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The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told is an inspiring personal narrative about a filly who broke through the male-dominated world of horseracing and inspired crowds of men and women alike, along with a trio of gamblers who embark on an unforgettable adventure that's as epic as the history victory of Winning Colors. It's Seabiscuit meets Narcos, and the best true-life gambling story ever told.
In the late 1980s, a spectacular three-year-old female racehorse named Winning Colors was being groomed for success under her famous "Hollywood" trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, and the billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers pro-football team, Eugene Klein. Meanwhile, three fun-loving gamblers, Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie believed that Winning Colors could be the unlikely female winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.
When the gamblers unknowingly place their longshot bet with members of a suspected drug cartel at a racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, they must figure out how to claim their prize -- without getting killed in the process. In a heart-pounding race of their own across the U.S.-Mexico border, the trio come face-to-face with suspected killers, are arrested by the Border Patrol, and fumble their way through the riskiest bet of their lives.
In the late 1980s, a spectacular three-year-old female racehorse named Winning Colors was being groomed for success under her famous "Hollywood" trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, and the billionaire owner of the San Diego Chargers pro-football team, Eugene Klein. Meanwhile, three fun-loving gamblers, Miami Paul, Dino Mateo, and Big Bernie believed that Winning Colors could be the unlikely female winner of the 1988 Kentucky Derby.
When the gamblers unknowingly place their longshot bet with members of a suspected drug cartel at a racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico, they must figure out how to claim their prize -- without getting killed in the process. In a heart-pounding race of their own across the U.S.-Mexico border, the trio come face-to-face with suspected killers, are arrested by the Border Patrol, and fumble their way through the riskiest bet of their lives.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2020
966 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Mark Paul
1 book6 followersMark Paul lives for action and adventure at locations where gambling occurs. He began his gambling career by sneaking into Hollywood Park and Santa Anita at age 16. His history includes motorcycle racing, owning interests in 38 racehorses, and sailing 5,000 miles in a sailboat through the Panama Canal to attend horse races in South America and Jamaica. He was a participant in a $1 million win on the 1988 Kentucky Derby with two other gamblers through a bet placed in Tijuana, Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
April 9, 2021
The title is hyperbolic. No doubt about that. Nevertheless, the colorful characters guiding us through the seamier crannies of sports betting and reviving forgotten fragments of a world not so far removed from today make this an illuminating read.
The author Mark “Miami” Paul, and his friends Dino Mateo and “Big Bernie” are the eponymous gamblers. They introduce us to the world of high stakes futures sports betting. The principle is both simple and insane. Place your bet perhaps a year in advance on an event. Why? The longest possible odds are available. Miami Paul and Dino drive to Tijuana. The odds at the Agua Caliente Racetrack there are 50:1 on a filly named Winning Colors winning the Kentucky Derby. They bet $5000. If they win the payout will be $250,000 (over half a million in today's dollars according to inflationtool.com).
Conveniently, they have forgotten about the Mexican cartel. The sports booking operation at Agua Caliente Racetrack is headed by “businessman” Jorge Hank Rhon. Would Rhon let them waltz out with that sum of money without pushback? If he doesn't murder them outright, he could still have them mugged in the parking lot and steal the money back. Yes, by the way, it would be a cash payout, not a check or wire transfer. They would need to appear in person to collect.
On the other side of the drama are Winning Colors' racing team: owner Eugene Klein, trainer Wayne Lucas, jockey Gary Stevens and stable groom Luis Palos. It is telling that of these men, Palos is the only one who lacks even a Wikipedia entry. He is dedicated to the filly, and attuned to her contentious temperament. Yes, he and fellow stable workers have also placed a futures bet on the filly, but he also has a genuine emotional connection with her.
Klein was a newcomer to racing. He had started out a mere three years ago when his modest bid of $575,000 netted him what would be a bargain. His trainer and advisor Wayne Lucas saw potential in the yearling. She would come to be called “The Amazon” by his stablehands in the upcoming year. As her training progressed, he and Klein would even dare to set their sights on the prestigious Kentucky Derby.
Stevens was then less than a decade into what would become a stellar career. Some may recognize him as the actor who played jockey George Woolf in Seabiscuit, or as the racing commentator for HBO Sports.
