Ocean State Libraries

Nicholas Foxton, a former jockey who suffered a career-ending injury, is out for a day at the Grand National races when his friend and coworker, Herb Kovak, is murdered right in front of him and 60,000 other potential witnesses. As he struggles to come to terms with Kovak's seemingly inexplicable death, Foxton begins to question how well he knew his friend. Was the murder a case of mistaken identity or something more sinister?

No serious horseplayer should be without Beyer on Speed, the third jewel in Andrew Beyer's literary triple crown. Beyer shows the handicapper how to make his Beyer Speed Figures the focal point of a wagering strategy for pursuing spectacular profits by relating speed figures to pace, track bias, and track conditions. He helps bettors utilize new opportunities for picking winners, such as video replays and a successfully structured multirace ticket,...

A Harvard dropout's memoir of playing the horses-a great read for handicappers or those who enjoyed Ben Mezrich's Bringing Down the House. In 1977, before he was known as the creator of "The Beyer Speed Figure," Andrew Beyer set out on a gambling odyssey, determined to prove himself as a horseplayer. He would marshal all his handicapping skills for assaults on four racetracks: Gulfstream Park, Pimlico, Saratoga, and the Barrington Fair. The then thirty-three-year-old...

This entertaining behind-the-scenes study takes the dedicated horse-player to California's tracks to meet Jack Kaenel, who booted Aloma's Ruler to victory in the Preakness, and Chuck Jenda, who trained Brown Bess to an Eclipse Award. These and many other professionals are by your side as races are analyzed, bets placed, and questions answered about everything from claiming races, turf versus dirt, drugs, fixed races, and more. This informed look at...