Horse Racing Fantasy Community

All are great reads in my opinion.

Not By A Longshot by T.D. Thornton

Man O War by Doroth Ours

Ruffian b Jane Schwartz

Funny Cide by the Funny Cide Team with Sally Jenkins

The Horse God Built by Lawrence Scanlan

thoroughbred historians I've ever known of:
RACING THROUGH THE CENTURY by Mary Simon, formerly Mary Fleming

Any hardcore racing fan would love the book "Champions".It is a book which tells the story of over 50 of the greatest horses of all time and even has every single one of their past performances listed in it including Man O War's!
Another book titled "Three strides before the wire" tells the tragic story of Chris Antley and Charasmatic...

"secretariat: the making of a champion" by bill nack was the best i've read.

Big Red of Meadow Stable by Bill Nack and Ruffian Blazing from the Start are two of the best books on racing I've ever read.
The best compilation I've ever read I bought at an auction about 15 years ago. It was a years worth of Turf and Sport Digest from 1948 and was bound in a hard back cover. In my mind I literally stole it for 20 bucks !!!
The stories about Citation are absolutely facinating as they cover his entire Triple Crown campaign. I wouldn't part with it for all the money in the world !!!!

PHARLAP a true legend - i havn't read it myself but friends highly recommend...smiles

Here is a compiled list of books mentioned and researched with the names of the authors, most of the books can be found at your local internet book sites.

Seabiscuit, An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
Not by a Long Shot: A Season at a Hard Luck Horse Track by T. D. Thornton (Apr 2, 2007)
Man o' War: A Legend Like Lightning by Dorothy Ours (May 1, 2007)
Funny Cide by Sally Jenkins (Apr 22, 2004)
A Horse Named Funny Cide by Funny Cide Team and Barry Moser (Apr 20, 2006)
John Henry by Steve Haskin (Aug 1, 2001)
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse by Lawrence Scanlan
RACING THROUGH THE CENTURY by Mary Simon, formerly Mary Fleming
Three Strides Before the Wire: The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing by Elizabeth Mitchell
Champions: The Lives, Times, and Past Performances of America's Greatest Thoroughbreds, Revised Edition by Daily Racing Form (Nov 29, 2005)
Thoroughbred Champions: Top 100 Racehorses of the 20th Century (Dec 1999) Blood-Horse Inc. Editorial Staff (Compiler), William R. Nack (Foreword)
Secretariat: Racing's Greatest Triple Crown Winner (Thoroughbred Legends (Unnumbered)) by Timothy T. Capps
Secretariat's Meadow by Lou Ann Meadows Ladin, Leeanne Meadows Ladin and Kate Chenery Tweedy (Sep 10, 2010)
Secretariat, The making of a champion" by Bill Nack
Big Red of Meadow Stable by Bill Nack
Ruffian: Burning from the Start by Jane Schwartz
PHARLAP: A true legend by Michael Reason (Jul 10, 2006) Out of Print--Limited Availability
Man o' War (Thoroughbred Legends) by Edward L. Bowen
Man O' War by Walter Farley
War Admiral: Man O' War's Greatest Son (Thoroughbred Legends (Unnumbered)) by Edward L Bowen
Northern Dancer: The Legend and His Legacy (Mainstream Sport) by Muriel Lennox (Sep 16, 2002)
Eclipse: The Horse That Changed Racing History Forever by Nicholas Clee (Release date: Mar 29, 2012)
The Most Glorious Crown: The Story of America's Triple Crown Thoroughbreds from Sir Barton to Affirmed [Hardcover] by Marvin Drager (Author)
Masters of the Turf: Ten Trainers Who Dominated Horse Racing's Golden Age by Edward L. Bowen (Jan 25, 2007)
Black Winning Jockeys in the Kentucky Derby by James Robert Saunders (Nov 20, 2002)
The Jockey Club's Illustrated History of Thoroughbred Racing in America by Edward L. Bowen (May 1994)
Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall Of Fame Inductees, including: Phar Lap, Makybe Diva, Better Loosen Up, Kingston Town, Vain (horse), Carbine ... (horse), Bernborough, Wakeful (horse) by Hephaestus Books (Sep 29, 2011)

Foundation Mares: How Outstanding Female Families Shaped America's Breeding Industry by John P. Sparkman (Jan 20, 2009)

Champion Thoroughbred Sires Of France, including: Danehill (horse), Sadler's Wells (horse), Tantieme, Montjeu, Djebel, Flying Fox (horse), Omnium Ii, ... Teddy (horse), Riverman, Green Dancer by Hephaestus Books (Aug 30, 2011)

Champion Thoroughbred Sires Of Australia, including: Vain (horse), Musket (horse), Sir Tristram, Heroic (horse), Danehill (horse), Star Kingdom, ... Chester (horse), Night Raid, Grand Flaneur by Hephaestus Books (Aug 30, 2011)

British Champion Thoroughbred Sires, including: Northern Dancer, Nijinsky Ii, Nearco, Ribot (horse), Mill Reef, Galileo (horse), Danehill (horse), St. ... (horse), Son-in-law, Never Bend, Tetratema by Hephaestus Books (Aug 30, 2011)

I have a PM request in to my buddy beefybruno who has a library on Horses and Horse Racing History, hopefully he will post the titles of books not already listed when he logs on again.