This is a fast paced and entertaining read that will appeal in particular to fans of two recent female superstars: Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. It is also a cautionary tale about the pressures that could tempt an owner or trainer to race a marginally sound horse in a prestigious race like the Derby. Horseracing is a business with little emotional attachment to the horses. In the end, fame is fleeting. How many of you have heard of Winning Colors?
NOTES:
There is a significant typo in the book. Winning Colors was sold in the Keeneland yearling auction on July 17, 1986. The succeeding headline: "Barn of D. Wayne Lukas at Santa Anita Racetrack, May 1986" should obviously read "May 1987," since in May of 1986 the horse had not yet been acquired.
The author Mark “Miami” Paul, and his friends Dino Mateo and “Big Bernie” are the eponymous gamblers. They introduce us to the world of high stakes futures sports betting. The principle is both simple and insane. Place your bet perhaps a year in advance on an event. Why? The longest possible odds are available. Miami Paul and Dino drive to Tijuana. The odds at the Agua Caliente Racetrack there are 50:1 on a filly named Winning Colors winning the Kentucky Derby. They bet $5000. If they win the payout will be $250,000 (over half a million in today's dollars according to inflationtool.com).
Conveniently, they have forgotten about the Mexican cartel. The sports booking operation at Agua Caliente Racetrack is headed by “businessman” Jorge Hank Rhon. Would Rhon let them waltz out with that sum of money without pushback? If he doesn't murder them outright, he could still have them mugged in the parking lot and steal the money back. Yes, by the way, it would be a cash payout, not a check or wire transfer. They would need to appear in person to collect.
On the other side of the drama are Winning Colors' racing team: owner Eugene Klein, trainer Wayne Lucas, jockey Gary Stevens and stable groom Luis Palos. It is telling that of these men, Palos is the only one who lacks even a Wikipedia entry. He is dedicated to the filly, and attuned to her contentious temperament. Yes, he and fellow stable workers have also placed a futures bet on the filly, but he also has a genuine emotional connection with her.
Klein was a newcomer to racing. He had started out a mere three years ago when his modest bid of $575,000 netted him what would be a bargain. His trainer and advisor Wayne Lucas saw potential in the yearling. She would come to be called “The Amazon” by his stablehands in the upcoming year. As her training progressed, he and Klein would even dare to set their sights on the prestigious Kentucky Derby.
Stevens was then less than a decade into what would become a stellar career. Some may recognize him as the actor who played jockey George Woolf in Seabiscuit, or as the racing commentator for HBO Sports.
This is a fast paced and entertaining read that will appeal in particular to fans of two recent female superstars: Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. It is also a cautionary tale about the pressures that could tempt an owner or trainer to race a marginally sound horse in a prestigious race like the Derby. Horseracing is a business with little emotional attachment to the horses. In the end, fame is fleeting. How many of you have heard of Winning Colors?
NOTES:
There is a significant typo in the book. Winning Colors was sold in the Keeneland yearling auction on July 17, 1986. The succeeding headline: "Barn of D. Wayne Lukas at Santa Anita Racetrack, May 1986" should obviously read "May 1987," since in May of 1986 the horse had not yet been acquired.
April 25, 2020
One of the worst books I’ve read. It has a cool premise but the climax is about 5 pages. And it isn’t really very exciting at all. No discussion on how Bernie gets his money. No discussion on how Dino and Miami use the money. No follow up on the cartel. The cartel paid no one got hurt what’s the big story.
And the title is ridiculous. It is Miami’s best gambling story but it isn’t even the best gambling story I’ve heard this year.
And Ava is a central character and they don’t get married? And what of Dino. He goes thru all this and never even gets a pic in the end. Nor Bernie? So many holes and it isn’t even that captivating.
Only reason I read the whole thing was because my rule is to give a book 100 pages. At under 150 there was minimum commitment to see if there was an interesting end. Spoiler - there wasn’t.
And the title is ridiculous. It is Miami’s best gambling story but it isn’t even the best gambling story I’ve heard this year.
