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The Winning Horseplayer: A Revolutionary Approach to Thoroughbred Handicapping and Betting
The Winning Horseplayer, together with Beyer on Speed and Picking Winners, completes Andrew Beyer's triple crown. This advanced guide to handicapping is liberally spiced with the wit and wisdom that have made Beyer a legend in the sport.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
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January 22, 2018
Beyer's previous book was about the speed rating system he devised that was later picked up by Daily Racing Form as a standard of comparing horses. This book goes into a different direction explaining how the difficulty of a horse's previous race tells you whether or not the speed ratings are deceptive. Horses running on the outside or running behind traffic or horses running on a biased track can look worse than they are. On the other hand, horses that were able to get the rail and create a sustainable pace will look better than they are. From there Beyer gives you some examples of races he attended and the Daily Racing form entry for key horses to explain the concept and the results that surprised many bettors. He also explains why the horse player should be watching what happens in the backstretch where so many races are actually decided rather than wire where most eyes are glued.
The second part of the book is a description of how he devises his speed numbers. He also gives the reader a few opinions that seemed intentionally provocative. He doesn't believe the weight carried by jockeys is very important and he doesn't trust the line in Daily Racing form that clocks workouts for horses between races. In fact, there is much he distrusts about racing officials, owners, trainers, and jockeys. I wonder how many of his concerns have been addressed in the years since this book was published in 1983.
Now why would a guy who has made thousands of dollars winning at the horses share these secrets? Because you can't just go to the track twice a year and win with this approach. You have to be at the track everyday keeping notes on every race because Daily Racing Form won't tell you enough. You have to find the answers in the race itself rather than the numbers. So when you see a horse go through a race with poor luck you can make a note to watch for that horse again when he runs weeks later. In other words this is not much of a system for the casual horse player, but as a demonstration of problem solving in horse handicapping this is fascinating to read. It's a Moneyball approach to betting horses that precedes Billy Beane.
At the very end of the book, Beyer goes into detail and explains how to read the Daily Racing Form Past Performances and the results from specific races.
Why am I reading this 35 year-old book on horse racing. Because I was reading a collection of Michael Konik's gambling stories and one is about Beyer and his speed rating. Then it dawns on me that I bought a Beyer book when I was a teenager because it was the only book on horse racing that Walden Books had. I had been to Churchill Downs and Arlington Park with my dad, but I didn't understand anything about picking horses. For more than 30 years I have moved this book around the country being loathe to rid myself of any book. Reading it this time I found a bookmark halfway through chapter 2. I don't remember if I gave up on it because it was too hypothetical or I couldn't get a Daily Racing Form easily or because I lived more than 2 hours from a horse track. Yet it was an enjoyable read years later despite the fact I still have neither the time nor the inclination to play the horses daily because the critical thinking that went into this approach is still interesting to follow even if the specifics are likely outdated by now.
If you want to know more about Andrew Beyer this article is thorough.
The second part of the book is a description of how he devises his speed numbers. He also gives the reader a few opinions that seemed intentionally provocative. He doesn't believe the weight carried by jockeys is very important and he doesn't trust the line in Daily Racing form that clocks workouts for horses between races. In fact, there is much he distrusts about racing officials, owners, trainers, and jockeys. I wonder how many of his concerns have been addressed in the years since this book was published in 1983.
Now why would a guy who has made thousands of dollars winning at the horses share these secrets? Because you can't just go to the track twice a year and win with this approach. You have to be at the track everyday keeping notes on every race because Daily Racing Form won't tell you enough. You have to find the answers in the race itself rather than the numbers. So when you see a horse go through a race with poor luck you can make a note to watch for that horse again when he runs weeks later. In other words this is not much of a system for the casual horse player, but as a demonstration of problem solving in horse handicapping this is fascinating to read. It's a Moneyball approach to betting horses that precedes Billy Beane.
At the very end of the book, Beyer goes into detail and explains how to read the Daily Racing Form Past Performances and the results from specific races.
Why am I reading this 35 year-old book on horse racing. Because I was reading a collection of Michael Konik's gambling stories and one is about Beyer and his speed rating. Then it dawns on me that I bought a Beyer book when I was a teenager because it was the only book on horse racing that Walden Books had. I had been to Churchill Downs and Arlington Park with my dad, but I didn't understand anything about picking horses. For more than 30 years I have moved this book around the country being loathe to rid myself of any book. Reading it this time I found a bookmark halfway through chapter 2. I don't remember if I gave up on it because it was too hypothetical or I couldn't get a Daily Racing Form easily or because I lived more than 2 hours from a horse track. Yet it was an enjoyable read years later despite the fact I still have neither the time nor the inclination to play the horses daily because the critical thinking that went into this approach is still interesting to follow even if the specifics are likely outdated by now.
If you want to know more about Andrew Beyer this article is thorough.
Displaying 1 of 1 review