Customer Reviews

Harnessing Winners: The Complete Guide to Handicapping Harness Races

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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.

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.

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.

I have been betting horses (both Thoroughbred and Harness) for 35 years. I have read well over 75 books on the subject and read numerous online articles. Sorry, but this book was horrible in explaining anything closely related to understanding harness racing or betting. There seemed to be too much about Brian Sears and the Meadowlands. (although the input by Brian was great). The chapter on Trotters was a disaster and didn't even discuss the gait of the horse! There is no excuse for an important item like that. Shame on Dave and especially DRF Press.
Dave certainly sounds like he knows about harness racing and betting and does provide good race analysis at the Big M, but just doesn't convey anything meaningful to the reader. The title of the book is not accurate either, this is not a complete guide nor does it teach how to properly handicap. There is too much generalization without any actual teaching of anything to do with handicapping a harness race. The examples provided have no rhyme or reason why they were selected, just that the author bet them and won while providing a public analysis at the Meadowlands. It's as if he wants you to guess why he gave this or that pick at the BigM , then pasted the result in this book without explaining any element of handiczapping and why this race was chosen. Anyone can stick a winning result chart in a book, but we want to know why and how you selected this or that horse in that race to decide it was worth a bet. I don't recommend this book to an amateur or veteran. There are not many harness books out there, but there are some better ones than this. The author seems to think we all know who some owners and breeders are and how good they are.
Let me provide one example of a poor explanation by the author: In chapter 12 --Improving Form/Class Drops--the past performance of Striptease Hall is provided and Dave says "Here's a mare that goes in and out of form frequently, as you can see by her erratic pattern of starts. I'm sure she's a difficult horse to train,even in the care of the nation's top stable, the Burkes". The horse's PP's show he starts almost every 7 days though, so where is the erratic pattern of starts? Dave assumes the reader knows more than they do and needsd to convey a more systematic approach to handicapping harness horses.
The chapter written by Derick Giwner (Editor for the Harness Eye paper) was very good and discussed Yonkers Raceway and bad trips there. The chapter on Northfield Park was writen by Keith Gisser(The on-air handicapper) was well written and useable for the reader.
Dave, you are very knowledageable in what you know and provide as an analysis at the Meadowlands, but please get more assistance from DRF Press and the editorial staff to convey the vast amount of knowledge you have to your readers.