And Ava is a central character and they don’t get married? And what of Dino. He goes thru all this and never even gets a pic in the end. Nor Bernie? So many holes and it isn’t even that captivating.
Only reason I read the whole thing was because my rule is to give a book 100 pages. At under 150 there was minimum commitment to see if there was an interesting end. Spoiler - there wasn’t.
April 19, 2020
A great horse, a big race and a big bet. Do you need more.
If you like betting on the horses you will enjoy this book. If you ask how factual the story is then you are on your own. Horse players are like fishermen, the story about catching the fish is much more important than the size of the fish. But Winning Colors was real and what she, an owner and a hard headed trainer accomplished was real.
If you like betting on the horses you will enjoy this book. If you ask how factual the story is then you are on your own. Horse players are like fishermen, the story about catching the fish is much more important than the size of the fish. But Winning Colors was real and what she, an owner and a hard headed trainer accomplished was real.
March 30, 2021
I had a lot of hope for this book but was pretty disappointed. It's such a cool and interesting storyline that has so much potential. However, the writing of the story was a let down because the book seems like it's something I wrote for a project in middle school. The sentence structure was so basic, and there wasn't much variance in vocabulary. So even though it was an entertaining and riveting storyline, it was just written poorly.
August 29, 2022
The Greatest Gambling Story ever told is a bit of a hyperbolic title, and Mark Paul’s tale, while exciting, nowhere near lives up to it. But the funny thing is that it’s all the better for its close focus on midlevel bettors in a little bit over their heads. Sure, whales losing a quarter-million dollars on a turn of the wheel is compelling, but there’s something not just compelling, but charming, about seeing the small fries try to keep up. It’s a bit like The Pope of Greenwich Village in that way. These guys aren’t jet-setting and spending all their time in the clubhouse, but they are close enough to the big players to look up at them, and dream.
The tale follows the adventures of Miami Paul and Dino, two close friends with contrasting life philosophies and gambling strategies who somehow compliment each other well. Paul is a flashy dresser, likes red two-seater sportscars, and is obsessed enough with Miami Vice to have a closetful of nothing but pastel t-shirts and shiny blazers. Dino is a bit of quant, prefers to hole up with his numbers and figures, drives an old Impala with a sluggish engine, and only has his margarita after the race is run, and only if a winning ticket is cashed.
Both men luck into a good thing when a newcomer filly named Winning Colors, unintimidated by the boys, shows true grit first in workouts, and then later in lower stakes races. Only two or three previous females have ever won in the Derby, and so naturally the guys can get massive odds at the sportsbooks betting Winning Colors on the futures. If they drive south out of Nevada, however, down to Agua Caliente in Ole Mexico, they can get even better odds.
The problem is that if they win, they’ll be trying to leave Mexico with a couple garbage bags filled with cash, and they want to cross the border without declaring their dough and giving Uncle Sam his bite. Oh, and the track is run by a shady character rumored to be the head of a drug cartel, who’s already proven he has no compunctions about killing.
The book spends most of its time following the bettors as they set up the play and then keep their fingers crossed, first for their filly to win, and then that they don’t end up buried face-down in the desert. There’s some highwire tension involved—photo finishes and near-misses—but the meat of the book is really in its language, the verbal spars and volleys between the various wannabe wiseguys. Because they’re Florida boys it ends up being more Michael Mann than Marty Scorsese, and has the propulsive momentum and exotic locales of Mann’s old series that Miami Paul so idolizes.
It's a good one to add to the collection of any horseplayer, or any aficionado of good gambling stories. Just don’t expect it to live up to that overblown title. Recommended.
July 15, 2023
Read for book club! Bumped up to a 4 for keeping me interested when I don't really like non-fiction.
May 7, 2022
It should start with, “Guy walks into a bar, sits next to me and says, ‘Boy, do I got a story for you…’”
It was actually a good read as it was a nice toe dip into the world of horse racing back in the late 80’s. Perfect before Derby Saturday!
It was actually a good read as it was a nice toe dip into the world of horse racing back in the late 80’s. Perfect before Derby Saturday!
November 26, 2025
This was a terrible book lol. I think the two main guys might be the most insufferable sounding dudes I’ve ever read about. True story maybe but god I hope they don’t actually talk like this.
