Archives for July 2010

Horse racing has an element that most other sports do not. To the active fan of thoroughbred racing there is an added feature, risk, that sets this sport aside from most all the rest. Risk is part and parcel of racing from the fan’s perspective just as it is from those that are the active participants of the sport.

As in most other major sports, risk only concerns the players. The lay of the golf ball, the runner on third base, the dribble down the lane, the pass down field…. are all risk situations in sport that are dealt with directly by the players in the game only and can be of their consequence alone. During these “spectator sports” the few risks that involve the fans are things concerning having that extra beer (risk of DUI) or hot dog (risk of indigestion) or when to leave (risk of sitting in a traffic jam). It’s pretty much a risk less event.

Horse racing, on the other hand, is blessed with this adrenaline pumping feature for not only the players but for the fans as well. The fan can share in the financial victory of the contestant but must risk some personal capital to do it. As horseplayers decide and decipher the choice for their wager they are measuring the risk they are willing to take. The quality of horses, the type of bets or the amount of wager all have different degrees of risk.

In horse betting we measure that risk to some degree with the corresponding reward. In other words the sure favorite that looks unbeatable on paper is a low risk and will pay a low reward. But is it low risk? How many favorites have you seen that look unbeatable go down defeated. So is it just luck? Or is it a calculated guess? Is it gambling or simply risk taking?

It is my view that serious horse handicapping is more a calculated risk than those above mentioned terms. We calculate in a logical manor to decipher the statistically fastest potential horse based on the previous public record of that particular animal or animals and decide the best method to wager to be rewarded… hence “calculated risk”. Now, if you like the horses name or the color of the jockey silks or you are betting a lucky number then that is pure gambling. Both are fun and both are a major part of thoroughbred racing.

Here are some thoughts about risk:

To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. (Soren Kierkegaard)

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. (T. S. Eliot)

If you risk nothing, then you risk everything. (Geena Davis)

And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more. (Erica Jong)

There is the risk you cannot afford to take, there is the risk you cannot afford not to take. (Peter Drucker)

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The person who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. (Dale Carnegie)

Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good. (William Faulkner)

No noble thing can be done without risks. (Michel de Montaigne)

Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age. (Ernest Hemingway)

You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen. (Paulo Coelho)

A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things. (Grace Hopper)

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. (Jim Rohn)

It takes risks to achieve. It’s often scary. It requires something you didn’t know before or a skill you didn’t have before. But in the end, it’s worth it. (Jack Canfield)

Our lives improve only when we take chances – and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves. (Walter Anderson)

The only way to be absolutely safe is never to try anything for the first time. (Magnus Pyke)

It is only by taking risks from one hour to the other that we live at all. (William James)

Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing. (Denis Waitley)

Everything is sweetened by risk. (Alexander Smith)

The men who have done big things are those who were not afraid to attempt big things, who were not afraid to risk failure in order to gain success. (B. C. Forbes)

One must work and dare if one really wants to live. (Vincent van Gogh)

 Please Read Intro 101 First….

After my experience at the carnival as a youngster and my trip to the track in Omaha, I had the fever. I watched every TV thoroughbred race that Wide World of Sports broadcasted… the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.

I investigated sources concerning horse racing and found that at that time (the 1970’s) the guide book to racing was “Ainslie’s Complete Guide to Thoroughbred Racing” by Tom Ainslie. So after purchasing the book and reading it twice, I planned a solo trip to Omaha to test my studies.

As the day wore on I noticed just what he had preached in his book; that maiden races are hard to predict, betting to win is the best bang for your buck, leave the exotics alone and pace yourself throughout the day. His book was like the bible of horse handicapping with lessons about pace, form, speed, distance, class, jockeys, trainers, features of the horse, almost anything that there is to know about the race contestants and it’s available with the information provided by the Daily Racing Form. I also learned that I was hitting a lot of 2nd and 3rd place finishers, so I knew I was getting close to being a good student. Then it happened.

It was one of the feature races toward the end of the day and the biggest bet I’d made up to that point was about $6 to win. But this race had a horse that was so much better than his odds showed. I had put the numbers together and figured him to be the winner, but when I looked up at the tote board it showed that #3 Roman Zipper was 9-1! I had set aside this race to be my big money race so I proudly walked up to the window and placed my $20 – to Win – on #3 …… I was nervous of course since it was a time when $20 could buy 4 cases of beer or 4 cartons of smokes or fill any car’s gas tank easily.

The race was a mile 70yds. so I watched the horses go past twice. The first time they were in a pack and I could hardly find my #3. Oh, I forgot, he has a name, so I started shouting “Come on Zipper!” But somewhere on the backstretch one horse moved slowly to the front and kept increasing the lead as they all moved through the far turn. The announcer reassured me that indeed Roman Zipper was way out in front and that his number was 3 which was the same as on my ticket. My heart was racing and my adrenalin was flowing stronger than someone on a trifecta of Red Bulls, coffee and chocolate. As he crossed the finish line there was such a feeling of relief and joy and the only word that came to me was “YES”.

