Recommended Racing Books

Success at betting on the races requires both knowledge and skill. As with any other profession or past time you might aspire to do well in. Unfortunately there is no shortcut. To become a successful punter you must have a solid understanding of the factors that influence the outcome of a race and all matters relating to betting and money management.

One way to learn about betting on the races is to read books and articles that are written by experts who have acquired the knowledge and skills that you will need. When it comes to learning this way it's a jungle out there! There are many books and articles available containing priceless gems of advice that no punter should be without. However there is also plenty of advice written in books and articles that is totally worthless and bordering on downright irresponsible.

To help keep you on the right path we have put together our list of recommended books for learning about Australian racing and betting.

Gallopers and Gamblers - A Guide To Thoroughbred Racing in Australia
by Pat Craven

The definitive book on Australian racing written after a lifetime of study by Pat Craven, a long term client of The Rating Bureau and follower of Rem Plante's rating methods. This book covers every subject that is relevant to the thoroughbred industry in Australia and gives those new to the industry a basic understanding of all things racing. Sadly Pat Craven passed away in January 2004
 

Australian Horse Racing and Punters Guide

by Rem Plante

Rem Plante was the founder of The Rating Bureau and his methods first published in 1969, and updated in 1973 inspired a generation of form and rating students trying to emulate his success. This book provides a comprehensive and expert coverage of the various factors that affect a horse's performance, as well as guidelines on betting in a professional manner. Despite its age, the advice offered in this book is as relevant today as ever. You will find a good second-hand copy for around $75

Winning More

by Don Scott.

Don Scott was a professional punter for over three decades and founder of the famous Legal Eagles betting syndicate. This book contains a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of form analysis, ratings and how to recognise the right and wrong races to bet in. There are also some useful formulas for exotic betting and pointers on how to intelligently approach these bet types.

Winning in the ‘90s

By Don Scott

If you can procure a copy of Winning More you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of this update. It not only updates some of the content in that book, but ventures into racing in the following decade.

Hats in the Ring

by Allan Aitken

Published in 1997, this book provides an excellent coverage of a broad range of racing and betting topics. The chapters on important modern day topics like race times & sectionals, ratings, video replays, track bias and race maps are especially useful to both beginner and experienced punters.

Horse Racing Theory and Practice

by Paul Seager

This book covers many of the basic topics relevant to successful form analysis and betting. It includes a good chapter on understanding race characteristics as well as useful suggestions on selection and betting methods.  It's written in a style that is easy to understand and contains plenty of practical examples.

Commonsense Punting - A Mathematical Approach

by Roger Dedman

A timeless classic that provides an excellent explanation of probability as it relates to racing and the mathematics behind intelligent win, place and exotic betting. No punter should be without it.

Most of these books are now out of print but can be sourced 2nd hand from specialist horse racing stores like The Horseman's Bookshop in Sydney or Melbourne.

Sydney

The Horseman's Bookshop & Gallery

89 Anzac Pde Kensington 2033

(02) 9662 2633

Melbourne

The Horseman's Bookshop & Gallery

857 High St Armadale 3143

(03) 9509 4743

Email hbookshop@bigpond.com

If you live interstate you can take advantage of the mail order service provided. Alternatively you can try online bookstores such as Tuxedo Bookshop, or internet auction services like E-Bay.

There are of course many other useful books available and it's impossible to include them all. However in our opinion these books offer the most valuable advice on Australian racing published so far and are worth their price of purchase many times over.