I realized after that this was written by one of the main dudes so it makes sense.
Horse part was cool.
I realized after that this was written by one of the main dudes so it makes sense.
Horse part was cool.
July 18, 2024
A short, energized read about Winning Colors winning the 1988 Kentucky Derby. But what makes the book is the characters that tell it. An entertaining read, especially for lovers of horse racing.
July 28, 2025
Took a bit to get into it but well worth it
October 23, 2021
Enjoyed learning about the betting world of horse racing.
June 14, 2025
Okay book it wasn’t what I expected.
July 28, 2022
A quick, interesting read. This was an engaging story (almost unbelievable, really) and it was told well.
September 10, 2020
In horse racing, there is no such thing as a sure thing.
But in 1988 Mark Paul and his friend Dino Matteo were convinced they had one.
A big, brawny grey filly named Winning Colors had burst onto the California racing scene a year earlier and Dino was swept away.
So in the wee hours of a January morning, 1988 Dino and 'Miami' Paul headed out to make a future book wager on the filly for the Kentucky Derby. Not to Las Vegas but to Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana Mexico.
What could go wrong?
Agua Caliente had racing and a sportsbook that offered big odds on sporting events and Winning Colors was 50 to 1 to win the Derby that year.
Along with another friend, Bernie, the pair of accomplished gamblers took a wad of money, played some races and then made their move to wager on the Derby futurebook.
What follows is a story you would likely see in film or a fictional thriller but it happened to Miami, Dino and Bernie.
This compact memoir reads like a thriller injected with fun gambling and horse racing tales, a little humour and a whole lot of cringe-worthy moments as the boys follow their dream in the form of a big grey filly.
"If she doesn't run in the Derby, what happens to the money you bet on her?"
- "They keep it and we get second jobs at McDonalds"
4 stars
July 19, 2022
I had a lot of hope for this book but was pretty disappointed. It's such a cool and interesting storyline that has so much potential. However, the writing of the story was a let down because the book seems like it's something I wrote for a project in middle school. The sentence structure was so basic, and there wasn't much variance in vocabulary. So even though it was an entertaining and riveting storyline, it was just written poorly.
May 3, 2020
Fun shot read
This story was entertaining. It brought back memories of when my dad would take me to Saratoga Racetrack and Monmouth park in NJ. My dad would have loved to hang out with Dino. They looked a like and loved to study the racing form.
This story makes you want to go to the track and enjoy an era gone by. Loved it.
This story was entertaining. It brought back memories of when my dad would take me to Saratoga Racetrack and Monmouth park in NJ. My dad would have loved to hang out with Dino. They looked a like and loved to study the racing form.
This story makes you want to go to the track and enjoy an era gone by. Loved it.
August 19, 2020
Greatest gambling story? Maybe greatest vanity project ever. The first chapter reminded me of Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, but the rest of the book focused on "Miami," aka the author, and his friend. The dialogue was awful and the story nonexistent. Very little tension. It felt like Paul was exaggerating how much "danger" he and Dino were in.
August 23, 2023
This nonfiction book introduced me to the world of horse racing and betting on horses at the race tracks as an elaborate system about which I knew very little before reading this book. The main character, naturally, is a horse, a filly; thus, many of the events and people involved are focusing one way or another on her.
Like anything else, people can become obsessed with thoroughbred horses and horse racing and waste their money and time, or invest carefully with their time, horses and money and garner plenty of money too. There are weekend betters and professionals making thoroughbreds their business, even if they pretend it's a pastime. Thoroughbred ownership is clearly for the very wealthy and along with it comes a particular lifestyle and a hierarchy of power and prestige. Several aspects of this lifestyle are presented in this book through the varying viewpoints of trainers and owners along with "professional" and amateur weekend betters. Some colorful characters, real people actually, form alliances and friendships, even romantic relationships, through their equine interests. Some weekend gamblers will risk all, take big financial losses and come back to bet again. Some wealthy owners and managers want the prestige that comes with the big wins. What drives people to extend way beyond their means and knowledge? We call them risk takers. This book offers a good character study of them.
