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Originally Posted by ryesteve
I would say search this message board and see if most people have said positive things about it.
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That's a good idea. A nice cross section of people here so at least you get an idea of what'sin the work. I've found a few at Barnes & Noble, (Borders has very few racing books) especially the DRF Series stuff so I browse them there before deciding whether to buy.
One thing I would NOT depend on are "reviews" or blurbs from the usual expert suspects. They all just "log-roll," that is take turns saying nice things about each other's work. Nothing devious in that, just a courtesy -- and no one wants to get bashed so they tend to cooperate.
For what it's worth -- depending on your level of play -- my recommendations
in no particular order
-- Blinkers Off by Cary Fotias. (Great on form cycles)
-- Modern Pace Handicapping by Tom Brohamer. Great pace primer.
-- Speed to Spare by Joe Cardello, another good treatise on form cycles.
-- Odds Must be Crazy by Len Ragozin, hard to find, but a good form cycle read even if you don't use the Sheets.
-- Betting Thoroughbreds by Steve Davidowitz, best overall work on handicapping.
Honorable Mention
--James Quinn's book on Class. (can't recall name) his seminal work.
-- Mark Cramer's 11 winning exacta situations.
-- Cramer's Kinky Handicapping (the original, I never read the second one). For an alternative, Gonzo look at handicapping. He's always a fun read.
There are other good books too -- these are just my faves, ones that I read over and over again after buying them. To me that's the real mark of a good handicapping book: How often do you go back and review them?.
