The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing

I read Steve Davidowitz's "Professionals Guide" a few years ago and it ranks as one of my all-time favorite handicapping books. His latest release, "The Best and Worst", once again hits the mark as an excellent and informative read. "The Best and Worst" isn't a handicapping book but instead is more of a history lesson of thoroughbred horse racing as seen through the eyes of one of the sports best players. Davidowitz covers a vairety of topics such as "The Best Jockeys", "The Greatest Upsets", "The Worst Disqualifications", and many, many more. For the most part, Davidowitz examines each of these topics from his own vast experiences within the game and as a result he brings life to the discussion of each topic. Davidowitz doesn't give a stale account but many times is able to weave a fascinating personal story about an individual or an event. Davidowitz has a very friendly and easy-going writing style that allows the reader to immediately become immersed in the book. In "The Best and Worst", Davidowtiz doesn't claim that his rankings are the final authority on the subject of best jockeys, trainers, etc. Although to a reader with the knowledge of his considerable experience within the game, it is hard not to come to that conclusion. If you are a die-hard horse racing fan and want to relive some of the great moments of the sport, you will enjoy this book. If you are a causal fan of the game, you will enjoy this book. And if you know nothing about horse racing at all but are interested in learning more about the sports history, I think you will enjoy this book. In the end, "The Best and Worst" is a wonderful account of many of the important events in horse racing history, most of which were experienced first hand by the author. Davidowitz has once again written a book that will stand alone on the book case of any horse racing fan.

If you're the type of reader that loves a personal approach to rigorous analysis, you'll want to read The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing, by Steve Davidowitz. I reviewed the volume for The Racing Journal [...], and enjoyed the assignment immensely! Davidowitz backs up his opinions with the experience of more than three decades of professional handicapping, race reporting and editing, and equine consulting. The author of Betting Thoroughbreds and former editor of The American Racing Manual brings his personal experience and broad research background to this 300-plus page exposition. The first chapter grabs your attention right away - and might provoke an argument or two among race fans. "Stunners: The Greatest Upsets and worst DQs of Modern Times" counts down from number 10 to number one, entitled "THE GREATEST UPSET OF MEDERN TIMES: The least-appreciated, most astounding upset of them all." His headings aren't usually that long and adamant, so you know you'd better hunker down and pay attention for the next eight pages of explanation and storytelling... Davidowitz doesn't apply a strict formula to his listings. Some reveal the top -or bottom - 10 events or individuals. Some are limited to three, others run to a dozen or more. The final chapter, "The Very Best of All Time of Any Age or Sex," is a relatively unadorned list of 20. Now, I'm not going to ruin the fun by revealing any of Davidowitz's picks. Find a volume for yourself, pencil notes in the margins, and share his opinions - and your own - with other friends who are racing fans!

How wonderful to have available not just another well written book on horseracing, but one that can also serve as an historical reference for detailing the best and worst of both man and beast produced by this sport over the years. From little known facts to a deep dive into some of racing's more popular myths, the author's years of personal involvement in the sport give credibility to his insightful jockey, horse (and racetrack) profiles. I was fully engaged throughout. A truly fun read. I'm a big fan!

I enjoyed "The Best and Worst of Thoroughbred Racing" enormously. I disagreed with some of the author's choices (which is to be expected for any list-type book) but that's the fun - it will definitely spark a good debate. Steve Davidowitz doesn't pull any punches when he's critical of something, either. I think even the most casual racing fan would enjoy this book - it's a great read cover-to-cover, but it's also the kind of book you can pick up and grab little bites of. There are loads of interesting stories: how some aspects of the heroic struggle to save Barbaro were built on knowledge gained from the tragedy of Ruffian back in 1975; the highs and lows of Sunny's Halo; and the iron will of Personal Ensign. I loved the author's story about Ruffian in the 1974 Spinaway at Saratoga - Davidowitz watched her act like a "nut case" all the way to the gate, and he thought "Ruffian - what a phony!" and bet a lot of money on the horse who eventually finished second to her - by 12-3/4 lengths! Of course, you'll read about the big names: Laffit Pincay Jr, Jerry Bailey, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Native Dancer, and even Barbaro - but perhaps the most fun were the sections entitled "Before My Time", "Best Rivalries" and even "The Biggest Dud At Stud". At the end of the book, the author closes with a section called "Ideas and Issues" which contains some real thought-provoking topics such as drugs and the fragility of the modern Thoroughbred. I highly recommend this extremely interesting and well-written book.

Steve Davidowitz's latest is a lively, entertaining, and informative examination of thoroughbred racing's modern era. In this superb book, he share's his observations and opinions openly, taking his readers for an engaging ride through his long career as a writer and handicapper. A masterpiece by one of racing's best writers - and I hope that he gets the chance to update it 20 years from now!