IS THE PROGRAM IMPLEMENTABLE?
I bought this book back in the late 80s when I went through my gambling phase, trying horseracing and counting cards at blackjack (which btw actually works but you need to bet big money b/c the margin is so slim), among other things. I used to drive 20 minutes to buy the Daily Racing Form, come back to my house and methodically key in the race histories of the horses in that day's races, and this was back in the days of the Apple II computers when there was no Internet. I wrote a spreadsheet program (in Lotus 1-2-3, remember that?) that took the data, applied the formulas and concepts in this book, and spit out what bets I should place on each race.

Well, nowadays the Daily Racing Form has all of its data available for download in spreadsheet format so if you have some decent MS Excel skills, the number crunching process can probably be accomplished quickly in the morning, allowing ample time to get to the track (I haven't actually downloaded the DRF's data, lest I slip back into my gambling phase, which I'm happy has passed).

DID IT WORK FOR ME?
Yes it worked for me. I crunched the numbers, followed the betting rules pretty much to the letter, and overall had a positive outcome over the course of 8 to10 race cards. My rate of return (net winnings/total bets placed) was pretty low, but it was positive. The system itself is very easy to implement if you can automate the data entry and calculation part of it. If you can automate that through DRF Online, the tweaking process afterwards is pretty easy and can be done at the track. Those that can do math in their head quickly and well (and think in fifths and fractions) may actually be able to pick up a DRF at the track early and get the crunching process done in their heads. For everyone else (like me) that can't do that much math in your head (say within the 15-20 minutes between each race), the system is a little overwhelming and the principles can only serve as a guideline then.

WOULD YOU WANT TO IMPLEMENT IT?
Should you be able to "invest" money at the racetrack and expect a certain rate of return? Well, let's examine the traditional investment - stocks. You should expect a positive rate of return from the equity market (over time) because you are lending money to others who take that money and invest it in a productive process that adds value. How about card counting in blackjack? Yes, you should expect a positive return when counting cards in blackjack - the odds are slightly against you without counting cards (and following the "optimal" hit/hold strategy), but altering your betting scheme and hit/hold strategy based on face cards left in the deck has been mathematically proven by IBM mathematicians (and others after them) to allow the player to have the statistical edge on the house (see "The Worlds Greatest Blackjack Book"). So then horseracing? Races are determined by the events primarily within the power of dumb (and I mean that in the biological sense) animals, with intervening events like weather, race fixing/throwing, injury, jockey error, etc. Barring your knowledge of non-public information like a jockey's intent to throw a race, there are no theoretical or mathematical reasons why you should be able to make any money (especially not counting the house fees you are paying) betting on horses. The pari-mutuel system reflects the collective public knowledge of those betting - it's not enough to simply choose the horse that will win (or place/show), you also have to choose the horse with more consistency than your fellow bettors.

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to have more fun at the race track and have a more structured approach toward horse selection and betting, this is a great book. If you are looking for the next best handicapping strategy, please get some help at GA, really.

Simply put, this book actually does what it says. I won't go so far as to say that it is safer than the stock market. I will say that after reading this book and studying the formulas, that I had the same results (or better) when I took a vacation and spent 2 weeks actually betting at the track, than the author did during his week at the track that he describes in his book.

The book tells you how to figure out the speed, endurance and stamina of a horse to see if he has what it takes to be up at the front when the finish line comes rolling around. I have to say that even if you don't believe what he is selling, and even if you don't follow all his little rules, the major tips he gives you in this book will definitely help out the novice handicapper and make a day at the racetrack much more fun. I mean why not, winning money is more fun than losing money. Right?

My average was on $20.00 bets. I made $70.00 per day per track bet. My worst day I lost $80.00. My best day I made $700.00

Good Luck

The author's premise -- that placing bets at the horse track can be as reliable as investing in the stock market -- may be a bit hard to swallow at first... but handicapper William Scott makes the concept appear quite plausible. Scott shows a refreshing willingness to break with established traditions as he provides the racegoer with a well-explained handicapping method that attempts to remove "luck" from the equation.

Readers new to racing will gain valuable insights into the science and art of the sport, while experienced bettors will appreciate the fresh perspective on the "accepted" methods of rating horses and their past performances.

