The Complete Thinking Man's Guide to Handicapping and Training

Katcha Goodwon

The title of this book is somewhat bold, and for that matter somewhat inaccurate. The handicapping half of Mr. Goodwon's book is pretty much a rehash of much that had been written over the twenty years previous in the handicapping world; one can find traces of many other racing authors in there (for some reason, the work of Bob McKnight especially came to mind as I was reading this.)

The value in this book, for the handicapper who wishes a more complete knowledge of the game, is in the training section. Most racing fans, at most levels, don't get much insight into how the training game is played, and this book provides some of it in the same way Joseph Davidson's All Horse Races Are Fixed gives us a look at the vets' side of things. Unfortunately, Complete Thinking Man… suffers from the same shortcomings in this regard as does Davidson's book; the pseudonymous owner/trainer who wrote this seems to have an especially jaundiced eye towards at least some of his compatriots (but then, I guess that's to be expected from a writer; the satisfied ones don't speak up much).

Still, taken with a grain of salt, it's a fun little read. Don't expect to enrich your handicapping knowledge in any practical way, if you've read more than three or four handicapping books that have come out since the sixties, but you can get a quick overview of some of the things that go on in the morning most fans don't have a clue about.