JC / Railbird

Books Archive

The Big Horse

“From the instant the bell goes off and the front panels of the starting gate spring open, time, and life itself, seem suspended. The animals surge forward like water pouring over a falls, quickly forming themselves into a moving stream, wider in some spots than others, but flowing forward at what seems a constant rate. Should one have a stake in the outcome whether it be a simple matter of money, or something more complex and mysterious, such as a hope or a dream one’s heart is in one’s mouth from start to finish. Adrenalin floods the bloodstream, the pulse races, the skin either tingles or grows cold, and strange noises, ranging from abject whimpers to blood-curdling screams, escape from one’s mouth. The race is over in a millisecond but takes a lifetime to run. And no matter the result, there can be no going back, and life will never be quite the same.” — From “The Big Horse,” by Joe McGinniss, out this week from Simon & Schuster.

Posted in Books on July 1, 2004

Of Memoirs and Horses

The Economist reviews “Blood-Horses,” by John Jeremiah Sullivan, and “A Year at the Races,” by Jane Smiley. Its correspondent’s preference is for “Blood-Horses,” which does have some charm, but I thought “A Year at the Races” a better book. Written in Smiley’s fluid storytelling style, it’s a quirky, satisfying memoir of horse ownership, while “Blood-Horses” too often reads as an earnest research report coupled to a sentimental father-and-son relationship story.

Posted in Books on June 19, 2004

Handicapping 101

If only I’d had Brad Free’s excellent “Handicapping 101” (DRF Press) when I started trying to learn this game last year. The chapter on form alone elicited many, many aha! moments. My only quibble (and it’s one I have with almost all handicapping books) is with his disdain for place and show betting. “Wagering to place and show is futile,” Free writes. Oh, but such bets can be fun part of a wagering strategy. When judiciously made, they can pay off quite nicely. For instance, in race two at Suffolk Downs on June 15, the favorite, Brickaback, was at 1-1 on the board, despite his listless appearance in the paddock. But Got a Ticket looked lively and had odds of 18-1. A quick perusal of his past performances showed there was no way he would win, and he wasn’t a too likely second, but he was a very reasonable third, which is exactly what he ran, paying $17.80 — making a show bet in this race a better investment than a win bet on the second favorite, Metfleet, who returned $8.80.

Related: Steven Crist explains why a place bet on Smarty Jones in the Belmont would have made sense (Daily Racing Form).

Posted in Betting, Books on June 17, 2004