Horse Racing Reference
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If you want to become an expert at EZ Horse Betting, you might want to think about adding some horseracing books to your personal library. There are some very excellent books available by noted authors like Andrew Beyer, James Quinn, Steven Crist, and others who have spent years studying the game and learning how to cash tickets.
Why You Should Read Books on Horseracing
Knowledge is the most important tool in the handicapper’s toolbox. When you visit the racetrack, you are competing against other bettors who believe their knowledge of racing is better than yours. Studying racing and comparing prices can improve your decisions, but knowledge alone cannot guarantee long-term profit after takeout.
Another reason to read horseracing books is to increase your passion and appreciation for the game. When you read about the successes of others you will become inspired to become a superior handicapper. You’ll also learn many fascinating things about the Sport of Kings and the horses, jockeys, and trainers who have made it what it is today. It is Handicapping 101.
Finding Books on Horseracing
There are many places to look for horseracing books, including Amazon, independent booksellers, libraries and used-book catalogues such as AbeBooks. Compare the author, edition, publication date and condition before ordering. A low advertised price may exclude shipping, and availability changes; compare the delivered cost rather than assuming that an older title will cost only a few dollars.
A lot of the very best books on horseracing are out of print, so it is very important that you search out the used bookstores in your local area. It can take some patience and some looking around but the rewards of your search can be very rewarding.
Racing Books You Must Add to Your Library
EZ Horse Betting has compiled a list of some of the most popular books that you should add to your handicapping library. We’ve listed them below with a brief synopsis of their content.
Beyer on Speed
Andrew Beyer’s work helped popularize speed figures as a practical handicapping tool. Beyer on Speed explores how to apply speed-based analysis, rather than establishing that this was the first book or method ever to reduce performance to a number. A figure summarizes a past run under its calculation method; it is not a reliable promise of the speed a horse will produce today. Compare figures with pace, distance, surface and the circumstances of the race.
Beyer Speed Figures have become a familiar part of Daily Racing Form’s handicapping products. DRF’s figure history dates their appearance in the Form to 1992. Check which figures a particular past-performance product includes and read its explanation of the scale. Comparing numbers from different providers without adjustment can be misleading. Explore Beyer on Speed.
Picking Winners
This book was also written by Andrew Beyer and further clarified how the speed figures were to be used. Beyer has also made it possible for bettors to construct their own speed figures by describing his process in extreme detail. The method of creating speed figures includes studying par times and track variants for each track and then using those to establish the overall number.
Anyone that has ever attempted to make their own speed figures will tell you that the process is time consuming and laborious. Of course, when Beyer began making his figures he had nothing but a notebook and a pencil. Today, handicappers have access to a wide variety of tools including personal computers that make the process much easier. Click here for more
Money Secrets at the Racetrack
One of the most important elements when it comes to beating the horse races is learning how to manage one’s bankroll. Over they years there have been many systems devised which assist bettors in learning how use their bankroll effectively. In Money Secrets at the Racetrack, Barry Meadow explores many different ways to manage money and use it to maximum efficiency.
Meadow’s discussion encourages readers to connect money management with the price of a bet and the likelihood of success. You do not have to reserve money for every wager type: straight bets and exotic combinations create different costs and risks. Set an affordable spending limit, calculate the entire ticket cost and record losses as well as returns. Staking rules cannot turn an unfavorable bet into a profitable one. Explore Money Secrets at the Racetrack.
Exotic Betting
Steven Crist brought substantial reporting and publishing experience to his writing on wagering. He did not found Daily Racing Form: DRF dates its beginnings to 1894. Its author biography describes Crist as founding editor of the Racing Times and as DRF publisher from 1998. That distinction helps readers place the book in the right publishing history.
Crist is particularly associated with discussion of the Pick Six, which requires selecting winners across six designated races. Carryovers and payout arrangements vary by track and wager version; a million-dollar carryover is not a routine feature at most tracks. Distinguish a traditional carryover from a jackpot pool, and check the base stake, consolation payouts and any mandatory-distribution announcement before applying an older book’s examples to a current bet.
In Exotic Betting, Crist discusses structuring combinations instead of treating every selection as equally important. A wheel or multiple-horse ticket can cover several outcomes, but each extra combination increases cost and none guarantees a return. Write down the selections in each leg, multiply the combination counts by the base stake, and decide whether the complete ticket fits your budget. Competing against larger syndicates does not itself make a ticket valuable. Explore Exotic Betting.
Betting Thoroughbreds
Steven Davidowitz is recognized as one of the most experienced horse bettors in the world. In this book he offers up all of the knowledge he has on the sport and presents it in a book that is mixed with a variety of racing stories that will thrill and excite you. You can read about his adventures with Andrew Beyer as they try to conquer difficult tracks like Saratoga.
The above mentioned books are a great place to begin if you want to create your own personalized racing library. You should always been on the lookout when you visit your favorite bookstores for little known books that are hidden away in the sports section.
Once you have built a racing library, compare its ideas with current racecards and recorded results before deciding whether to wager. Our racebook comparison can help you investigate available services, but past performances, replays and promotions depend on the operator and your location. Reading does not require opening or funding an account. Explore Betting Thoroughbreds.
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How to Get the Most from Horse Racing Literature
A reading programme can give structure to your study, especially when you compare an author’s reasoning with races you have reviewed yourself. Progress depends on the quality of the evidence and how you apply it; reading more books does not guarantee better betting returns. The most instructive books are those that explain the reasoning behind analytical frameworks rather than simply describing what to do — understanding why a specific approach works, and under what conditions it works best, produces the flexible application that generates results across diverse situations. Books that only tell you what to do without explaining the underlying logic produce followers who cannot adapt when conditions deviate from the template.
A productive reading approach alternates between technical handicapping texts — those focused on specific analytical methods like pace analysis, speed figures, or class evaluation — and more narrative or philosophical works that examine how successful bettors think about their craft. The former builds specific skills; the latter builds the broader mindset and judgment that allows those skills to be applied effectively. Rereading the most valuable books periodically — particularly after accumulating more practical experience than you had on the first reading — consistently reveals insights that were not fully accessible before you had the experience to contextualise them. Keep a notebook with one testable idea from each chapter, the circumstances in which it might fail and the races you used to assess it. And our guide to handicapping tools where to get them for free covers the complementary digital resources.
| Book | Study focus |
|---|---|
| Beyer on Speed | Applying speed figures with race context |
| Picking Winners | Building a handicapping process and understanding figure construction |
| Money Secrets at the Racetrack | Budget, price and staking discipline |
| Exotic Betting | Combination structure and full ticket cost |
| Betting Thoroughbreds | Broader handicapping observations and racing experience |
Historical handicapping beyond the book list
Readers interested in the history of handicapping can also explore our Pittsburgh Phil profile. It provides context for an earlier racing figure without making stories about past success a reproducible modern betting method. A useful book or biography should still leave you with questions you can test and record.
Related research
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Horse Betting for Beginners
Start with the race, the ticket, pools, odds, and a sensible first-bet workflow.
ContinueUnderstand Bet Types
Compare straight, exotic, and multi-race wagers before building a ticket.
ContinueLearn to Handicap
Build a repeatable process around form, pace, class, distance, surface, and price.
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