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04-14-2019, 12:59 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Dark Side of the Moon
Posts: 5,870
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Steve Davidowitz has passed at 77
https://www.horseracingnation.com/ne...dead_at_77_123
One of the first books I read was his seminal "Betting Thoroughbreds...".
I didn't always agree with his opinion but respected it.
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04-14-2019, 01:13 PM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: west view, pa. now Lancaster, Ca.
Posts: 3,382
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WOW! Sad RIP my condolences
__________________
Buy Sam a drink and get His dog one Too--->mlang
and now in Lancaster, CA.
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04-14-2019, 01:15 PM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,570
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From what I read about him...he seems to have been a more controversial figure than I initially thought. What about his "opinions" did people find so 'disagreeable'?
__________________
"Theory is knowledge that doesn't work. Practice is when everything works and you don't know why."
-- Hermann Hesse
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04-14-2019, 01:19 PM
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#4
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clean money
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Maryland
Posts: 23,560
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He clearly loved the sport.
__________________
Preparation. Discipline. Patience. Decisiveness.
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04-14-2019, 01:21 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 18,962
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I loved his books - an excellent writer for Horse Handicappers.
My condolences to his family and friends.
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04-14-2019, 03:37 PM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Queens, NY
Posts: 20,640
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RIP. Thanks for all the contributions to our sport.
__________________
"Unlearning is the highest form of learning"
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04-14-2019, 04:02 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Spaghetti Junction and Frustration Blvd.
Posts: 1,905
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Thanks for the many many contributions that you shared with us all in this sport that we love so very much. Most sincere condolences to your family and friends. Rest in Peace sir.
__________________
Warm Regards,
Vinnie
"All Human error is impatience; a premature renunciation of method"- F. Kafka
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04-14-2019, 05:31 PM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Baton Rouge, La
Posts: 1,798
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Worked with Steve in the mid 90's at Sam Houston, he was very willing to go out of his way and talk about racing whenever I wanted to. He was a good guy, and he will be missed.
__________________
@ShaTinRacing
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04-14-2019, 05:43 PM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Lehigh Valley, PA.
Posts: 7,464
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I never met him in person, spoke to him a couple of times on the phone. We both agreed that Ruffian was the fastest horse we ever saw up to a mile. Funny how I remember that. RIP Steve.
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04-14-2019, 06:31 PM
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 4,520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pandy
I never met him in person, spoke to him a couple of times on the phone. We both agreed that Ruffian was the fastest horse we ever saw up to a mile. Funny how I remember that. RIP Steve.
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Met him a few times and I have a signed copy of a his book.
Good guy. My thoughts to his family and friends.
He will be missed.
Allan
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04-14-2019, 06:55 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: pen
Posts: 4,592
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got to meet mr davidowitz a couple decades ago at the old world series of handicapping at penn national. signed my copy of bt and took a few minutes to discuss pace figures. seemed like a really nice guy.
rest in peace.
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04-14-2019, 07:50 PM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Palm Beach, Florida
Posts: 2,465
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Sad news. After hearing Beyer say that Davidowitz was his inspiration I went out and read his book. I was not disappointed. He was one of handicapping's seminal writers.
RIP Steve.
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04-14-2019, 08:18 PM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,964
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thaskalos
From what I read about him...he seems to have been a more controversial figure than I initially thought. What about his "opinions" did people find so 'disagreeable'?
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Good question. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but he apparently rubbed some people the wrong way with his opinions - though I think it was more of a personality thing versus handicapping. I know there were some negative posts about him on a thread here a few years back when he was attempting to get a gofundme project to write his next book - apparently not being a wealthy handicapper detracted from his reputation.
Personally, I consider myself a quasi-disciple of Davidowitz, because what I got out of his book was that a player needed a comprehensive approach to pick winners consistently. And like Davidowitz (apparently), I've struggled much more with the wagering and money management side of the game versus the handicapping angles.
Betting Thoroughbreds was the first of many handicapping books I've purchased back in the mid 1980s when learning the game, and it has been a mid-level work that has stood the test of time, IMHO. He covered a lot of different topics in a game that seems to be dominated by specialists, and as a public handicapper had to grind through the process of selecting horses in countless passable races.
He may have had his faults, but unlike many of the characters you meet at the racetrack, he published his methods - and for that I'll be eternally grateful. , Mr. Davidowitz.
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04-14-2019, 08:41 PM
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#14
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Race Player
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Home of the brave.
Posts: 1,044
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All the good ones are leaving us . . .
Sad to hear of his passing.
I have his book, Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century within arms reach and I was closely following his blog Across the Board on Horse Racing Nation - I was wondering why he hadn't provided a recent article. Originator of the term "race track bias." All the good ones are leaving us.
May he rest in peace.
__________________
Nothing endures but change.
- Heraclitus 535-475 BC
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04-14-2019, 08:51 PM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,570
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One thing that has become painfully obvious to me is that the serious horseplayers don't seem to be living long lives. Could it be that something within the game is affecting more than our financial well-being?
__________________
"Theory is knowledge that doesn't work. Practice is when everything works and you don't know why."
-- Hermann Hesse
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