What's the worst type of defeat at the track?

[thaskalos]

Some horseplayers hate to lose in a close photo...because of the heartache associated with an inch costing them serious money. Others find the narrow defeat easier to take...because, even in the loss, it validates their handicapping opinion in the race.

Some players get overly bothered when their selection finishes up the track, because they assume that they've made a handicapping "mistake" of some sort...while others stoically shrug their shoulders and move on to the next race...regardless of circumstances.

Still others become incensed at the sight of a stewards inquiry that their selection is involved in.

What bothers YOU most...if anything?

I'll tell you what's starting to bother me:

The undistinguished-looking horse, who receives the type of heavy betting action which belies his apparent capabilities...and who then proceeds to win impressively -- as if his past performances were a forgery. Without the heavy betting action, these winners don't bother me. It's the heavy betting action, and the dark suspicions that I harbor as a result, that makes this type of loss so hard for me to take.

What loss do YOU find hard to take?

[DeltaLover]

What bothers YOU most...if anything?

Getting broke

[Lemon Drop Husker]

I'm in complete agreement.

It is the horse that makes zero sense of any kind in an handicapping effort that wins. And as you stated, the heavily wagered upon horse for no apparent reason.

I hate to use the term "fix", but sometimes you just have to move on and discount that type of race. What sucks the most is when your horse finishes 2nd at 6/1. :mad:

[illinoisbred]

Sort of a delayed frustration for me..getting beat by a horse that the test comes back positive for one drug overage or another..getting DQ'd from a win only to have the original order re-established later down the road by the racing board. The latter doesn't happen often,but it has happened to me.

[Inner Dirt]

How about two things that involve maiden races. The biggest one a first time starter entered in a maiden claimer for less than his sale price or less than the sire's stud fee who has a bunch of slow works then blows the field away. I am not a horse owner or trainer nor do I play one on TV, but my logic is that if I paid $100k for a horse I would at least try him once in straight maidens first before putting him or her up for sale unless the horse is hopeless trash. Those type horses use to be automatic throw outs, but they seem to win a decent amount of the time now.

Second thing, first time starter who doesn't even run as fast as he or she works. Horse works 1:14hg for 6f recently at the same track where he or she does nothing while finishing well beaten in a race run in 1:15.

Problem solved by not betting races where this situation can arise but if you think you have live long shots in the other legs of a multiple race wager it would be crazy not to play.

[Elliott Sidewater]

When I go up to the window with a winning ticket only to learn that the ticket is a loser because the teller punched the wrong numbers. This has happened more than once, and the bad feeling never goes away. I can accept losses that are my fault, and I know these are too, but I can't bring myself to look at it that way. To err is human, to forgive is divine............but not at the racetrack.

[Lemon Drop Husker]

When I go up to the window with a winning ticket only to learn that the ticket is a loser because the teller punched the wrong numbers. This has happened more than once, and the bad feeling never goes away. I can accept losses that are my fault, and I know these are too, but I can't bring myself to look at it that way. To err is human, to forgive is divine............but not at the racetrack.

Always check your tickets after wagering. ALWAYS.

Autotote machines are great, but even our sight and fingers don't do us enough justice at times. :D

[VeryOldMan]

When I've let well-informed opinion get me off my choice and I either didn't bet or bet with the "smart" money - and my choice won. A leak I've worked to plug.

[JustRalph]

Jockey falls off..............

[Dave Schwartz]

When I go up to the window with a winning ticket only to learn that the ticket is a loser because the teller punched the wrong numbers. This has happened more than once, and the bad feeling never goes away. I can accept losses that are my fault, and I know these are too, but I can't bring myself to look at it that way. To err is human, to forgive is divine............but not at the racetrack.

Elliot,

Amen to this.

And I get it... the ticket check is our responsibility, but it is still a horrible feeling.

Worst for me: leaving a voucher in the machine!

Of course, I rarely play at the track, but I have my own version of the bad ticket writer - ME!

When I write a ticket for the right horse number but at the wrong track!

[Frost king]

Betting an exacta, and having both horses in the photo for second. Of course the longest priced horse is placed 3rd.

[MJC922]

Worst type of defeat for me is when I know I've chased a loss. It's so common, and common doesn't cut it in this game.

[Greyfox]

Watching the Stewards take down a longshot for the slightest of infractions while in a race earlier or later a favorite who does something more flagrant is allowed to stand.

