The Bottom Line
An excellent publication for anybody wanting to bet the tough Breeders' Cup card and for newer horseplayers wanting to learn more about the use of angles and biases when handicapping a race.
Pros
- Very in-depth statistical analysis of the BC
- Honest narrative of their success/failure in 2003
- Useful information on new host track Lone Star Park
Cons
- Couldn't find any. Excellent publication.
Description
- The first chapter is a narrative of last year's BC, listing in detail their wins and losses.
- Unlike other publications, they don't just brag about their successes and not admit their failures.
- Examines Lone Star's biases in great detail, with the help of locals Gary West and Norm Hitzges
- Each of the eight World Thoroughbred Championship races is featured in its own chapter.
- Some favor more winning favorites, some favor late ralliers, some favor a certain prep race.
- Each winning angle is accompanied by a chart showing which past winners satisfied the requirement.
- They also examine angles which point out horses most likely to finish 2nd, 3rd, or 4th for exotics.
- With increasing foreign participation even on dirt, Euro-shipper angles are prominently featured.
- Each chapter ends with the PP's of past winners of the subject race, so that trends can be seen.
- Mazur and Mallett have done their homework through thirteen years of experience. A job well done.
Guide Review - Book Review: Crushing the Cup 2004
For the last thirteen years, professional handicappers Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett have published Crushing The Cup, the flagship product of Progressive Handicapping, Inc. In it, they compile all sorts of statistics from past Breeders' Cups in order to come up with a winning profile for each of the eight World Thoroughbred Championship races. Factors such as track biases of the host track, prep races and running styles used by past winners, number of days since last start, and Beyer speed figures attained must all be considered when looking for a potential winner of a Cup race. If a horse going off at long odds satisfies several of the requirements, a Crush may be in order. Going to a new location such a Lone Star Park, a track most Cup horses will be seeing for the first time, brings about many new challenges but Mazur and Mallett tackle this with confidence, enlisting local experts for guidance. Convenient charts listing the starts-wins-seconds-thirds statistics for trainers and jockeys for each race are included, bringing to light such tidbits as Jerry Bailey being the winningest Classic jockey at a 27% rate, but top rider Gary Stevens has never won the main event in eleven tries. The book is a real eye-opener for a casual bettor/fan since it gives such a participant so many different angles to work with to find that elusive "crush" on the big day, but would definitely be useful to horseplayers at all levels of betting.
