ACROSS THE BOARD by Steve Davidowitz
for TrackMaster - September, 2009

Some readers know that I have recently written a revised, expanded edition of my original handicapping book, "Betting Thoroughbreds".

Having first introduced the concepts of TRACK BIAS, TRAINER PATTERNS and KEY RACES in that book and having personally taught Andrew Beyer many of my ideas prior to him beating me into print with his excellent 1976 book, "Picking Winners", I have been gratified to see "Betting Thoroughbreds" and its 1995 second revised edition receive such positive responses from the betting public.

But it wasn't always so. There is a story behind the story of how the first edition of this book almost failed to see the light of day and how E.P. Dutton, the original publisher, almost buried it into oblivion. It is a story that I recently told for the first time via a letter to the membership of the National Turf Writers Association, asking for honorable reviews by my peers for the appropriately titled new edition, "Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century",” published by DRF Press less than a month ago.

The story behind the story of the first edition was ample reason to make that request, as you shall soon see. Moreover, beyond my personal reasons for sharing this story in this forum, the background story will answer some questions that readers have posed to me in recent years and it should provide a lesson or two about the insanity of the publishing business for budding writers and potential authors. Some in fact, have written me recently who are totally frustrated by the system, which has put up annoying roadblocks to get their own handicapping ideas into circulation with a chance to be seen, heard or read.

First, a part of the story behind the story that never has been told:

When I proposed the original book idea to E.P. Dutton's leading mid-1970's editor, Juri Jejurevich, he immediately promised to get me a contract to write the book.

Unfortunately and unbeknownst to me, Juri left Dutton and nothing happened for months, not until he felt honor-bound to travel back to his former employer and sit in on an editor's conference for the express purpose of pitching the book to Dutton management on the grounds that he had given his word to this new author, Steve Davidowitz, to write this horse racing book.

Editors from coast to coast will tell you that they have never heard a similar case of an editor pitching a book six months after he had parted ways with his former employer.

With contract in hand, I wrote "Betting Thoroughbreds" over the next year but after completing the manuscript, I re-read it a few times and didn't like it at all, so I threw it all away and rewrote the actual version from scratch in less than 10 weeks. Let's now move forward to the essence of the letter I wrote to the NTWA last week.

Fellow racing writers. . .

When I first wrote "Betting Thoroughbreds" (in 1977), the publisher, E.P. Dutton, was given a list of almost 300 media contacts for complementary copies ostensibly for review purposes. Three months after publication there were no reviews at all (this in an era when there were dozens of fully employed racing writers and racing columnists). So I went in to see the President of Dutton, Jack McRae, who had assigned himself and his secretary as 'Editors' of record, because the original Editor, Dan Farley had left for greater opportunities  (Farley now is President of MacMillan Publishing, after having served as head of Harcourt Brace in San Diego.  He also got involved in horse ownership after working with me on my book and David Litfin on an early book of his.)

That aside, I was an unemployed, single parent at the time, going through a divorce and I traveled from New Hope Pa., to McRae's office in NY with my six-year-old son Brad with me. McRae's secretary, Jane came out and told me with my son at my side the following: "Steve, I hate to tell you this, but this sometimes happens with a book that does not get any reviews. It's probably because your friends in the media didn't really like it and don't want to embarrass you with a negative review."

Needless to say, I left with slumped shoulders, realizing that my son heard every word as we held each other's hand heading to the elevator. It was to put it simply, one of the worst moments of my professional and private life.

Leaving Dutton on my way back to New Hope, I decided to leave Brad at my sister's in the Bronx and go out to Aqueduct to see a few friends in the press box. . As fortune would have it, I met Ray Kerrison, racing columnist for the NY Post and gave him the one copy of my book that I had with me, when he said he had not seen it.

About a month later, Ray wrote a glowing insightful column about my new handicapping ideas in the book, TRACK BIAS, TRAINER PATTERNS and KEY RACES and as coincidence would have it, I got a phone call from Jack McRae a week after Ray's great review.

Word for word, 30 years later I remember exactly what Jack said: "Steve, we just found about 300 copies in the warehouse, the review copies never went out!!!"

Great reviews and terrificsales ensued. The book went through 12 print runs and a in 1995 a revised, expanded edition was added with total gross sales in excess of 150,000 copies worldwide. This, without a single dime being spent by Dutton and its subsidiary to promote the book. Not a single dime! So, in February 2007 I bought back the rights to "Betting Thoroughbreds" from Dutton. At the Handicapping Expo later that year, after about 10 minutes discussion, I sold the rights to DRF Press when publisher Steven Crist said he would gladly publish a revised, updated edition for the new game we are playing.

"Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century" took me nearly two years to complete and includes about 50 percent of the original and second revised material blended together.  

It has chapters on the new synthetic tracks and how to deal with them. It has chapters on the so-called Super Trainers who have been winning races at phenomenal, sometimes suspicious rates. It has new 'off track', 'turf' and 'synthetic sire' lists, plus a wide range of exotic wagering designs for players of any budget. And, it has more than 100 new examples of my handicapping ideas blended in with the original material. It also has many new ideas I've learned from professional players across the country in my extensive travels and media assignments. 

Without being egotistical, and I mean that sincerely, I believe "Betting Thoroughbreds" was an important book, in the same vein that Andy Beyer's "Picking Winners" and Tom Ainslie's "Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing" were.

I believe "Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century" deserves honest reviews by professional turf writers--my peers--especially in this age when there are fewer newspapers and far fewer full time racing writers. 

I look forward to reading what you think about it.

Regards and All the Best,

//Steve Davidowitz, NTWA member since 1972.

That said, I believe that racing fans and handicappers of every level of skill and experience might want to take a close look at this book that has survived in its different forms for more than three decades. If you feel inclined, a review on Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com would be much appreciated.

People in this game for a week, or a year or for a decade or two, should know how difficult it is for any book about horse racing to get the time of day from the traditional review outlets which regularly review books on other subjects, some so obscure they make you wonder how in the world did racing and handicapping fall into such low esteem, despite millions of fans worldwide. A review in The New York Times? Forget it. The only days they give horse racing anything close to fair play are Triple Crown racing dates and The Breeders' Cup.

Even the great writer Laura Hillenbrand had to be on the best seller's list with her great book "Seabiscuit" for more than a month before The Times bothered to review it.

Best selling handicapping authors Tom Ainslie, Andrew Beyer, Steven Crist and myself may have enjoyed solid sales for decades, but never have been reviewed by The Times. And publishers barely will look at a racing related manuscript unless it is by an author with a proven track record of success. In my own case, I am grateful that there are a few niche publishers willing to print our works, and I am grateful that the Internet is rapidly becoming a reasonable alternative for writers who have a sound and unique perspective on the greatest game man has ever invented. I am grateful also for the support readers of this forum have given me personally for a dozen years.

So, if you do read "Betting Thoroughbreds for the 21st Century", please, by all means do comment on it to me personally at my e-mail address, which always accompanies these monthly free access columns, and as previously stated, share your view on the websites where books are sold.

As a final point, should any of you believe you have a worthwhile handicapping or racing related idea you want to commit to print, or should you need a perspective from someone who has been there---by all means feel free to share your notion with me for honest feedback and some guidance. In the meantime, let me wish you the best of luck and good handicapping with your plays as we enter Breeders' Cup preview month. Please also note that I will have my assessments of the various Breeders' Cup divisions in this forum towards the end of October.

Sincerely,

Steve Davidowitz
davidwtz@aol.com