Razoo At The Races

Razoo At The Races: Diary of a Horseplayer is one of the funniest books ever written about the racetrack and the sport of horse racing. It's fast, it's witty, and it brings to life the hilarious cast of characters who inhabit the racing world. Gary West entertains readers with the antics of Razoo, Mission Impossible, Brewery Bill and others_the stand-up guys, dreamers, and risk-takers seen at every racetrack around the country_during a full season at Upsand Downs (Season's Results: $14,850). Along the way, West provides horseplaying wisdom and insight, and invites readers into the game by serving as an entertaining handicapping guide.

The racetrack has always been a sanctuary for characters of variegated swath, for people who eschew convention but at the same time cling steadfastly to personal standards. They're horseplayers. Most desire only the freedom to return day after day to the racetrack and, of course, the capital to invest in the next winner. They always have the next winner. They may well be the few true romantics remaining in this techno-time of ours, for they're forever chasing dreams and with a mystical belief in "luck." These are the characters that West portrays, with both humor and affection.

West also manages to capture the magic of the racetrack and the sport of horse racing, "the most noble of sports." In chapter 23 he describes a "Morning at the Racetrack," where he revels in the sights, sounds, smells, and the beauty and majesty of the thoroughbred racehorse. He sees a spiritual quality, a purity of purpose, about racehorses, that is most evident in the mornings. And morning sessions, watching and listening to horses and clocking their workouts, provide him with his biggest edge as a horseplayer.

In the Gambler's Miscellany, Marvin Small (a.k.a. Mission Impossible) provides rich entertainment in an assortment of racing doggerel and verse. Small's Gambler's Glossary provides a helpful and witty guide to standard racetrack "Gambleze" and to "Betting Types."

All in all, Razoo at the Races is a unique, fast, and funny book, with much wisdom, appreciation, and insights into the sport of horseracing and its avid followers.

Gary West writes about horse racing regularly as a columnist for the Dallas Morning News. The son of a jockey, West was a college teacher before returning to the racetrack and writing. He has appeared as a commentator on racing on ESPN and on CNN, and has hosted his own radio program on racing.

Marvin Small, is a former State Racing Commissioner for Washington, occasional writer for several newspapers, handicapper, and profound lover of racing.