Ray Taulbot Books - Horse Racing Forum - PaceAdvantage.Com

Richard · 09-10-2002, 06:22 AM

Having submitted a post in another forum mentioning the late Ray Taulbot,I wonder if anyone on this board might know where any of his books can be found?(I already have the book discussing how to use his Pace Calculator.)Any reply at all would be greatly appreciated.

Lindsay · 09-10-2002, 06:50 PM

Richard: http://www.realmsofresearch.com/books/crafts.htm

trying2win · 10-09-2002, 02:13 AM

Richard:

Re: Ray Taulbot books

A good place to search for some old out-of-print Ray Taulbot books (or for that matter, any other well-known handicapping author, past or present), is at www.alibris.com. Just enter the required data into the "SEARCH" function on their website, then hit the"GO" button and a list of available used books for the particular handicapping author you are looking for will appear.

andicap · 10-09-2002, 12:46 PM

Does anyone feel they are still applicable today?

bdhsheets · 10-17-2002, 11:09 AM

Keep an eye on e-Bay: Sports>>Memorabilia>>Horse Racing His books show up every so often at a reasonable price.

'sheets

GR1@HTR · 10-17-2002, 11:16 AM

How come Roys articles bring up examples from races within the last year or so? I thought he was 6 feet under???!

Lefty · 10-17-2002, 12:23 PM

Ray's articles can use more recent races because the editors update his stuff. They use the rules and find recent races. No Mediums involved.

ranchwest · 10-17-2002, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lefty
Ray's articles can use more recent races because the editors update his stuff. They use the rules and find recent races. No Mediums involved.

Man, and I thought he was REALLY good.

Jaguar · 10-21-2002, 09:08 PM

Andicap,

The late great Ray Taulbot was a wise bettor and a smart handicapper. I know someone who worked with him for several years at American Turf and was impressed by Mr. Taulbot's regular winnings at the Track.

Sadly, Ray Taulbot's handicapping is no longer pertinent due to the flood of chemical enhancements which has eaten away at the moorings handicappers always relied on in order to make their selections.

Today, a long layoff horse is not necessarily a bad bet, when the Trainer/Jockey stats say that the conditioner is going for the purse.

For example, racing on Amicar, Tramex, Banamine, or another drug, a horse may today outperform any numbers he/she has put up in a past race- and that horse might not have qualified as a Ray Taulbot choice- because the animal lacked consistency and/or closing speed.

In other words, using Ray Taulbot's strict elimination rules in our handicapping, we might throw out an entrant that subsequently goes on to win today. I know, since I have at times made that expensive mistake.

What revealed the dramatic discontinuity between traditional handicapping and handicapping in 2002, was not any insight that I had, rather it was a fact that my computer highlighted for me.

In going over my databases, which are current and which are substantial, 2 years ago I noticed that the third or 4th fastest horse entered in today's race was often winning- in direct contrast to the old racing axiom that "the fast horses win and the slow ones walk up the dreaded ramp into the Alpo van".

When I looked at the better races: MSP, All., Stakes- I saw that very often the Trainer/Jockey stats were broadcasting the winner.
I realized that the conditioners running the reliable animals, and having the wealthier owners(of course)- were charter members of the Hypodermic Racing Association- and were cheating the betting public.

Furthermore, it became obvious that the old standbys: workouts, in-the-money ratios, turn-time estimates, equipment changes, closing fps, class drops, assigned weight changes, form-cycle measurements, layoffs, etc.- all the old junk that I lived by for years- could be tossed in the dumpster.

What we are left with is: Pace, Speed, Strong Last Race, and Connections. The decision maker is: Connections. Because, in the better contests- which means bigger purses- the Trainer must win to keep his clients and to stay in the game.

This is why when you visit certain Wal-Mart stores, you'll find that the friendly greeter-just inside the entrance- bears a remarkable resemblance to a horseman you occasionally saw in the Paddock at Blowntohell Downs, -but you hardly ever saw him in the winner's circle.

Racing is all about what W. C. Fields referred to in one of his movies as "The Scarce Spondulix". To get the money today, a trainer has to join the HRA, 'cause if he don't, he won't(get the money).

Let's hope the bettors don't catch on, though, since the odds are often not set by well-informed handicappers, but instead by a betting public which is betting their daughter's birthday numbers, and is wishing and hoping for a win. That's what makes the game possible for an old, arthritic guy like me to catch a nice, "juicy" $7 mutuel every once in a while.(Shame on me for resorting to such a corny play on words, I know Dick Schmidt would call me on it, if I didn't apologize right here.

Speaking of smart handicappers, let me tell you of some of Dick Schmidt's contributions to the game.

What's that, I've gone on too long?

Oh, O.K., I'll spare you this time. But, I'm warning you, there may be more at another time- only fair to warn you.

All the best,

Jaguar

Lefty · 10-21-2002, 09:20 PM

Far as I know, late great Taulbot only wrote 1 book subtitled Playing For Profit. He also wrote 2 booklets 1 was Ways And Means of Winning which I bght for $3 in 50's and last I saw was selling for $20 by Amerpub. The other, I believe, was Positive Factor Handicapping. also a booklet not a book.

Figman · 10-21-2002, 09:56 PM

Lefty,
I was an AMERICAN TURF MONTHLY subscriber back in the "50s and always liked it better than its rival, TURF AND SPORT DIGEST. It was geared strictly to budding handicappers. I remember the hawking of two hardcover books, the one you mentioned by Ray and another about betting(SMART MONEY SECRETS) authored by Robert Bacon. In addition, the magazine sold Ray Taulbot's Pace Calculator and a little gizmo called The Smart Money Detecto-Meter that had no connection to either hardcover book. Most everything else sold separately was a 4X10 cardboard covered booklet as you mentioned.

Lefty · 10-22-2002, 11:59 AM

Figman, those were the days, my friend. Also there was a mag called Turf Guide but I liked ATM because Taulbot impressed me.
I prob bght about everything they had at the time. They also put out a weekly racing paper. They sold a thing called SelfoMatic, which was prob where the guy who invented Kelco Class Calculator got the idea.
I still have a copy of the Bacon book and Taulbot's book.

Tom · 10-22-2002, 08:32 PM

Was it Racing Star Weekly?
Had a back page article by joe Conte (Vertex).
Those were the days.

hdcper · 10-22-2002, 11:32 PM

The racing newspaper I remember most was called Racing Action. I still miss it to this day!!!!

I remember writing to the editor several times under Gamblin Bill, especially about why favorites run first more than the run second and second more than they run third. A question Kelso Surgeon asked in one of his articles.

Does anyone else remember that paper,

Hdcper

Kappa · 10-23-2002, 12:13 AM

The Ray Taulbot Pace Calculator! WOW That brings back some nice memories. I had my first signer using it ( a $3000 tri at Atlantic City with a $100 longshot on top). If I could find it, I bet it would still dig up some good ones!!