Handicapping for Bettor or Worse: A Fresh Perspective to Betting the Races

Rating:
Summary: Worthwhile for all & best for beginners
Review: Frankly, I bought this book to fulfill an Exclusively Equine requirement for free shipping. After reading the book, I wish it was available ten years ago when I started handicapping. The book covers many aspects of handicapping from both handicapper and owner perspectives. The book's treatment of trainers and claiming race conditions is good. Other books like the aforementioned books by Ainslie, Quinn and Mitchell are good, but talk about races at the highest level. The author's use of races from a smaller track, EmD, makes this book relevant to the 90% of American race going fans who follow smaller tracks and lower level races. I thought this book was very good for the beginner and intermediate level handicapper. Advanced handicappers will find the content covered elsewhere, but there are still unique perspective worthy of consideration.

Rating:
Summary: A solid, practical, absolute "must-have"
Review: Handicapping expert and horse owner John Lindley, author of the well-known Parker's selection sheet, offers his wisdom in Handicapping For Bettor Or Worse: A Fresh Perspective To Betting The Races. Teaching horseplayers how to devise their own handicapping systems, add value to wagers, enhance their ability to observe races, incorporate and fully understand the effects of equipment and medication changes, and more, Handicapping For Bettor Or Worse is a solid, practical, absolute "must-have" for anyone who likes to play the ponies.

Rating:
Summary: This book is OK. Some of the topics are interesting.
Review: I think generally speaking, this book is worth reading for horse racing fans who are serious about handicapping. This book is precise and is also easy to read. I am particularly impressed by topics like ¡§Do horses know they have won?¡¨ and ¡§Can statistics lie?¡¨ as well as his opinions on the tricks/strategies regarding claiming races.

The only drawback of this book is that it does not teach a veteran horse handicapper many new ideas about handicapping. Being an experienced horse handicapper, I find this book a little bit simple. If you are a veteran in horse handicapping, I recommend you a miss on this book. If not, you should read it!

Rating:
Summary: Got to agree with Kowloon man
Review: If you are an experienced handicapper looking for some new ideas, look somewhere else.

I live in Seattle and this book will be little help to me.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad.
Review: John Lindley, Handicapping for Bettor or Worse (Eclipse, 2004)

Not a bad little book, for what it is, and does provide some insight into a number of aspects of racing that will hopefully serve to demolish some myths in the more open-minded readers who pick this up. Lindley also raises the same excellent points as regards post position "statistics" that Henry Kuck brings up in Winner's File, which is quite nice to see; I'm glad that particular piece of spurious statistic-mongering, which has long been the subject of really, really stupid systems sold by faceless Las Vegas post office boxes for $44.95, is finally getting the short shrift it deserves. But, as with more and more handicapping books coming my way, Lindley's slim volume lacks the same thing that makes Ainslie, Beyer, Pizzolla, Mitchell, etc. well worth reading: any real sort of writing style to go along with the information. Andy Beyer and Dick Mitchell may annoy the hell out of you when you're reading their books, but their writing style makes what they say that much more memorable. Lindley is a writer of the "just the facts, ma'am" school, and not surprisingly, that makes even his most important sections in here somewhat unmemorable. Thus, I suggest you take notes while reading this one, as what he has to say is certainly worth hearing. ***