping books around. You should read his earlier stuff first to see how he evolved as a handicapper to incorporate some ideas such as pace, trip, and form cycles, where earlier he had largely dismissed those. Where I spent a lot of time taking notes from other handicapping books, I spent more time turning pages and just enjoying a good read here.

This book is not for the beginning handicapper, but has some of the best information in it of any handicapping book I have read. Most books just give you information about how smart they were to make certain picks, but little knowledge is given to the reader. Beyer tries to pass on information from many years as a professional handicapper. I wish he would write a handicapping book that would have racing forms for 4 or 5 days, then show you how they break down the races to make their selections, not with programs they want to sell. It would be interesting to see the steps a professional handicapper goes through to handicap all races for a track, if they would bet it or pass it.