This author has written several books on handicapping. Has anyone read any? If so, would they recommend them?

Without doubt the best 4 books I have come across in respect of all aspects of betting, ratings and systems development.

Very easy and entertaining to read.

Great value.

In my opinion they are nowhere near the best books written on racing. If you want to become a successful punter I can recommend at least 5 books you should be before hand...but I digress.

I'm not bagging the books, I have two or maybe three. It depends what you are into and what stage of your punting journey you are at. They focus heavily on finding the answers to racing through statistics, relative frequencies for different form factors...all statistically and mathematically based. One book has a minor chapter on Speed Ratings, which is more of an broad overview to how is Tasmanian Business Speed Handicapping Services goes about their work...again very mathematical.

You won't find anything in them to develop essential knowledge and skills to be a successful form analyst and bettor i.e. class, distance, fitness, form, pace, betting habits etc but if you are statistically inclined, believe they can actually make you winner and / or are interested in exploring that side of racing then you should definitely get a hold of them.

I agree in principle with you Osulldj,

But I punt purely using mathematics and statistics.
Sometimes statistics will encompass class and field strength as well, it all depends on what statistics you use and how you use them.
Statistics can provide you with profitable conclusions rather than logical one's.
For example: What seems logical is not necessarily profitable.
A horse rising in weight can sometimes be a concern, but in handicaps this usually relates to a significant drop in class.
Providing the horse has show it can carry weight previously, statistically often it is a good bet and profitable also, whereas logically, you might rule it out using form analysis and weight ratings.
I guess it comes down to the mindset and approach you wish to take.

[ This Message was edited by: Chrome Prince on 2003-05-07 16:36 ]

Thank you for replying to my post, I really appreciate your opinions.

To osulldj: If progress on my punting journey can be measured by the state of my punting bank, then I feel that I'm still at the bottom of a very steep and slippery slope. Every so often I get going up the slope but always seem to lose purchase and slip back to the bottom. However, I really enjoy the challenge. You mentioned in your reply that you could recommend at least 5 other books that I should read beforehand, if I wanted to be a successful punter. Could you please list them for me.

Thanks again for the replies.

try malcolm knowles at race books australia 1300 722 724 or inracing site.
1.form figure walkabout
2.consistency
3.prize money.
4.can your runner go the distance.
5.favorites.
6.mathematically speaking.
7.weight.
8.bet smarter and win
9.picking wizard winners the manuscript.
good luck.

Hi Radish,

Following is the reply I gave to a visitor to my website who had a similar question:

If you live in Sydney or Melbourne there is a place called The Horsemans bookshop which carry a great range. The shop in Sydney is in Kensington near Randwick race course and the Melbourne one is in Armidale which is about 20 mins out of the city. If you don't live in either of these areas then they do have a very good mail order service. Details of each shop are below:
Horsemans Bookshop & Gallery The
89 Anzac Pde Kensington 2033 (02) 9662 2633

Horseman's Bookshop & Gallery
857 High St Armadale 3143 (03) 9509 4743
Email hbookshop@bigpond.com

The books I can recommend you get a hold of are:
„h Gallopers and Gamblers by Pat Craven (an excellent resource that will teach you nearly all there is to know about punting and non punting aspects of racing) You can order this book online through the Tuxedo Bookshop at http://www.tuxedo.com.au/products/p...&resellerid=trb
„h The Australian Horse Racing and Punters Guide by Rem Plante is a racing bible and definitely worth picking up. It was written in the 70's so much of the class structures etc. are not relevant but the advice about racing and how to win is outstanding. This book is long out of print and The Horsemans Bookshop is probably the only place you can get a copy.
„h Winning More by Don Scott. Don was a legendary punter in his day and this book will teach you alot of the fundamentals about racing, particularly class. Make sure though you do get Winning More and not his last book, Winning in the 90's, which would not be as relevant to you.
„h Hats in the Ring by Allan Aitken - an excellent book which you will learn alot from.
„h Horse Racing Theory and Practice by Paul Seager. Also an excellent information source to learn about punting.

These are the pick of the books available on the Australian market for someone who wants to learn how to actually study form, assess chances and determine value bets with confidence. Each will set you back about $45 with the exception of Hats in the Ring which is about $25 and Rem Plante's book which goes for about $75, primarily because its out of print, but secondly because it's a racing bible and so hard to get.

Hope this helps.

To osulldj:
Thanks very much for the list. I really appreciate it. And I feel like a winner already as I recently picked up a copy of Rem Plantes book at a Sunday morning flea market. It is in excellent condition and cost me the princely sum of $3.00

Thanks again to all who replied.

TRENCHDIGGER.WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST OF THE 4.

DARKY DOG - thats like asking which of my children is the best.

Their all brilliant ( so are 2 of my young ones).

I will contact you off list.