The Bottom Line
An excellent publication for anybody wanting to bet the tough Breeders' Cup card at Churchill Downs on November 4 and for newer horseplayers wanting to learn more about the use of angles and biases when handicapping a race. For more help, bettors can also order "The Crushing Zone", posted online a week before Cup day which sorts each race's pre-entrants into the three categories of Contenders, Gray Zone, and Pretenders, based on the factors detailed in the book.
Pros
- Very in-depth statistical analysis of the BC
- Honest narrative of their success/failure in 2005
- Useful information on six-time host Churchill Downs
Cons
- Couldn't find any. This is an excellent publication for any Breeders' Cup bettor.
Description
- The first chapter is a narrative of last year's BC, listing in detail their bets, wins and losses.
- Unlike other publications, they don't just brag about their successes and not admit their failures.
- Examines Churchill Downs' biases in great detail, useful both on Cup day and the rest of the year.
- Each of the eight Breeders' Cup World Championship races is featured in its own chapter.
- Some feature 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 fifteen years of experience. A job well done.
Guide Review - Crushing the Cup 2006
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Progressive Handicapping's legendary publication Crushing The Cup. In it, handicappers Jim Mazur and Peter Mallett compile all sorts of statistics from past Breeders' Cups in order to come up with a winning profile for each of the eight World Championships races. Factors such as track biases, prep races, 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. The book's appendix is posted online (the password to access it is included in the book), which includes statistical charts that used to appear in print but were cut out this year for space considerations. These include how the favorites have finished, running styles of the top 4 finishers, pace angles, winning dosage profiles, and jockey/trainer statistics.With the Championships returning to Churchill Downs for the sixth time, there is plenty of past history from which to draw some angles, and the Louisville "coffin" has some quirks which need to be considered when betting on its races. 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. With record betting handles every year, this book gives you an extra weapon in the parimutuel wars to take home a bigger piece of the pie.