As I said, I know little about thoroughbred racing. To prove my point, I found the women's hats at the race tracks and the various alliances people form as fascinating as the horse herself. Mark Paul clearly knows the lifestyle. But what drives people to extend way beyond their means and knowledge? We call them risk takers. Those who know about and/or invest in the thoroughbred business perhaps could read the book with a much more critical eye than I and offer different further response to this query.
As an aside, the book title is overstated. "The greatest gambling story ever told." Really? Nevertheless, it's a fun read.
Like anything else, people can become obsessed with thoroughbred horses and horse racing and waste their money and time, or invest carefully with their time, horses and money and garner plenty of money too. There are weekend betters and professionals making thoroughbreds their business, even if they pretend it's a pastime. Thoroughbred ownership is clearly for the very wealthy and along with it comes a particular lifestyle and a hierarchy of power and prestige. Several aspects of this lifestyle are presented in this book through the varying viewpoints of trainers and owners along with "professional" and amateur weekend betters. Some colorful characters, real people actually, form alliances and friendships, even romantic relationships, through their equine interests. Some weekend gamblers will risk all, take big financial losses and come back to bet again. Some wealthy owners and managers want the prestige that comes with the big wins. What drives people to extend way beyond their means and knowledge? We call them risk takers. This book offers a good character study of them.
As I said, I know little about thoroughbred racing. To prove my point, I found the women's hats at the race tracks and the various alliances people form as fascinating as the horse herself. Mark Paul clearly knows the lifestyle. But what drives people to extend way beyond their means and knowledge? We call them risk takers. Those who know about and/or invest in the thoroughbred business perhaps could read the book with a much more critical eye than I and offer different further response to this query.
As an aside, the book title is overstated. "The greatest gambling story ever told." Really? Nevertheless, it's a fun read.
August 28, 2021
Terrific tale of the legendary World of professional gamblers... the denizens of Thoughbred horse racing tracks across the U.S.A. and the World!
Anyone that has experienced the frenetic excitement of attending a horse race (especially one that they have placed a bet in), cannot help but leap to your feet urging your "favorite" beauty on to cross the finish line first...it is amazing...even if you lose! Which in horse racing is more likely than not!! However, as this story tells us, there is more to "placing a bet" than simply picking a horse to win than liking his/er name or using your kid's birthday for the winning formula. It is truly the "Sport of Kings", as they are the " big winners or losers," as breeders and owners, of these magnificent animals!
I must say, I have always been a somewhat ambivalent horse racing fan due to the precarious life led by race horses (who can forget Barbaro's breakdown after the break at the 2006 Preakness Stakes), however, the story of the filly champion "Winning Colors" is inspirational, not only for the horse, but for 3 good friends that decided to use their combined expertise as race track gamblers to place a knowledgeable big bet (albeit NOT a "sure" wager) on a Kentucky Derby contender, named "Winning Colors" in 1988...a must read for any horseracing fan!!
Anyone that has experienced the frenetic excitement of attending a horse race (especially one that they have placed a bet in), cannot help but leap to your feet urging your "favorite" beauty on to cross the finish line first...it is amazing...even if you lose! Which in horse racing is more likely than not!! However, as this story tells us, there is more to "placing a bet" than simply picking a horse to win than liking his/er name or using your kid's birthday for the winning formula. It is truly the "Sport of Kings", as they are the " big winners or losers," as breeders and owners, of these magnificent animals!
I must say, I have always been a somewhat ambivalent horse racing fan due to the precarious life led by race horses (who can forget Barbaro's breakdown after the break at the 2006 Preakness Stakes), however, the story of the filly champion "Winning Colors" is inspirational, not only for the horse, but for 3 good friends that decided to use their combined expertise as race track gamblers to place a knowledgeable big bet (albeit NOT a "sure" wager) on a Kentucky Derby contender, named "Winning Colors" in 1988...a must read for any horseracing fan!!
