The Blood-Horse Authoritative Guide to Betting Thoroughbreds

There are plenty of books on the market on how to wager on the races, but you don't have to look any longer for a super chronicle that covers the basic nuances of the game. This is part of an ongoing series from the weekly magazine which covers a variety of facets of the sport and - as in each volume - the format takes a beginner step-by-step, explaining the more traditional bets, along with advancing into the exotic wagers, where the possibility of nice payout for a minimal investment could be ready to light-up the toteboard. While mostly geared towards the individual seeking general information - as a first-time bettor or one who gets "Derby fever" on the first Saturday in May - it is also a good resource for even the most experienced punter.

Written and compiled by the staff members and correspondents of Blood-Horse Publications, the "Blood-Horse Authoritative Guide to Betting Thoroughbreds" is a superbly organized and presented step-by-step instruction manual that will teach the reader how to effectively wager on 'the sport of kinds'. "Blood-Horse Authoritative Guide to Betting Thoroughbreds" covers how to place a bet and cash a ticket, understand what odds mean, read the tote board, study past performances, and generally gain invaluable insights into the world of race horses as it is relevant to determining and placing bets in terms of their workouts, medication, and equipment. An absolutely essential read for novice gamblers, "Blood-Horse Authoritative Guide to Betting Thoroughbreds" has a great deal of value for even the more experienced gambler on thoroughbred horse racing.

I am a casual race goer and pretty much a novice when it comes to knowing how to seriously sit down and handicap a race. The problem I have is that knowing how to read the information is one thing, applying it to understanding exactly who and how to bet is something completely different. In my judgement, that is where some of the beginning books frustrate me, they just don't close the deal by detailing a specific application. The same is true for this book. Overall, this book is nicely written and assumes zero knowledge of the horse racing game. You might call this the "Cliff Notes" of handicapping. The jargon of horse racing is defined pretty well, perhaps as good as, if not better than, "Handicapping 101" or the "Dummies..." book, two other popular introductory handicapping books. The sections on speed figures, pedigree, how to read the form, and track bias provide enough detail to get the concept across but you are not overwhelmed with the endless exceptions and deviations that may come into play. The downside is the last chapter when you are given a list of horses to handicap as a way to apply what you've learned. The horses are listed(though not sure of the source since the Beyer speed figures are not included) and then the results of the race are displayed. It is up to you to use your tools and handicap the race. Yet there is no discussion of the process. I for one would have liked the chapter to step you through the highlights (or lowlights) of each horse. Perhaps some thoughts as to why the top two horses might have finished as they did would have been a nice touch as well. Outside of that, if you are a beginner, this is a nice entry book to start with but I would still suggest you read one of the other two books mentioned earlier as a compliment to this; especially before getting into more advanced handicapping books.