The methods detailed in the first half of the book are explained in easy-to-follow detail, supplimented by charts reprinted from various regional editions of the bible of the racing industry, the "Daily Racing Form." While the examples and calculations are explained in easy-to-understand terms, Scott never talks down to his audience -- even the experienced horseman won't be bored. The last half of the book, which shows Scott's methods in use in each race over a typical week at Belmont, serves to cement the lessons learned.

Experienced handicappers may shudder at some of Scott's play-it-safe suggestions, and businesspeople with their 401(k) statements may roll their eyes at the idea of blowing money on the ponies, but both should put "Investing at the Racetrack" to the test. After all... it's only money...

The book provides a great amount of beginner information, for someone who has no knowledge of horseracing. Not for the advanced horseplay.

Dick Mitchell's book is a very good read. He shows how to choose the logical contenders in a race as well as eliminate the false favorites. This alone can swing your profit margin way up. He explains the importance of pars and track profiles. Some of his automatic throw outs may seem in contradiction to everything you previously learned, but after you try them you will be amazed as to the accuracy of these few tips. The information learned from this book when used in conjunction with the Gordon Pine par times has greatly increased my bankroll.

Written in a easy to understand fashion, the book provides useful examples of how to use beyer figures and when the top fig is vulnerable.

Very good treatment of bounces and form cycles. The statistical studies in the book are worth the price alone.

Anyone who has read Beyer on Speed should also read this!

Dave Feldman's colorful career as a handicapper, writer, owner, and trainer in Chicago comes to life in this fast reading book. The stories are interesting and provide insights as well for bettors. Dave's experience in thoroughbred racing gives him the authority to provide the horse player with some helpful tips on what to look for and to avoid at the track.

I checked out the 1967 version of this book in the library when I first became interested in horse race handicapping. It was so full of information that I ended up buying it. A few years back, I loaned it to my brother and later asked for it back so I could review some stuff. But, his dominating wife had thrown it away. Well, enough of this boring stuff. This book does a good job of introducing a new, novice, or disorganized horseplayer to the fundamentals of handicapping--a fancy way to say picking winners at the track. Ainslie covers distance, speed, class, form, track conditions, breeding, and jockeys and trainers very thoroughly. The reader should avoid the laundry lists of specific qualifications for horses that appear periodically in the book. This book was published before the advent of Beyer speed figures and other new concepts in handicapping. Also, as in most how to pick winners books, Ainslie has sections of the Daily Racing Form from races where he made a big score. Racing authors seem to never have DRF examples of races where they lost their shirts. But, it is a useful treatise to learn the fundamentals of handicapping though even the lastest edition (1988) is a bit dated. I would advise the reader to learn the general concepts in the book and to avoid the specific criteria for picking horses. It is an excellent place for a new horseplayer to start. Now, if someone could write a book for my brother telling him how to stand up to his wife.

The best handicapping book I've read. The beauty is the organization, how Ainsle teaches you a systematic, organized method. There's a lot of leeway for putting your own system together, but it's the mindset, the step by step way he approaches things that's so valuable. I haven't seen that anywhere. Most books teach you things of value, but not how to step by step go through the past performances, decide if the distance is right for this horse, figure out if the horse is in condition, in the right class etc. After reading this book I can actually sit down with a program, figure out which races are playable and which aren't, and hit about 40% winners. I would highly recommend it.

This was the first book on this subject that I have read and I bought it again for someone else. If you are just getting started this is an excellent place to begin.

He kept all of his secrets. If you know the basics of racing you will learn nothing. Definate thumbs down!!

You don't need to purchase The Sheets to benefit from Len Ragozin's insight. You may, as some have, find a way to incorporate his theories into your personal methodology. Understanding thoroughbred form cycles is critical to successful wagering and this book shows the way. But you will have to work a little to master the concepts he presents. Until Ragozin wrote this book I was mystified by the unpredictable declines and sudden rises in the performances of young horses. Now some of my best bets come in three year old races. And I don't subscribe to the expensive figures.
What I have learned is worth many times the purchase price.

While Len Ragozin may, in part, be promoting his Sheet service, he does begin to impart very important information about the sport, handicapping, and some of the aspects of the game that necessitated the development of his number system. He actually does disclose how to develop the numbers, the problem is, partly, in getting the raw data that goes into them. Ultimately, it is the analysis of the numbers and the patterns combined with sound money management that offers the promise of success at the windows. Read the book. Adapt the handicapping principles to the information available from the Daily Racing Form, if you wish. One thing I think you will find is that Len Ragozin wants to share his knowledge and wisdom. The data, however, is for sale.