[Prytanis]

Betting on Alydar in the Belmont stakes!!

[TucsonGreyhound]

Leaving a ticket in the machine is the only answer :bang:

[raybo]

What bothers me the most, but doesn't happen often, is when I estimate a superfecta's expected minimum payout that meets or surpasses my minimum acceptable payout, then hit the super with a horse combination that should pay more than my estimated minimum payout, but pays less than the minimum, by a large margin.

The "who'd a thought it" winner that was mentioned earlier by Thaskalos doesn't really bother me (although it tends to embarrass me), but almost without exception, the first thing out of my mouth is: "Somebody knew something about that one that I didn't! :blush: ".

[djm1959]

in 80s i had a cold exacta at monticello,, top 2 horses in front by at least 10 deep in stretch,, i was asking my friends what they wanted at the bar and slapping all of them in the hand,,, and right b4 the wire the dope on the 2nd horse gets his whip stuck in the sulky and loses balance and falls off at wire--- was 130 buck exacta,,, still haunts me

[Hoofless_Wonder]

By far the most painful of defeats is the ticky-tack DQ. :ThmbDown:

[porchy44]

What bothers me the most is when I handicap a race and lose, while my buddy has the winner because the horses name is the same as his wife's sister's cat.

[Capper Al]

What I don't like:

.... My horses finishing out of contention way back in the field.
.... Not predicting the running style correctly.
.... Watching a dark horse win by more than 4 lengths.

[JohnGalt1]

By far the most painful of defeats is the ticky-tack DQ. :ThmbDown:


And the not called legitimate case where a horse SHOULD be DQ'd.

[PICSIX]

What I don't like:

.... Not predicting the running style correctly.

I have an affinity for early speed. I hate it when either the connections or the jockey (solely) decide not to send.....I mean WTF an E8 is an E8, you are NOT going to change that fact. I believe that trying to rate this type of horse because there is other speed in the race should be viewed as the jock NOT giving his horse every chance to win.

Mike.....Out

[MutuelClerk]

Hitting all four legs of a pick 4 and not getting paid.

[salty]

unbelievably nobody has really talked about these

1. horse rearing up in the gate, or falling on its face out of the gate

2. jockey falling off at the gate

3. DQ's like Shes a Tiger at the BC (wont ever forget that one)

4. Sweet Sweet Afleet debut race at Saratoga 2014 - Watch the replay, its worth it i swear

5. a horse falling over right before the wire (yes for real has happened 15-1 too)

[FrankieFigs]

I have hit a rut lately that has driven me crazy. Make it through the first 3 legs of a Pick 4 then watch my 4 selections in the last leg run 2-3-4-5. Grrr....

[BlueChip@DRF]

Betting on Alydar in the Belmont stakes!!
That was not a bad bet! You got a run for your money!


The worst type of defeat for me is having all the horses in a long exotic that has a huge payout - to find out you only wheeled every combination of those numbers (except the winning one) to save money because the cost of a few dollars more boxing them would "hurt". Actually, that is the second worst. The worst is forgetting your winning ticket after the race at the window on a crowded day.

[Track Collector]

Any kind of DQ, whether deserved or not, that costs me payout.

[castaway01]

unbelievably nobody has really talked about these

1. horse rearing up in the gate, or falling on its face out of the gate

2. jockey falling off at the gate

3. DQ's like Shes a Tiger at the BC (wont ever forget that one)

4. Sweet Sweet Afleet debut race at Saratoga 2014 - Watch the replay, its worth it i swear

5. a horse falling over right before the wire (yes for real has happened 15-1 too)

People did talk about DQs. The first two examples are frustrating but not as painful because you never even came close to winning. Getting edged at the wire for a big payoff is a lot worse than never getting out of the gate in the first place.

Horses breaking down on the lead is definitely a kind of "worst", but it's a different kind of worst.

[Appy]

Right or wrong, win or lose, any race determined by subjective opinion is ruined.

