Product Description

The handicapper is taught to master the nuts and bolts of handicapping by understanding today's advanced past performances, thus gaining a significant edge on the betting public.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #405903 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 228 pages

From the Publisher
Daily Racing Form handicapper Brad Free has written a primer that is set squarely in the new world of 21st-century handicapping, where new exotic bets dominate the $15 billion annual wagering handle and new training methods and racing schedules have transformed the game. Free walks new and old players through the enduring basics of speed, pace, class, and condition, with dozens of recent race examples and interviews with leading trainers and jockeys, then also explains each of the new wagers available to the modern fan. Are racehorses predictable? What are the key factors and where can they be found? Is it really possible to win at the races?

Free's resounding answer is yes-horseplayers can win! He explains that by learning how to read and interpret the past performances, and applying their own analysis and observations, fans can not only cash more tickets but also gain a deeper understanding and enjoyment of how racing really works.

Customer Reviews

Great start for beginners.
Brad Free's Handicapping 101 was the first book I read when I started to become involved in horse racing. This is a perfect guide for beginners and is probably the best book to get started with. Advanced players also could gain from scrubbing up on the basics, but for the most part, the advanced player will already be familiar with a majority of the ideas/topics in this book.

A class worth taking
As an entry-level/novice handicapper wanting to learn everything I can, a friend of mine suggested Handicapping 101 as the opening read. He couldn't have been more on target.

In reality, the title almost doesn't do the text justice, for it's far more than the "101"-level information you'd expect. While the four main areas of handicapping may be the starting points, they are explained in fine detail without sounding as if you are listening to a lecture or reading a thesis. Free mixes in just enough from his personal handicapping experiences (both successful and not) to add flavor to the text and to bring the information presented to life.

This book alone will not make you into a professional horseplayer, and you shouldn't read it with that intent. But if you are like me and trying to learn, with an eye toward taking handicapping very seriously down the road - this is a must-read. What this book will do is:

A) Enlighten you as to what you have been doing wrong when you were at the track "for fun." (read: not leaving with any money and calling the money you lost the "cost of entertainment)

B) Give you enough information in an enjoyable text that will be much more knowledge than many others bring to the track on race day (as in, all those folks who in category A.)

Absolutely worth it.

Helping Hand 101.
Handicapping 101. Is the best book for understanding what to look for in handicapping.