Its about Damien olivers great triumpth of winning the melbounre cup a week after his older brothers death .who died while training an unraced horse who broke his front to legs in a trial, True story. His father also died from a race fall. The horse he rode to victory was Meddia puzzle.

2002 mebourne cup . media puzzle

The Cup : The Remarkable Story of the Melbourne Cup and Damien Oliver's Triumph on Media Puzzle by Eric O'Keefe (2009)

I started writing them down so I could put on this thread, then realised I have too many to include all. Sooo, here's but a handful, or two. I highly recommend, Jame's Quinn books if you want to know more about Class structure. He's an expert.
For you newbies (even advanced players)who know little, but want to learn more about this fascinating sport, I highly recommend, The History Of Thoroughbred Racing In America by Robertson. I told a few about this very large book and they bought it online. I think they found it on E-Bay. This should be required reading. has many pictures.

Class Of Th Field Jame's Quinn
High Tech Handicapping Jame's Quinn
The Handicappers Condition Book Jame's Quinn
Winning Thoroughbtred Strategies Dick Miitchell
Modern Pace Handicapping Tom Brohamer
The History Of Thoroughbred Racing In America Robertson
Seabiscuit L.H.
Secretariat William Nack
Whirlaway
Phar Lap
Ruffian
Swaps
Man O' War
Exterminator
Investing At The Racetrack Scott
Total Vicory At The Track William Scot
Dr. "Z"'s Beat The Racetrack Ziemba
Thoroughbred Handicapping William Quinn
Beyer On Speed Beyer
Picking Winners Beyer
Speed To Spare Joe Cardello
Black Maestro Joe Drape
The Untold Story Of Joe Hernadez Rudolph Alvarez

Thanks for posting this. I'll be sure to check it out.

You brought back memories. I used to purchase Turf And Sports Digest each and every month beginning in the early fifites. I used to save all my magazines and Daily Racing Forms, covering decades. Do you remember, Ray Talbott. He had much influance on my speed handicapping experences and understanding of pace makes the race. Actually had his slide rule for helping me pick winners. LOL

Blackcaviar007, Make sure you watch the, Phar Lap movie too, as well as reading the book.

Richardmacias................ I'm sure you'd love the Joe Hernandez book. It has a dvd with several of Joe's race calls. Also, Richard, one of HRF folks stated a thread on this same subject on the startup page.

If anybody likes fiction I would highly recommend anything by Dick Francis.

All his crime novels revolve around horse racing. The novels are very light reading, but also highly entertaining.

My favorite is called High Stakes, but I love them all. And there are a ton of them.

~~ Run My Horse In Accordance With His True Running Style ~~

When I first started to learn how to really read a racing form ( which was when I was about 9 years old), My dad told me that if I really wanted to get good at handicapping there was one thing I needed to read and learn thru and thru, and that was anything written by Ray Talbott.
I still have stacks of old American Turf Monthly's with some of Ray's best articles. He was certainly ahead of his time and his articles are STILL printed in ATM.
Everytime I go back and read one I can see my Dad smiling and hear him saying to PAY ATTENTION LOL

Bert, I guess I can consider , Ray Talbott my first official thoroughbred racehorse handicapping mentor. He certainly knew his stuff. I think you can get a computer version of his slide calculator today. His theories are always with me.
Ya know, Bert, I sometimes get the two magazines confused. Yes, Ray was writing for American Turf Monthly. The correlatons of your ,life and mine are so similar. My father got me started. And I was about 9, or 10. Citation and Noor lured me in. My Dad bought the Daily Racing Form all the time, but couldn't interpretate it. LOL Oh, he used Sweep and the other handicappers in the Form. I taught myself how to read and was an asset to my father, becoming his favorite handicapper.I handicapped for his friends too. In those days, all of his friends bet on the horses. Mostly at bookie joints.

Remember : A Bad Day At The Races is Better Then a Good Day Anyplace Else.

Tom ainsle was my first "mentor" and I've read just about everything that James Quinn wrote. Quirin Speed Points have always been a major part of my handicapping before Pace Ratings came out rather easily. I remember using Henry Kuck Speed/pace Ratings several years back and had fairly decent success with them.

Geez, who could forget, Tom Ainslie? One of my early mentors too. I had him on my list, but forgot to tarnsfer to this thread. I have " The Handdicappers Handbook" by Tom Ainslie. This was a must read when it first came out. Like a text book.
Has soooo many pictures of Daily Racing Form past performances. And great explanations on what to look for and use. This guy knew his stuff and was much appreciated by any serious handicapper and by most of the authors of the other books from my list. He was a mentor to all. A name we should all be aware of.