Worst thing for me is losing a major score because of human error hurriedly mis-entering the play on the wagering pad (wife out in the driveway yelling at me to come help her unload the car, "the ice cream is melting"). Example is this year's Belmont super for $17K. When the race was over I was dancing with glee knowing I had scored a bigun. Waited for it to ring up on my account balance, but the expected balance did not happen. Got the W, ex, and tri right, but didn't get the #8 horse punched in correctly in my super play.
I'll never again relish ice cream the way I once did.
I keep a jpeg snip of that result posted on my desktop as an iconic remembrance.
Even worse worst thing is it has happened again since the Belmont, but not for that amount of money.
Sucks to realize you might not be the quick learner you thought you were. :bang:

[salty]

People did talk about DQs. The first two examples are frustrating but not as painful because you never even came close to winning. Getting edged at the wire for a big payoff is a lot worse than never getting out of the gate in the first place.

Horses breaking down on the lead is definitely a kind of "worst", but it's a different kind of worst.


Yes they are just as painful as losing by a nose, when you bet money on a horse, then the race starts and your horse is dead last the entire time with no chance to win....yeah that is painful. :faint:

[ultracapper]

Horse goes clear by 3 at the 3/16 pole and starts drifting out, looking at the crowd. Watch the re play of Ruby N Diamonds' 2nd lifetime race. 19-1 and all you can do is scream "run straight for God's sake" as a couple pluggers come up the inside of her, right where she should have been all along. I hate that drifting out, looking into the crowd crap. Drives me nuts.

[Greyfox]

I hate that drifting out, looking into the crowd crap. Drives me nuts.

Horses drift out when they grow weary.

[PhantomOnTour]

1) bold frontrunner puts away all E/P types, shakes loose and gets nailed in the final stride by some 2-28 lifetime plodder.

2) your off the pace runner comes to the speed in upper stretch and just won't go by...it becomes apparent after a few strides, but you must suffer the length of the stretch watching him try and try in vain. Tragic

[ultracapper]

Horses drift out when they grow weary.
Watch the race. I know a weary horse when I see it

[BombsAway Bob]

Some horseplayers hate to lose in a close photo...because of the heartache associated with an inch costing them serious money. Others find the narrow defeat easier to take...because, even in the loss, it validates their handicapping opinion in the race.

Some players get overly bothered when their selection finishes up the track, because they assume that they've made a handicapping "mistake" of some sort...while others stoically shrug their shoulders and move on to the next race...regardless of circumstances.
Still others become incensed at the sight of a stewards inquiry that their selection is involved in.
What bothers YOU most...if anything?
I'll tell you what's starting to bother me:
The undistinguished-looking horse, who receives the type of heavy betting action which belies his apparent capabilities...and who then proceeds to win impressively -- as if his past performances were a forgery. Without the heavy betting action, these winners don't bother me. It's the heavy betting action, and the dark suspicions that I harbor as a result, that makes this type of loss so hard for me to take.

What loss do YOU find hard to take?

1) Having lost a potential Pool-scooping Super on a Trainers Objection
for FOURTH Place in a $4,000 Claiming Race @EvangelineDowns in 2008
on a $5.40 Dime Super will forever give me scorn for Stewards.
Did they NOT think the guy was holding a Winning Super ticket if
they DQ'd horse,or did they think he objected for $400 Purse difference
(before being split between trainer,owner,& rider)? Jock didn't object.
"They" say that DQs even out over time. if so, i've got a Big One
coming in my favor!
2) Jockeys that 'wrap up' horses late when they are not going
to hit the exacta. Jerry Bailey used to be the ultimate example of this
when riding heavy faves that got passed in the lane.
Riders that are standing up in stirrups while losing photos for minor
placings should be warned, then fined, then get days for repeated
infractions for "failing to ride out horse".
With Supers & Super-Hi-5 wagerss, these 'save for another day'
moves in deep stretch should not be tolerated by stews.
(See #1 for my hopes that anything will ever come of it)

[clemkadiddle]

The worst is when you defeat yourself. Not the stewards, not a bad ride, not bad racing luck...one's own decision changed with the result of the race being what one had originally made a personal conviction to execute.

True story...(about 35 years ago?)

I was staying in North Randall looking at the Form for the next day's card. I came upon a 5000 claimer for fillies and mares. Not really enthused with anything in the race, I kept focusing on a horse named Dotney who had been off for a month and was jumping from 3500 claiming.

For at least 3 hours I kept tossing out the entire field ending up on Dotney. I even wrote in the Form before I turned in for the night, "I am going to play this f--king horse no matter what!"