August 26, 2025
The basis for the story - a filly, Winning Colors, trained by one of the best, D. Wayne Lukas, and her race to win the Kentucky Derby. The story was descriptive and engaging as Dino and Mario - professional gamblers - decided to take the risk betting large on Winning Colors in Mexico. The story was full of gambler tech speak which was a bit confusing at times. When Dino and Mario went back to Mexico to collect their winning bets the story started to fall apart. I wasn’t sure who was less truthful, the author or the cartel. The drug cartels were controlling the race track in Mexico at this point so it was a little unclear how Dino and Mario got out of Mexico with their money without being killed. The author makes the border police really sound incompetent. I wanted to fully like this book, being a fan of the Derby and triple crown races, but the ending failed to explain how Dino and Mario’s friend Bernie was able to collect his million dollar winnings from the Mexican drug cartel and then stay in Mexico living large. Just a little too neatly wrapped up. Or I am just a little jaded. If you are a fan of horse racing you might find this book interesting to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2025
I never thought I'd enjoy a nonfiction audiobook about horse racing and gambling so much!! Suffice it to say that The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel is really good!!
The primary focus of The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel is on horse racing as it pertains to the 1988 Kentucky Derby and its winning filly, Winning Colors, along with some of the major players pertaining to horse racing like horse trainer, D. Wayne Lukas (trainer for Winning Colors), Gene Klein (owner of Winning Colors), Gary Stevens (jockey for Winning Colors), the three gamblers who bet big on Winning Colors, the Mexican cartel, and various other aspects of horse racing.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul is well written, engaging, informative, and well organized. I enjoyed that this book isn't over stuffed with factoids and is just the right length to keep the interest of the readers.
The primary focus of The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel is on horse racing as it pertains to the 1988 Kentucky Derby and its winning filly, Winning Colors, along with some of the major players pertaining to horse racing like horse trainer, D. Wayne Lukas (trainer for Winning Colors), Gene Klein (owner of Winning Colors), Gary Stevens (jockey for Winning Colors), the three gamblers who bet big on Winning Colors, the Mexican cartel, and various other aspects of horse racing.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told: A True Tale of Three Gamblers, The Kentucky Derby, and the Mexican Cartel by Mark Paul is well written, engaging, informative, and well organized. I enjoyed that this book isn't over stuffed with factoids and is just the right length to keep the interest of the readers.
May 13, 2023
A better title would have been "Winning Colors: Three Gamblers And The Biggest Bet Of Their Lives"
There wasn't any cartel involvement with the Kentucky Derby, just a Mexican racetrack owner who was a supposed member of a cartel.
I get the feeling that this would be much better as an audio book. As an audio book, you wouldn't know about the spelling and grammar mistakes that are way too common. There is a big difference from the two-star horses racing down the track (implying a rating of two stars) and the two star horses racing down the track (two horses who are stars). Also, the use of the term horseflesh wasn't a great choice of a descriptor.
The author does a halfway decent job of telling how races unfolded, but there could have been more detail to build it up. There were two races where details were said about how calm or excited horses were going into the gates, but others just felt glossed over.
I read the book in under 4 hours. Not bad for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.
There wasn't any cartel involvement with the Kentucky Derby, just a Mexican racetrack owner who was a supposed member of a cartel.
I get the feeling that this would be much better as an audio book. As an audio book, you wouldn't know about the spelling and grammar mistakes that are way too common. There is a big difference from the two-star horses racing down the track (implying a rating of two stars) and the two star horses racing down the track (two horses who are stars). Also, the use of the term horseflesh wasn't a great choice of a descriptor.
The author does a halfway decent job of telling how races unfolded, but there could have been more detail to build it up. There were two races where details were said about how calm or excited horses were going into the gates, but others just felt glossed over.
I read the book in under 4 hours. Not bad for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.
October 14, 2020
In 1988, Winning Colors became only the third filly to ever win the Kentucky Derby. The author and two others made big bets on her early at long odds in Tijuana, Mexico, and when she won they had the problem of how to get their money back to the US without getting killed by the Mexican Cartel.
Interesting story, but I was very disappointed by the writing. At first I wondered if this guy was not a native English speaker, but he is, so I guess he's just not a good writer. Grammatical errors, misspellings (did he not have an editor?!?), stilted prose and dialogue, and quite obvious trolling of a thesaurus. It wasn't bad writing, it just wasn't good - somewhere between high school and early college writing. I'm glad the book was short.
