Ainslie's Jockey Book the Relationship of Jockeys to the Winning and Losing of Horse

[GR1@HTR]

Anybody read this 1967 book?

[Big Bill]

GR1,

Yes, I've read it many times. It was a gift from my daughter at Christmas 1980!

Much of the book contains handicapping concepts that can be found in Ainslie's better known books. However, I enjoyed his treatment of pace in Chapter 9. Like many authors of handicapping books dealing with the subject of pace, Ainslie claims the object "is to find the horse able to set or cope with the fastest pace likely to be run in today's race". He provides charts on pages 116 and 117 that enable the handicapper to make pace ratings. And I used the charts for that purpose back in the 80's.

I don't think you would be too disappointed if you chose to read the book.

Big Bill

[GR1@HTR]

Big Bill,

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, I have never read an Ainslie book. Quick question: What kinda jockey stuff does he get into in his book?

[Big Bill]

GR1

I have the second edition (1975) of Ainslie's book. I guess the title, Ainslie on Jockeys, might make you think the entire book (158 pages) is about jockeys but it really isn't. The author even describes this book as a handicapping manual. And it includes much of the information from his The Compleat (that's not misspelled!) Horseplayer and Ainslie's Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing. However, his writing in this book was designed to help the reader understand how the trainer's choice of jockey relates to all other aspects of handicapping.

His stats on jockeys are old since he is addressing the jockeys of the era in which the book was written. His theory on the kinds of jockeys that he finds acceptable is provided. In one chapter he discusses weight assignments so that the reader will know when to be concerned about them and when to forget them; essentially he believes that weight is a minor handicapping factor in nine out of ten races.

Bottom line: This is a book in which the author updates the handicapping method(s) he provided in earlier publications with a little bit about jockeys thrown in. The title is a bit of a fooler! If you think that the jockey is a great influence on the outcome of a race and want to read something that validates that belief, this book won't do it IMHO.

Big Bill