What handicapper/author influenced you

[Sericm]

The first book I ever bought on Handicapping was :

Bob Heberts Secrets of Handicapping in 1963 when it was published.
He had chapters on speed handicapping that pre-dated Beyer by 12 years.
I still have the book, he has a chapter with speed charts for allowance, stakes, claiming and two year olds. Also how to construct a track variant.

The three most influential authors for me was the aforementioned
Bob Hebert, Gordon Jones and of course Andy Beyer.

In Handicapping I believe you first have to identify the fastest horses and then add in other factors.

[DJofSD]

Biggest influences came from the PIRCO group.

[Steve 'StatMan']

In order, Tom Ainslie, Bill Quirin, Steve Davidowitz, Scott McMannis.

[GaryG]

Ray Taulbot, Huey Mahl, Gordon Jones

[BlueShoe]

Most influential, by far, was Louis G. Holloway. Others that had inpact on my evolution as a capper were Taulbot, Ainslie, Hebert, Cohen & Stevens, Jones, William Scott, and several others that had perhaps a more minor influence. Am sure that I left someone important out that I will recall shortly.

[DJofSD]

Louis G. Holloway -- who's that?

[46zilzal]

OUTSIDE the box is where you have to be in this game.

New Think: The Use of Lateral Thinking Edward de Bono

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life, by Nassim Taleb.

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, Leonard Mlodinow

Blink, Malcolm Gladwell

[jnchapel]

Tom Ainslie (everything), James Quinn (class), Steve Davidowitz (key races), Huey Mahl (pace).

[bisket]

ainslie, beyer, and most of all my uncle. who never wrote a book, but the other two were still looking up at him in my eyes.

[kenwoodall2]

Ada Kuleck.

[broadreach]

Mitchell

[JohnGalt1]

The first handicapping book I bought was Bob McKnight's "Eliminate the losers". His method would still work, except back in "60's when it was written horses ran more frequently. It was with this book that I "handicapped my first winner.

I have followed the methods, with some tweaking, of William L. Scott's "Total Victory at the Track" for his Performance Class Ratings, which few handicapper's use.

I make Hambleton pace figures from the book "Pace makes the Race" by Howard Sartin, et al.

I select the pace lines using the guidelines from "Handicapping Magic" by Michael Pizolla.

I have read and used ideas from Davidowitz, Beyer, and other published authors.

I've even "stolen" I mean borrowed ideas I've read here.

[RaceBookJoe]

Originally Posted by DJofSD

Louis G. Holloway -- who's that?

Lou Holloway was by far the most influential to me also. I have read and own most everything Lou ever wrote...my dad was a friend/customer of his. Even though his approach was old-school...his main focus was class and speed ratings. Every time i open a form, the first thing i do is figure a Lou Holloway speed and pace rating. Even though i have morphed into more modern ways of handicapping...Holloway's influence comes first to me and I always use his money management approach, which while sometimes slow, has never failed me. The money management that i learned kind of morphs into the "grinder" thread...i used to have 3 "banks" going at a time...one each for win,place and show....the main forms of betting back in the 70's.
After Lou and my dad....i enjoyed the book written by Scott Flohr, again old-school but influential. Brohamer/Beyer opened my eyes to more involved pace and speed and an idea about how to handicap turf....which when i first started wasnt as mainstream as it is now. rbj
ps : writings by holloway included " Nevada Gaming Guide " early 60's ( which included his tote-all system , "The Talking Tote" 1957? , the "show off" system 1970 , writings in Systems and Methods and numerous other newsletter-type writings.

[turfnsport]

Hank Goldberg.

[DJofSD]

Originally Posted by turfnsport

Hank Goldberg.