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Originally Posted by HalvOnHorseracing
I'd put Tom Ainslie on top, not necessarily because he wrote the best book but because he paved the path for the other writers. He was the first one to show there was a market for a well written, intelligent handicapping book. Even Andy Beyer said, all handicapping books can be divided into two categories. Before and after Tom Ainslie. I'd also put Mark Cramer on my list.
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There should be little or no argument at all that Andrew Beyer is the legendary ambassador of modern thoroughbred handicapping.
However in terms of journalistic writing about horseracing I would put the late Jim Murray of the LA Times and the late Red Smith of the NY Times ahead of Beyer.
Having said that, Beyer gets the edge over them and Tom Ainsile with his introduction to the horseracing public a practical and simple handicapping tool in the form of his "speedfigure" methodology which is still the premier tool today after 40+ years.
Also we shouldn't overlook Phil Bull of Timeform who is truly the "godfather" of modern quantitative handicapping with his Timeform Ratings and Timefigures which he introduced in the 1930s.