I watched the tote intently the next day looking for some "inside" betting. There wasn't anything. As the odds soared to 50-1 I started getting scared. I got in line at 5 minutes to post only to get out of line when I got to the window.

I jumped back in line...and bet $50 on the favorite.

As the favorite and 2nd choice started faltering in the stretch...guess who emerged from the pack...you got it...Dotney...at $110.40 for a $2 win ticket...and I didn't even have a trifecta box.

That was a tough one to get over psychologically. It took a long time.

There...I confessed...now laugh all you want. I just hope nobody has a "Dotney" moment because they really suck.

[ultracapper]

The worst is when you defeat yourself. Not the stewards, not a bad ride, not bad racing luck...one's own decision changed with the result of the race being what one had originally made a personal conviction to execute.

True story...(about 35 years ago?)

I was staying in North Randall looking at the Form for the next day's card. I came upon a 5000 claimer for fillies and mares. Not really enthused with anything in the race, I kept focusing on a horse named Dotney who had been off for a month and was jumping from 3500 claiming.

For at least 3 hours I kept tossing out the entire field ending up on Dotney. I even wrote in the Form before I turned in for the night, "I am going to play this f--king horse no matter what!"

I watched the tote intently the next day looking for some "inside" betting. There wasn't anything. As the odds soared to 50-1 I started getting scared. I got in line at 5 minutes to post only to get out of line when I got to the window.

I jumped back in line...and bet $50 on the favorite.

As the favorite and 2nd choice started faltering in the stretch...guess who emerged from the pack...you got it...Dotney...at $110.40 for a $2 win ticket...and I didn't even have a trifecta box.

That was a tough one to get over psychologically. It took a long time.

There...I confessed...now laugh all you want. I just hope nobody has a "Dotney" moment because they really suck.

We've all been there, and all done that, and I agree 100%. It hurts like HELL!!!! I think I'll jump in your boat. Those are the worst. Beating yourself.

[Stillriledup]

unbelievably nobody has really talked about these

1. horse rearing up in the gate, or falling on its face out of the gate

2. jockey falling off at the gate

3. DQ's like Shes a Tiger at the BC (wont ever forget that one)

4. Sweet Sweet Afleet debut race at Saratoga 2014 - Watch the replay, its worth it i swear

5. a horse falling over right before the wire (yes for real has happened 15-1 too)

There was a race at Santa Anita many years ago (maybe 10? 15?) where one ticket was alive for 4 million in the pick 6 with a huge longshot in the final race....that longshot swooped the field and was down the center of the track in the process of being a going away winner until he broke down with 70 yards remaining. Other than the Gulfstream DQ last Feb, this is probably the worst beat in American racing history.

[Tape Reader]

The worst is when you defeat yourself. Not the stewards, not a bad ride, not bad racing luck...one's own decision changed with the result of the race being what one had originally made a personal conviction to execute.

True story...(about 35 years ago?)

I was staying in North Randall looking at the Form for the next day's card. I came upon a 5000 claimer for fillies and mares. Not really enthused with anything in the race, I kept focusing on a horse named Dotney who had been off for a month and was jumping from 3500 claiming.

For at least 3 hours I kept tossing out the entire field ending up on Dotney. I even wrote in the Form before I turned in for the night, "I am going to play this f--king horse no matter what!"

I watched the tote intently the next day looking for some "inside" betting. There wasn't anything. As the odds soared to 50-1 I started getting scared. I got in line at 5 minutes to post only to get out of line when I got to the window.

I jumped back in line...and bet $50 on the favorite.

As the favorite and 2nd choice started faltering in the stretch...guess who emerged from the pack...you got it...Dotney...at $110.40 for a $2 win ticket...and I didn't even have a trifecta box.

That was a tough one to get over psychologically. It took a long time.

There...I confessed...now laugh all you want. I just hope nobody has a "Dotney" moment because they really suck.

I do not mean this to rub salt into your wounds, but, IMO, never mix tote board reading with PP reading. Again, IMO, a good PP analyst should never defer to the tote board. And likewise, a good tote board reader should never defer to PP. A combination of the two usually indicates insecurity.

As a tote board reader, as my moniker implies, all of my biggest winners are from a horse going up in odds. They may have been bet earlier, rather than late, which most casual observers expect to see.

[Tall One]

I have hit a rut lately that has driven me crazy. Make it through the first 3 legs of a Pick 4 then watch my 4 selections in the last leg run 2-3-4-5. Grrr....



