About This Book

Learn What the Experts Know About the “Sport of Kings”

With its fast pace, beautiful animals, high stakes, and colorful pageantry, horseracing easily captures the attention of even first-time viewers. While recognizing horseracing as a fascinating sport, most fans know little about this billion-dollar business. Every racehorse and jockey goes through years of training, horses have natural cycles of conditioning, and each track offers its own challenges. Understanding what goes on behind the scenes will make every race more enjoyable profitable for those who wager.

Insider’s Guide to Horseracing is a quick and informative tour of the sport from the moment a foal is tapped for training and the kinds of equipment a horse wears to how wagering works and the different types of races. Written by an experienced horse industry professional and fully illustrated, this guide explains what to look for, understanding what you see, making sense of racing columns, and ways to make a trip to the track more memorable, such as visiting the saddling paddock. Here a reader will not find complex or magic formulas for picking winners or dry statistics; instead the Insider’s Guide to Horseracing gives readers exact information from an expert that will add to the excitement of racing and will allow readers to make better informed decisions all.

T. A. Landers, a licensed thoroughbred trainer, has worked for Claiborne Farm and Hall of Fame trainers Frank Whiteley, Jr. and C. R. McGaughey III. He is the author ofProfessional Grooming and Care of the Racehorse and The Career Guide to the Horse Industry.

CONTENTS

1. A brief history of the sport
2. What to look for in a horse
3. How to read track conditions
4. Understanding distance
5. Types of wagering, races, and handicapping
6. The jockey and trainer
7. Ownership
8. Information on all major races and racetracks in North America

Praise for Insider’s Guide to Horseracing:

“An excellent book.”—Horse-Races.net

“Landers drew upon his longtime experience in various phases of the horse industry to produce this fan-oriented book, which he says is intended to ‘educate people on the workings of a racetrack and what goes on behind the scenes.’ It was inspired by the many questions he has been asked over the years.”—N.Y. Thoroughbred Horseman’s Association Newsletter