The Right Horse: How to Win More, Lose Less and Have a Great Time at the Racetrack [Hardcover]

William Murray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 1997

Red Smith, the late great sportswriter for The New York Times, once observed that whenever he was at a loss on how to fill his daily column, all he had to do was visit a racetrack and he'd come away with a dozen good scenes for a story.



Each chapter of The Right Horse contains anecdotes and sayings, bits of lore and track wisdom that will serve to illuminate the world of horseracing. William Murray takes the reader on a tour of the track, introducing them to the game and its players. Not only the horses, but also the people whose lives are bound up with them, front and backside: owners, trainers, jockeys, touts, tipsters and hustlers. The reader will gain a knowledge of how this world works--what it looks, what it smells like, tastes like--and how much fun it can be.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Novelist and playwright Murray is an avid horse racing fan and turf writer who maintains that the foremost reason to attend thoroughbred horse races is to have fun and that the potential for fun and perhaps profit is greater when one is knowledgeable about what happens trackside. Intended for those with little or no experience at the track, this work provides general observations about various aspects of the sport and is followed by a race-by-race analysis of one of Murray's successful days at the track. Rather than focusing on handicapping or betting techniques, as do similar titles, Murray instead offers a broad perspective and advises bettors of things to look for and pitfalls to avoid. Much of this is expressed anecdotally, making the book very easy to read despite the frequent use of racing jargon. While not essential, this is interesting and useful and may inspire readers who want their horse racing experince to be enjoyable. For public libraries.?David B. Van De Streek, Pennsylvania State Univ. Libs., York
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If, having blown the daily double at the hippodrome, one feels embittered by the odds, led astray by the owners, or let down by the jockey, an immediate attitude transplant is required, an operation Murray performs with wit, charm, and chuckling trackside sarcasm. No low tipster on how to bet, Murray engagingly describes the principal factors that influence--or don't--the performance of a thoroughbred at the track. The trainers are most critical: know them well, Murray advises, for trainers decide when a horse runs and what drugs it takes. The jockey? More a weight than a pilot. Owners? Ignore everything they say about their charges. The Daily Racing Form? Required reading, which, though printed in a foreign language, Murray amiably interprets, while cautioning against overreliance on statistics. Wisdom imparted, Murray then handicaps his recent day at the races, showing his process of elimination in making bets, the results, and the fun awaiting novices--his main audience--who also venture a few bucks on a long shot. A companionable, confiding introduction. Gilbert Taylor

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (June 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483538
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483537
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,994,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, just not as good as The Wrong Horse, September 17, 2001

By 

Robert P. Beveridge "xterminal" (Lakewood, OH) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Right Horse: How to Win More, Lose Less and Have a Great Time at the Racetrack (Hardcover)

William Murray, The Right Horse (Doubleday, 1997)

availability: amazon

Murray's The Wrong Horse was one of the truly amusing
books in equine literature, a collection of anecdotes
that gives ample evidence that Murphy's Law is a live,
well, and an intimate of every person at a racetrack,
from the grooms to the president to the long-suffering
punters. The Right Horse unfortunately abandons the
jocularity for the most part and takes the tone of an
instruction manual; an odd choice for a book whose
subtitle claims, in part, that the book wants you to
have a great time at the track.

Not to say it's a bad book by any stretch of the
imagination; it's more a question of repetition. If
you've read more than two handicapping primers, it's
likely you've seen a good deal of what's here in the
past. Murray writes well, even when he's not taking
potshots at Mr. Murphy and his law's application to
racing, and the book is certainly readable. I'd just
have liked to see more that hadn't previously been
said. ** 1/2

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice primer and a fun read, September 13, 2011

By 

Zen Lightening (Laguna Beach, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Right Horse: Winning More, Losing Less, and Having a Great Time at the Racetrack (Hardcover)

If you are new to the world of horse racing and would like to increase your fun at the track by placing a few bets, this is good place to start. Yes, there are much more detailed books on handicapping out there, but for the novice, this is not only a good overview but an entertaining read. Peppered with laugh out loud anecdotes and colored with a good old fashioned way of writing that is at the same time unabashed in language, it is a refreshing supplement for the newbie who is reading the Dummies book on the subject (always good), slogging through the Form and buying betting tips on the Internet.