The American Quarter Horse is the world’s most versatile breed, excelling in the show arena and at the racetrack. With racing dating back to colonial Virginia, the sport is rich in history and lore. From “Code Blue” to “A Case for Columbo,” this unique collection of short essays describes the history of the breed, the excitement of the races, and the people and athletes involved in Quarter Horse racing.
Today, branches of chains such as William Hill and Ladbrokes are familiar sights in high streets across Britain, and betting takes place on all sorts of events – from horse-racing to general elections, from football-match results to the likelihood of snow falling on Christmas Day. Yet until 1961 street bookmakers were illegal, and old prejudices are slow to fade away. A stigma is still attached to bookmaking, and for many people bookmakers remain a disreputable and shady lot. This book sets out to examine why this is the case. Social historian Carl Chinn was himself a bookmaker, like his father and grandfather before him, and therefore brings his own unique perspective to this lively and highly readable account of the profession’s history, from its origins among the sharpsters who hoodwinked punters at racecourses, to the illegal street bookies who offered the working class a tantalising escape from poverty, to the growth of leisure empires such as Coral and William Hill post-legalisation, to gambling on the internet and betting on ‘virtual’ horse races.
This guide reveals numerous tricks and tactics of the racetrack. It contains over 40 winner-finding strategies, covering all aspects of racing from trainers and jockeys to raceday factors. It also offers hints for horse-watchers and deals with betting techniques.
Betting Baseball is a guide to the art of handicapping baseball. From the basics to the advanced, all factors in betting baseball are studied in this 220 page book. Umpire scouting reports, the impact of weather on a baseball game, description of sophisticated formulas designed to measure the quality of a baseball team are just some examples studied.
This is the standard work on racing and bettingthat has been at the side of every serious horse racing punter since the 1980s. Braddock’s Complete Guide to Horse Race Selection and Betting reveals the information necessary to mount a serious challenge on the bookies. The key elements to a good result are revealed, supported by the latest in computer-aided statistics. This book is all you need to learn about how to analyze form, assess a horse’s fitness, and survey the various conditions that affect the outcome of a race.