This is a similar street that I'm driving on. Yesterday for example, Aqueduct's late pick-4..ran 2nd in race 6, and 1/1/1 in 7-9*. Just played a fifty center, a $24.00 ticket, but that miss was completely on me. Went with both my stable horses and ignored one of my favorite angles with GP maidens shipping north, especially if McLaughlin is the trainer. :rolleyes:






*Here's the thing with the 9th. Avoided Jacobsen all day, but decided to include his 3 horse(2nd start for DJ, 3rd at 25k) along with the 7(Nevin/Franco) instead of the favorite 8 (didn't like the 8's breeding for the off). Well, of course, 8 wins but gets DQ'd to third, and they put up the 3. :D

[clemkadiddle]

I do not mean this to rub salt into your wounds, but, IMO, never mix tote board reading with PP reading. Again, IMO, a good PP analyst should never defer to the tote board. And likewise, a good tote board reader should never defer to PP. A combination of the two usually indicates insecurity.

As a tote board reader, as my moniker implies, all of my biggest winners are from a horse going up in odds. They may have been bet earlier, rather than late, which most casual observers expect to see.

In my defense, I was a stupid kid in my early to mid 20's and expected no more than 25-1. I was thinking that if the stable was putting one across, there would have to be some action.

My mentor always told me to never let the odds back you down.

In retrospect, $100 to win on a 50-1 shot is no different than $200 to win on a 25-1 shot. Keeping the money out of the win pool still brought back the same revenue, but without more investment.

[thespaah]

Some horseplayers hate to lose in a close photo...because of the heartache associated with an inch costing them serious money. Others find the narrow defeat easier to take...because, even in the loss, it validates their handicapping opinion in the race.

Some players get overly bothered when their selection finishes up the track, because they assume that they've made a handicapping "mistake" of some sort...while others stoically shrug their shoulders and move on to the next race...regardless of circumstances.

Still others become incensed at the sight of a stewards inquiry that their selection is involved in.

What bothers YOU most...if anything?

I'll tell you what's starting to bother me:

The undistinguished-looking horse, who receives the type of heavy betting action which belies his apparent capabilities...and who then proceeds to win impressively -- as if his past performances were a forgery. Without the heavy betting action, these winners don't bother me. It's the heavy betting action, and the dark suspicions that I harbor as a result, that makes this type of loss so hard for me to take.

What loss do YOU find hard to take?
Heavily bet horses that are on paper, illogical choices...Then proceed to win totally out of character with their PP's...
Of course over the years, I have disciplined myself to recognize there must be a reason for these illogical favorites and always make sure they don't cause me to have nothing but losing tickets...Andf then of course the illogical favorite does the illogical....And :mad:

[thespaah]

When I go up to the window with a winning ticket only to learn that the ticket is a loser because the teller punched the wrong numbers. This has happened more than once, and the bad feeling never goes away. I can accept losses that are my fault, and I know these are too, but I can't bring myself to look at it that way. To err is human, to forgive is divine............but not at the racetrack.
I never leave the window without checking my tickets....Of course for years, I have used the machines almost exclusively. So if I have the incorrect numbers, it's MY fault.

[thespaah]

Betting an exacta, and having both horses in the photo for second. Of course the longest priced horse is placed 3rd.
Boxing two horses in an exacta and have the shorter priced horse take a head bob from my longer priced horse.
The worst one was at Belmont.
If anyone remembers Epitome...She was a top notch filly. She was coming back after a layoff in a "black type" allowance race. I really liked this other filly..So instead of wracking my brains trying figure out how to "not lose", I played a simple two horse box with this other filly at oh I guess 30-1....
Epitome was bet pretty hard in this field down to 9 or 8-5....
Of course my longshot is off by herself and eighth mile out. And she is still up by three at the 16ths...And of course Epitome nails my choice at the line, chopping my exacta payoff in half.... :mad: Not all bad I did have it boxed..Half a loaf...

[thespaah]

What bothers me the most is when I handicap a race and lose, while my buddy has the winner because the horses name is the same as his wife's sister's cat.
Or to see three old ladies who just split a $10k trifecta 3 ways because they bet birthdays of their grand kids....
In fact some people call 5 digit trifectas "zip code"....I call them "grandma".....