Here is a picture of that moment and I collected $196.00….. and have been hooked ever since. This was my graduation from the College of the Track.

Waiting tables at Pizza Hut and going to college kept me busy into the homestretch of the 60’s decade. I had money burning a hole in my pocket and reliable wheels in the form of a VW bug and a full sense of adventure gnawing away inside my gut.

Business was slow that early spring evening when a conversation developed between another employee, myself and an interesting stranger at the other side of the 4 stooled bar. Yes, Pizza Huts back then actually had a 4 stool bar for patrons who were waiting on their order, or eating by themselves, or just plain thirsty for a cold brew.

I overheard the other two talking about going to the horse track in Omaha, and I couldn’t believe my ears. This wasn’t a carnival game they were talking about, but instead, the real thing with live horses and real money! And maybe there would be Tim Tam and Seabiscuit too! I was just a bit naive.

So we drove the 3 hours to get there and get our seat in the grandstand and I am on overload…. what is this? A newspaper to play the game and a program and a pencil and more numbers and facts and names than my Dad’s Wall Street Journal, oh my! But it’s pre-simulcasting and there’s only one race track and one race to bet and the track is so nice that they give us a half an hour to figure out who we think is going to pay off. So it’s race time and I think I know who might win without bothering my concentrated friends too much. Now I need to figure out how to bet that decision… wow… this here “show bet” is a real deal cause they’ll pay me if the horse comes in 1-2 or 3, you can’t beat that, right? Wrong! My $2 paid me $2.20 and that was about as exciting as kissing your sister.

As the day grew on I noticed that our stranger friend had the same answer when asked, “Who’d ya take?” And that was, “I didn’t bet this one”. This went on for about 5or 6 races and come to find out that he was willing to sit there till the 8th race and then walk up to the $50 window and plunk down a hundred dollar bill on one horse to win. To him it wasn’t a game it was life or death, he was serious, so serious as to drive a total of 6 hours, to place a large bet on one horse. That was his style and just a bit too serious for me.

I was serious to, don’t get me wrong, but I was having too much fun getting in on every single race. And having a horse to yell at down the stretch. By the way, our strange friend placed his $100 Win bet and proceeded to watch his horse lose by a half a length at the finish and he was ready to go home. What a party pooper.

I did learn a few important lessons that day:
-When going to the track take more than $30…. by the time I bought a grandstand ticket, a program, a Racing Form, a beer, a hot dog and lost $6 by walking away from the window to quickly after placing a couple bets …. I had little left to wager.
-Show bets don’t pay squat.
-Don’t sit next to a talker when you’re trying to figure out the next race.
-Never wear white pants….. Racing Form ink travels.
-Always count your change and check your ticket after placing your bet.
-Bet quickly cause the big guy behind you might not like getting shut out.
-Horses are numbers not names at the betting window.
-Tickets on the floor are 99.999% pure worthless tickets… there are no winners on the floor!
-Don’t talk to anyone who is already talking to nobody before they meet you.
-And the most important thing I learned that day was… I love horse racing!

To Be Continued…….

It was a hot summer evening in the 50’s somewhere in my small town America. The carnival was in town and that was a call for a family outing. As we strolled through the midway, the colors, the people, the sounds and the smells were from another world. Strange strangers were beckoning for us to join in the fun at their booth. My brother and I tried to knock down the milk bottles we later figured out must have been glued to the shelf. We even tried to pop some balloons with darts but the darts must have been dull or the balloons made of triple latex.

Finally, we came across the most amazing game we had ever seen in our young lives. A row of pinball machines all alike and a track with tiny toy horses (similar to the photo above). We froze in our tracks and watched as people worked the plungers to shoot the balls into holes which powered their horse on the track with the same number and name. Over on the side was a lanky man with a cane and a straw hat who just didn’t sit and watch… he called the race. It went something like: “And they’re off and running, with Tim Tam taking the lead and Whirlaway right behind. And here comes Nashua and Citation up to challenge for the lead with Seabiscuit now making his move……. .” Who were these horses? And those unusual names seemed to roll off the barkers tongue with confidence and respect and I later found out why. They were all names of the Derby, Preakness and Belmont winners of that time.  I can remember not wanting to leave that booth until it was definitely the last call to go.

I don’t remember if I won anything and I don’t think I even cared but that’s why horse racing is so awesome, the fun is in the interactivity of the bet and the event and the rush of excitement competing with others involved. Needless to say that was start of my life long love affair with horse racing. It was many years later as a college student that I heard about a horse track in a neighboring state and knew that I had to go there.
To Be Continued …..