The book describes a method for rating horses that is very time consuming, with results that do not justify all the work. I did a dry run, handicapping several race cards, and had I bet real money, I would have been very upset with the results. Although I am not an expert, I hold my own when I study the past performances in the track program or The Daily Racing Form. By following the book's method, I did significantly worse than I would have on my own. Not recommended.

Unless your a novice this book will give you little. It is one of the few books on handicapping harness races that is readilly available but this is a weak work. Ms. Kulleck consistently contradicts herself and she seems to only skim the surface on most topics. Also it seems most of her research with her husband were done years ago and have probably become irrelevant over time.

Considering myself a beginner, I find Ms. Ada Kulleck's book one of the best book for beginners. I like Chapter 2 especially because there are some great tips on eliminating horses that don't have the potential to win. By eliminating the potential losers, the few horses that stand out gives you the opportunity to narrow your focus to find the potential winner or to play them collectively on exotic wagers. I combined what I learned from Ms. Kulleck's book and also established my own system. One handicapping system will not work all the time. This is a good [$$$] investment.

There are good books on horse race betting, this just isn't one of them. You do need to have deep pockets to follow this guy's advice, and a large bankroll at home.

After you strip away that which is intuitively obvious...there's not much here. There are some betting strategies if you're the type to bet $300 on a Pick 3 or $2,500 on a Pick 6. Otherwise, I'd give this book a miss.

For a serious starter in horse racing, this book tells you how you should manage your wagering money and how to bet effectively and efficiently. However, this book will be too simple for a horseplayer who has been serious in horse racing for quite a long time.

Richard A. Cromie, Mr. Trifecta (ParlorGrand, 2000)

Handicapping books can be divided into two basic types: those that rely on solid information and those that rely on more nebulous information. 99.9% of the latter (I know if I say 'all,' someone will publish one that actually works) are complete and utter bunk. The majority of the 'nebulous information' books rely on one source of information: 'smart money.'

The concept of 'smart money' is that a horse's owner, trainer, and jockey have a better idea than most handicappers about how the horse will run. The obvious logical fallacy should be apparent: the so-called 'smart money' may know everything there is to know about their horse in the race, but are likely to know just as much as the next guy about every other horse in the race.

Mr. Trifecta is just this kind of insider-money book, taking an old system (looking for horses who have more money bet on them in the daily double pool than the win pool and assuming that's 'smart money') and applying it with a new angle (Cromie uses the pick three pool instead of the daily double pool). But it's nothing we haven't seen before, and while it's not the quickest road to the poorhouse, you're far better off with books from the former camp by authors like Tom Ainslie, Dick Mitchell, Jim Quinn, William Quirin, Mark Cramer, and the like. **, because it's short, to the point, and contains some good tall tales about track life.

This book is extremely easy to read. It only takes me probably 2 hours (4 subway trips of half an hour each) to finish this book as the idea presented in this book is very simple. In short, proportion of win odds to pick three odds + smart money in win odds + horse's condition on the paddock = selection. However, does this actually work?

I cannot give you a definite answer as there is no pick three odds like this in Hong Kong. However, I can imagine the author has made three major assumptions in his system as follows:-

1. Smart money tends to go to pick three pool instead of win pool.

2. There is an existence of smart money on win pool that causes the movement between prelimiary odds and morning line odds.

3. Smart money is actually smarter.

I cast doubt on the first 2 assumptions especially majority of the bets come into the pool at the last 5-7 minutes before a race (hence, early odds are not too accurate as smart money has not come in yet). This happens in Hong Kong.

As a serious horse racing "participant", I will recommend you a miss on this book.

Reviewer middletown, de United States either believes he is e e cummings or can't spell. Furthermore, what use is a system that runs through the numbers then says to look at the horses and possibly add the chalk? The use of a realistic system like that is to cash at the window more often. If I could pick winners just by looking at them I wouldn't have bought his book or used his system either, but since I did I've been able to leverage the facts he points out. Not only do I save by not needing the forms and not spending hours studying the sheets, I save by cashing more winners than I ever did before. If you buy this book for the price of a trifecta ticket consider that your first winner of many to come