Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing (Paperback)

by Tom Ainslie (Author) "Most thoroughbred races are at distances of three quarters of a mile or more, around at least one turn, from a standing start..." (more)
Key Phrases: handicapping procedure, dime breakage, infield rail, New York, Daily Racing Form, Good Hopes (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (March 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671656554
• ISBN-13: 978-0671656553
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #90,835 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #7 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Gambling > Track Betting
  #26 in	Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Gambling > Racing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Old School Fundamentals, January 27, 2003

By	Daniel Hancock (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews

I checked out the 1967 version of this book in the library when I first became interested in horse race handicapping. It was so full of information that I ended up buying it. A few years back, I loaned it to my brother and later asked for it back so I could review some stuff. But, his dominating wife had thrown it away. Well, enough of this boring stuff. This book does a good job of introducing a new, novice, or disorganized horseplayer to the fundamentals of handicapping--a fancy way to say picking winners at the track. Ainslie covers distance, speed, class, form, track conditions, breeding, and jockeys and trainers very thoroughly. The reader should avoid the laundry lists of specific qualifications for horses that appear periodically in the book. This book was published before the advent of Beyer speed figures and other new concepts in handicapping. Also, as in most how to pick winners books, Ainslie has sections of the Daily Racing Form from races where he made a big score. Racing authors seem to never have DRF examples of races where they lost their shirts. But, it is a useful treatise to learn the fundamentals of handicapping though even the lastest edition (1988) is a bit dated. I would advise the reader to learn the general concepts in the book and to avoid the specific criteria for picking horses. It is an excellent place for a new horseplayer to start. Now, if someone could write a book for my brother telling him how to stand up to his wife.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for beginners, November 13, 2003

By	John Macri (Hopkinton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

I read the original version many years ago and can say with absolute certainty that this book is a must read for novice handicappers. The section on the form factor alone is worth the price of the book as it will steer the beginning player away from many false favorites and towards logical overlays.

While not in itself a guide to instant profitability (no book is) this book provides a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build. The insights contained in this book would take many years (and dollars) to learn through trial and error handicapping and will put the player way ahead of other novice handicappers.

A seminal work in the field of horse race handicapping, this book provides a lot of useful info on a wide range of topics. While there may not a lot in here for experienced players, if you're just starting out then this should be the first book you read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Complete but needs to updated, September 6, 1998

By A Customer

The book covers eveything but tends to be complicated at times. The author provides so much info, it becomes almost impossible to remember all of it without reading the book several times. ( I read it at least 4 times ). Also, some of the information is quite outdated and might not be useful at this time. Overall this is a very good book , but needs to be revised.