3 Decent Books

[RaceBookJoe]

Every now and then I like to get away from the handicapping side of horses but still read about things horse-related. The following three books are easy fun reads.
"Scared Money" by Mark Cramer ( fictional type story )
"Thirty Tons a Day" by Bill Veeck ( based around Suffolk Downs )
"The Horseman" by Jack Engelhard ( based around Monmouth during the week of Walter Blum's 4000th win. ) rbj

[FUGITIVE77]

Try "Horseplayers Life at the Track", the Fuge gives it four stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Horseplayers-Life-Track-Ted-McClelland/dp/1556525672

[cnollfan]

Not by a Long Shot by T.D. Thornton, covering a season at Suffolk Downs a few years back, is excellent.

[clore1030]

Let me mention "The Track: A Day in the Life of Belmont Park" by Bill Surface. It's about 30 years old now, but still an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the sport.

[the clocker]

I am quoting myself here from a post back on December 20, 2005..we were listing what books my brother and I had in our horse-related libraries...

"I also have a few Thoroughbred books that are the same as yours...One work of particular interest to Horse-Players is a work called "The Degenerates of Lake Tahoe" an engrossing study of persistence in the Social World Of Horse Race Gambling by Peter Lang P.H.D....I highly recommend this one..as it says on it's back cover "The researcher identifies and describes the social-psychological components involved in sustained participation at gambling...." It was about off-track betting in the Casino's prior to the Internet era... If you are interested in the books we listed you should be able to see them at this link on our blog of HandicappingHarness.com http://respecki.typepad.com/handicapping_harness/commentary/page/2/

[facorsig]

"Scared Money" by Mark Cramer ( fictional type story )

The best part of this book is when you find it for $2.98 in the discount bin. Otherwise, I was not impressed. Mark is a fine author, but this one failed to capture my imagination.

[proximity]

Every now and then I like to get away from the handicapping side of horses but still read about things horse-related. The following three books are easy fun reads.
"Scared Money" by Mark Cramer ( fictional type story )
"Thirty Tons a Day" by Bill Veeck ( based around Suffolk Downs )
"The Horseman" by Jack Engelhard ( based around Monmouth during the week of Walter Blum's 4000th win. ) rbj

"the wrong horse" by william murray would be a book like this.....

[barn32]

The best part of this book is when you find it for $2.98 in the discount bin. Otherwise, I was not impressed. Mark is a fine author, but this one failed to capture my imagination.I agree. I thought it was unreadable. However, I loved, "The Odds on Your Side."

[LottaKash]

I. However, I loved, "The Odds on Your Side."

Barn, I enjoyed that read from Mark Cramer as well......That particular book was probably the most instrumental of all the books I've read, in turning my game around......Cramer's take on "Form vs. Content" is timeless and his depiction of the major "Race Categories" and about making "Odds Lines" still help in keeping me well focused when coming to some conclusions about a race....It is racing "Brain Food" for me.....

best,

[Charlie]

Lotta Kash... Like I have stated before, I own tons of handicapping books and for me, without question, the best is Lehane's Calibration Handicapping. I am just not sure how much of it can pertain to Harness Racing. One of his concepts is called the Double Advantage Horse. That is, when any horse has a last out highest Beyer and the best Final fraction. I have utilized this idea for Harness Race handicapping, but in a somewhat different manner. So yes, I'd certainly recommend it.
By the way, isn't Mr Tuttle's latest book your favorite? Only kidding.......