Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races [Paperback]

Dave Brower (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Daily Racing Form (June 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932910727
• ISBN-13: 978-1932910728
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,538 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nothing complete about it..., June 18, 2009

By 

I. Lozada (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races (Paperback)

Let's face it, there isn't a lot out there in the way of harness racing handicapping literature, especially in light of how much has exploded on to the scene for thoroughbred handicappers over the last 10 years. For many of us, who play the t-breds and are at least somewhat interested in what's happening when TVG makes the flip from Hollywood Park to the Meadowlands and Yonkers, it would be nice if there was a harness racing version of Brad Free's excellent Handicapping 101, which was coincidentally also put out by DRF Press.

Frankly, that was my expectation for this book, since DRF doesn't handle standardbred racing, that their first harness racing book would be an introductory level book. The cover certainly suggests this, as well. However, the reality is that Brower made absolutely no effort to explain how a harness race works or the strategy that goes into a race. The one time he talked about who was more likely to go to the front in a race, he didn't talk at all about what he saw in the past performances to indicate that his horse was likely to be able to get position on the others. He didn't even bother to explain the difference between trotting and pacing. He uses plenty of harness-racing jargon to explain the running positions during the course of the race but doesn't bother, even in the glossary. Brower's presentation of his game makes it look much more arcane, not less.

In the end, this one left me knowing no more about harness racing than I did before I read it. I'll leave playing the buggies to others.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Complete Guide?, June 14, 2009

By 

David B. Johnson (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races (Paperback)

I am sure that Dave Brower knows a lot about harness racing. But this book doesn't do a good job at communicating that insight. If you've never read any handicapping book ( Thoroughbred or Standardbred) this book may be of some use to you. The real blame should be with DRF Press and it's editors.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is not worth getting, June 24, 2009

By 

S. Leone "booksaregreat" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races (Paperback)

I was very disappointed with this book, even my friends who preordered this book were disappointed when they received it. There is nothing in this book that would even make your handicapping better in anyway. Here is some friendly advice focus on the 3/4 time of the race it is important due to most horses can run a fast half mile but at the 3/4 mark a good horse starts to stand out. I use a speed chart just for this rating of the race and have done well, I also bet to place due to upsets and sometimes bet to show, a 20 percent profit is better than a 100 percent loss.