Handicapping 101: Finding the Right Horses and Making the Right Bets

Handicapping 101. Is the best book for understanding what to look for in handicapping.

This is a must-have book on horseracing handicapping. Don't be fooled by its title into thinking this book is only for beginnners - in fact it should become a handicapping classic. Over the last eight years, I have read many horseracing handicapping books - some good, some bad, but this is my clear favorite. Well-written, easy to understand, and it explains very well the four main handicapping factors - condition/form, class, overall speed, and pace. And, it provides guidelines on how these four factors are applied at the various class levels. The first time I applied the author's guidelines to a maiden claiming race I hit a 28-1 winner. From my experience, I am firmly convinced that successful horseracing handicapping long-term can not be achieved by a computer program or a mathematical method/system. But, you can achieve a positive ROI long-term by applying the handicapping guidelines set forth in this book and making value bets, not just betting on the likely winner in every race. Buy this book - it will pay for itself many times over - it sure has for me.

Brad Free is a great teacher as author of one of the easiest to understand books on Thoroughbred Handicapping ever written. For anyone who has tried to understand the myriad of issues in selecting winning horses, this book will surely help simplify the ordeal. It is written in plain language by a talented communicator. Add to your library.....PTWoodman

I loved this book! I have been a casual better of horse racing for three years, but after reading this book it really enhansed my understanding of the horse races and the Daily Racing Form. I now go to the track with a good understanding of the horse's speed, pace, form, and class. I am a smarter better and enjoy going to the track more often. This is a must for all new players or people who do not understand all areas of the game.

This was an excellent book for anyone new to handicapping. It was well organized and easy to read. I could hardly wait to get to the next section. Its a keeper and will be reread. The past performance charts were hard to read because of the size of print.