The Bottom Line
Pros
- Hilarious look at some of the negative characters in Thoroughbred racing
- Artfully pieced together to spoof many real-life incidents and people
- Allows the usually staid sport of racing to loosen up and laugh at itself
Cons
- The reader could possibly guess the outcome 3 chapters before the end
Description
- More than any other sport, Thoroughbred horse racing owes its very existence to gambling.
- With this close association with the betting dollar comes a long history of cheating by gamblers and horsemen.
- The methods may differ but the ultimate goal is the same, to cash in a winner that should have lost.
- In this book, some of racing's cheats are celebrated or loathed, depending on your opinion.
- Michaels finds a way to piece together several famous events or characters, in a style reminiscent of "Epic Movie".
Guide Review - Fix Six by Noel Michaels
Most racing fans are familiar with the embarassing Fix Six that occurred at the 2002 Breeders' Cup, when a group of college buddies got together to manipulate the tote system and create a winning Pick 6 ticket. In his new book, "Fix Six", Noel Michaels, using fictitious names, retells their story almost exactly, but with a twist. Unlike the real life team, his group are truly incompetent, and when the plan goes awry they end up on the run, trying to escape the long arm of the law, led by a vigilante NYPD detective. Of course, they end up in California and when trying to pull off another scam, end up making more enemies than friends and again find themselves on the run, this time from a gang of racing's outlaws.In order to not spoil it for the reader, we will leave it to you to read the book and, from the detailed descriptions, figure out who the real life outlaws were that Michaels was spoofing. Long time followers of racing will find this aspect of the book entertaining to read, as they will be reminded of some incidents that may have already been forgotten. Although many were never brought to justice either in the courts or within the sport, they are generally regarded as negative influences on racing's reputation, and perhaps Michaels included the ones he did as his way of exposing them without naming them.
The book comes to its conclusion quickly. Will the Dude-Men escape this unsavory group of track creatures? Will they get away with all the money? Will they end up behind bars? The final result may not have been as predictable as one would have expected, but this was an enjoyable read nonetheless.
