I think most of us remember the "old days" of the horseplaying era, when the handicapping aspect of it was hijacked by the unscrupulous charlatans who were promising us untold riches for a mere $20 bill. The common notion is that Tom Ainslie was the first to "rescue" this game from the hands of the charlatans...but this isn't accurate, IMO. Ainslie might have been the first to present handicapping as the studious, intellectual challenge that it now is, but Ainslie didn't go far enough...because he didn't put
himself out there the way Beyer did. Ainslie may have supplied the words...but Beyer also presented us with a vivid IMAGE of what a winning horseplayer was, and how he operated.
In Andy Beyer we saw a keen intellect and a fiery passion for the game we all loved...and because of him we no longer had to hide our racing form in shame whenever some "respectable guy" opened up and started reading his
Wall Street Journal in a public place. Speaking for myself, I owe my participation in this game to Beyer and Beyer alone...and for that he has my everlasting gratitude. I figured, if this game was good enough for a smart guy like Andy Beyer...then it was good enough for me too.