Interesting story, but I was very disappointed by the writing. At first I wondered if this guy was not a native English speaker, but he is, so I guess he's just not a good writer. Grammatical errors, misspellings (did he not have an editor?!?), stilted prose and dialogue, and quite obvious trolling of a thesaurus. It wasn't bad writing, it just wasn't good - somewhere between high school and early college writing. I'm glad the book was short.
July 22, 2022
I liked it more than I thought I would. The book focuses a lot on two gamblers in particular, and their journey leading up to the Kentucky Derby. One of them is of course the author of the book. I particularly enjoyed the parts when the book talked about horses and horse racing more than gambling. The book didn't have to be as long and drawn out as it was, I felt like the author was trying to make it seem like there was more than dumb luck involved in them getting away with the bet money. The bet they placed itself was interesting but the story of how they got the money ... honestly they were very lucky and not because of any incredible skill on their part. So many things could have gone the wrong way, it seems like dumb luck got them out of the situation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2024
This book needs to be optioned by some film maker somewhere. Whether it is a Netflix documentary or a major motion picture, this unbelievable account of gamblers who win over $1.25 million on the 1988 Kentucky Derby winner, filly Winning Colors, needs to be optioned. With characters like "Miami Paul" (named after his style of dressing like Don Johnson from Miami Vice), eccentric horse owners (who also own NFL franchises), and Mexican drug cartel leaders (who also own horse tracks in Mexico that may or may not make good on bets that pay out $1.25 million), the reader is sucked into a too-zany-to-be-true narrative. The only drawback for me is that the dialogue is often uninteresting and predictable. Still, the book spins a good yarn. Well worth the read!
February 21, 2022
This story is definitely one of a kind. 4 guys that go to Mexico to bet Winning Colors six months before the Derby at 500-1 only to find out the track they bet with is connected to the cartel and they may have to fear for their lives in the processes of collecting their win. This book is like a thriller movie on paper and at times will have you laughing at the stupidity of these gamblers. Oddly enough this is actually a true story!! great book for any horse/ horse racing fan. Your hooked from page one and you'll be stunned, humored and amazed by the end. God bless Winning Colors lmao
February 9, 2024
Very short, concise page-turner. I read part of the book standing up because I couldn't wait to get to the end to find out what happened. Don't look up who won the derby that year, it will ruin some of the surprise. This book is not full of a ton of long descriptions with impenetrable prose - it's written in a gritty well-written style that I enjoyed very much. The characters in it are easy to root for and the buildup to the Kentucky Derby is so much fun. I loved this book very much and was sad when it was over - which is when I know I really enjoyed a book. A+
February 19, 2025
This book is a wild ride! The fact that the story is true makes it even better.
It details the journey of a filly named Winning Colors who raced in the 1988 Kentucky Derby and a few gamblers who placed a huge bet on her to win. None of this sounds extraordinary until you consider the odds of any filly winning the Kentucky Derby are incredibly low and the gamblers placed their bets months in advance with a Tijuana race track owned by the Mexican Cartel. So collecting their winnings is a sticky situation for these guys.
I give it two thumbs way up!
It details the journey of a filly named Winning Colors who raced in the 1988 Kentucky Derby and a few gamblers who placed a huge bet on her to win. None of this sounds extraordinary until you consider the odds of any filly winning the Kentucky Derby are incredibly low and the gamblers placed their bets months in advance with a Tijuana race track owned by the Mexican Cartel. So collecting their winnings is a sticky situation for these guys.
I give it two thumbs way up!
July 30, 2025
Entertaining and Educational
I wasn't really expected to gain a basic knowledge of horse racing from this book, but I will consider that a bonus. I found the way the storyline unfolded, and the author shared it with the readers, flowed very nicely, and made it difficult to set the book aside. An easy read with a great story, I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves racing, enjoys a gambling story, or simply needs a break from something with heavier content.
I wasn't really expected to gain a basic knowledge of horse racing from this book, but I will consider that a bonus. I found the way the storyline unfolded, and the author shared it with the readers, flowed very nicely, and made it difficult to set the book aside. An easy read with a great story, I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves racing, enjoys a gambling story, or simply needs a break from something with heavier content.
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