The Winning Horseplayer: An Advanced Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting [Paperback]

Andrew Beyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2007

In The Winning Horseplayer, Andrew Beyer builds on the strategy of speed handicapping that he detailed brilliantly in Picking Winners by introducing the concept of trip handicapping. Through an unbeatable combination of case studies and lively anecdotes, Beyer shows the smart bettor how to combine past performance data with an understanding of trips, track bias, and pace. This advanced guide to handicapping, which includes a new preface by the author, offers a generous dose of the wit and wisdom that have made Beyer a legend in the sport.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This exuberant memoir will delight the hearts, improve the minds, and fatten the bankrolls of horseplayers everywhere." –Tom Ainslie

"Andy Beyer goes to the races for all of us. Reading his book is like winning the exacta." -Jim Murray, Los Angeles Times

"My $50000 Year at the races is an entertaining odyssey through the land of the handicapper. Andrew Beyer’s approach to the arcane art of selecting winners makes for fascinating reading. His expertise is obvious, even to the layman, but he does not conceal the central thrust of the book- how to pick a winner- behind a façade of technical verbiage, This is good reading, start to finish." –Joe Hirsch

"Horseplayers should forget today’s daily double, exacta, and triple- and put their money on this sure winner." –Bill Surface, author of The Track

About the Author

ANDREW BEYER thoroughly revolutionized handicapping when he created his "Beyer Speed Figures," a measure of how fast a horse has run in a given race, and an indispensable tool for horseplayers. Making the necessary calculations to develop a set of figures for each horse in each race was too time-consuming for most horseplayers, so in 1992 the Daily Racing Form commissioned Beyer and his associates to provide his speed figures for every horse competing in North America. Beyer has been a columnist for the Washington Post since 1978, and contributes regularly to the Daily Racing Form. He is considered one of the leading experts on horse racing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books; None edition (April 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618871780
• ISBN-13: 978-0618871780
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #466,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gaining An Advantage At The Wagering Window, April 26, 2007

By 

Bicycle Day - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Winning Horseplayer: An Advanced Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting (Paperback)

Andrew Beyer revolutionized Thoroughbred handicapping in the 1970s with the introduction of the Beyer Speed Figure.

Found in most racing forms, the speed figure gives the handicapper a guide to how the runner rates against others in the field that day no matter if they competed in races at different tracks and/or against a variety of levels of competition.

In The Winning Horseplayer, Beyer takes his analysis to trip handicapping, which takes into account the type of journey a Thoroughbred has in a race, with a focus on being compromised due to any trouble in the start and turns, what path was taken around the track and if there was any stress due to the pace.

What has been perhaps the most subjective handicapping tool is given a firm foundation by Beyer, which can be utilized by horseplayers who take the time to take trip notes from replays of previous races.

In an updated version of the book that was originally published in 1994, there are numerous case studies and witty anecdotes, along with a new preface penned by Beyer.

This is not a book for beginners to handicapping races. But for those with experience - and are looking for a possible betting edge or simply a great read on handicapping - this is the winning ticket.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Depth, December 13, 2009

By 

R. Pandolfo (Lehigh Valley, PA.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Winning Horseplayer: An Advanced Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting (Paperback)

One of the better handicapping books, Beyer, a great turf writer, goes into detail about some of his plays, excellent learning tool that touches on important things like Track Bias and Trip Handicapping.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only for the daily handicapper., June 7, 2007

By 

BK (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winning Horseplayer: An Advanced Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting (Paperback)

As a part-time horse player this book is just not a good fit. To benefit from everything this book offers you would have to be a full-time handicapper. There are some great hints and tips that can be pulled out for any horse player, but to truly implement everything involved in this book you would have to be at the track every day. Maybe when I retire and I can be at the track every day I can pull out this book and use it to pick winners all day long, but until that point just 2 stars.
A great book for the part-time player is Brad Free's book Handicapping 101.