karlskorner
12-02-2001, 03:50 PM
From this weeks Track Record magazine a column by Bernie Dickman
Quote
"In a recent edition of Thoroughbred Daily News, New York Daily News racing writer Bill Finley reviewed the new book 'BET WITH THE BEST" a product of the Daily Racing Form and its extensive cast of handicappers. Finley was less than impressed with the effort, saying that it promised "all new strategies from Americas leading handicappers." but it fell far short of that goal.
Said Finley, "As I see it, there hasn't been a truly significant breakthrough, in refresing new ideas in the field of thoroughbred handicapping in maybe 20 years. Back then, students of the game enjoyed a renaissance era. Innovative handicappers like Andy Beyer, Steve Davidowitz, Len Ragozin, Bill Quirin and others unearthed handicapping gem after handicapping gem. They were far ahead of the curve, developing new handicapping strategies that included speed figures, track biases, trainer patterns, pedigreee studies. They became the teachers of a new generation of handicappers, sophisticated and serious players who shattered the sterrotypes of a racetrack gambler as a broken-down degenerate smoking nickel cigars and wearing tattered sports jackets."
Not having read the book myself, I'm sure Finley's comments about it are on the mark. What isn't on the mark is his perception, like all the others of his generation, that the aforementioned handicappers - some 20 years ago - discovered "speed figures, track biasis, trainer patterns and pedigree studies" Long before the young Turks began to invade the press boxes if North America, there was a group firmly in place that handled the handicapping in newspapers around the country and made the morning lines in the nation's programs. Morning lines, I might add, that were rarely criticized the way today's horrendous imitations of morning line are.
In the 60's and 70's, there were guys named Pat Lynch, Mike Lee, Sammy Engleberg, John Santono, Manny Kalish, Tony betts, Russ Harris and many more. who used speed figures and understod track biasis, trainer patterns and pedigrees.
The difference is that they didn't go around broadcasting what they knew, exept when it came to their winners. They didn't write books, they didn't have the Racing Form heralding their methods. They just produced. And they all had "clients"
I'll never forget the first time I read Andy Beyer's first book. Somewhere in it he proclaimed his amasement when it hit him that a horse racing six wide was taking a course somewhat longer than the horse who was glued to the rail throughout. He mentioned that handicappers at the trotters were already tuned in to that theory because as the trots so many horses were forced to go wide to get into contention. I remember wondering at the time why he thought that piece of information was such a revelation. To the previous generation, it was merely a fact of life - and racing.
In short, today's handicappers think that the art of picking hores began the day they learned to to do it. I promise you - it didn't. When from 1800 to 1990's did you ever see a handicapper pick a horse to win a stakes race because he had the highest Beyer number.
END OF STORY
Karl
Quote
"In a recent edition of Thoroughbred Daily News, New York Daily News racing writer Bill Finley reviewed the new book 'BET WITH THE BEST" a product of the Daily Racing Form and its extensive cast of handicappers. Finley was less than impressed with the effort, saying that it promised "all new strategies from Americas leading handicappers." but it fell far short of that goal.
Said Finley, "As I see it, there hasn't been a truly significant breakthrough, in refresing new ideas in the field of thoroughbred handicapping in maybe 20 years. Back then, students of the game enjoyed a renaissance era. Innovative handicappers like Andy Beyer, Steve Davidowitz, Len Ragozin, Bill Quirin and others unearthed handicapping gem after handicapping gem. They were far ahead of the curve, developing new handicapping strategies that included speed figures, track biases, trainer patterns, pedigreee studies. They became the teachers of a new generation of handicappers, sophisticated and serious players who shattered the sterrotypes of a racetrack gambler as a broken-down degenerate smoking nickel cigars and wearing tattered sports jackets."
Not having read the book myself, I'm sure Finley's comments about it are on the mark. What isn't on the mark is his perception, like all the others of his generation, that the aforementioned handicappers - some 20 years ago - discovered "speed figures, track biasis, trainer patterns and pedigree studies" Long before the young Turks began to invade the press boxes if North America, there was a group firmly in place that handled the handicapping in newspapers around the country and made the morning lines in the nation's programs. Morning lines, I might add, that were rarely criticized the way today's horrendous imitations of morning line are.
In the 60's and 70's, there were guys named Pat Lynch, Mike Lee, Sammy Engleberg, John Santono, Manny Kalish, Tony betts, Russ Harris and many more. who used speed figures and understod track biasis, trainer patterns and pedigrees.
The difference is that they didn't go around broadcasting what they knew, exept when it came to their winners. They didn't write books, they didn't have the Racing Form heralding their methods. They just produced. And they all had "clients"
I'll never forget the first time I read Andy Beyer's first book. Somewhere in it he proclaimed his amasement when it hit him that a horse racing six wide was taking a course somewhat longer than the horse who was glued to the rail throughout. He mentioned that handicappers at the trotters were already tuned in to that theory because as the trots so many horses were forced to go wide to get into contention. I remember wondering at the time why he thought that piece of information was such a revelation. To the previous generation, it was merely a fact of life - and racing.
In short, today's handicappers think that the art of picking hores began the day they learned to to do it. I promise you - it didn't. When from 1800 to 1990's did you ever see a handicapper pick a horse to win a stakes race because he had the highest Beyer number.
END OF STORY
Karl