[thespaah]

Hitting all four legs of a pick 4 and not getting paid.
HUH?....

[Inner Dirt]

Or to see three old ladies who just split a $10k trifecta 3 ways because they bet birthdays of their grand kids....
In fact some people call 5 digit trifectas "zip code"....I call them "grandma".....

I believe the now defunct Hollywood Park was one of the first USA tracks to offer the pick six. In the 70's and early 80's they had harness racing. Must have been 1980 or so and the early pick sixes had different mandatory pay out rules than they do now. I think I recall a pool having to payout if it hit $1 million so large payout were rare. Anyway the first huge score was someone hitting for $600k or so at harness racing, that was a record for a long time. They had a small article about it in the Racing Form. It was hit on an $8 ticket by an elderly woman who played drivers who wore blue because it was her favorite color. That makes me sick.

[MutuelClerk]

HUH?....

Red Mile in the fall. Had a power outage insisted they would still race. I had to go watch my nephews high school JV football game. I advance wager. The horse I singled was late to the Lasix barn and races for purse money only. He would have probably been third favorite. He wins easy. Other three legs come in. I had the exacta crushed only to get refunded. Aggravating.

[MutuelClerk]

Oops, forgot to mention, because the favorite didn't win the first leg I lost the P4. All other bets refunded.

[mistergee]

One of the oddest was this past year at Woodbine I started a pic-3 where I had all in the next 2 races with a horse that paid over $100 in the first leg. After it won I looked up and it said racing cancelled. The weather was fine so I had no idea until later that it was cancelled due to a bomb threat at the track and my visions of preparing to cash thousands changed into them just giving me my $ back

[River11]

I don't think I ever win the pick 4 when I have a single in the last leg and it's the favorite.
Happened again today at FG.

[ReplayRandall]

I don't think I ever win the pick 4 when I have a single in the last leg and it's the favorite.
Happened again today at FG.
IF your horse had won, how much would it have paid? How much was the cost of your ticket? How much do you normally wager in a pick-4?

[Dark Horse]

From the way the question is phrased - 'worst type of defeat', rather than 'worst defeat' - I'm assuming that the situation has to be of a recurring nature. That one is easy. A horse that doesn't change leads in the stretch.

[River11]

IF your horse had won, how much would it have paid? How much was the cost of your ticket? How much do you normally wager in a pick-4?


It would have paid $760 on a dollar ticket. Normally try to keep P4 wagers under 25.00, normally don't play it if my choice in 1st leg is heavy favorite.
On this ticket I had a single/4 horses/4 horses/ single for $16.

[ReplayRandall]

It would have paid $760 on a dollar ticket. Normally try to keep P4 wagers under 25.00, normally don't play it if my choice in 1st leg is heavy favorite.
On this ticket I had a single/4 horses/4 horses/ single for $16.
Did you at least play a pick-3 on the first 3 legs for $16? Did you bet your 1st leg single to win, thus guaranteeing a net profit for total bets of sequence?

[River11]

Did you at least play a pick-3 on the first 3 legs for $16? Did you bet your 1st leg single to win, thus guaranteeing a net profit for total bets of sequence?

No, that would have made too much sense :) , but I should have had the last leg exacta for 63.00 with my horse 2nd and didn't catch that either.

[ReplayRandall]

What bothers YOU most...if anything?
I can't tell you the number of times I've had the "ALL", in what I've perceived as a chaos race of the anchor leg of a pick-whatever, and watch the lowest pay-off chalk win the race... :mad:

[Stillriledup]

I can't tell you the number of times I've had the "ALL", in what I've perceived as a chaos race of the anchor leg of a pick-whatever, and watch the lowest pay-off chalk win the race... :mad:

If you have all, that guarantees the chalk to win, especially in a race where it LOOKS wide open. I can't tell you how many times i went "almost all" and threw one horse out and that horse came and got me.

[cnollfan]

If you have all, that guarantees the chalk to win, especially in a race where it LOOKS wide open. I can't tell you how many times i went "almost all" and threw one horse out and that horse came and got me.

I refuse to bet "almost all" unless the throwout is something like Rick's Natural Star in the Breeders' Cup who really does have no chance, versus not quite as much chance as the next horse. In a horizontal exotic I won't use more than half the field unless I use all.

Most aggravating for me is not betting on a horse on my watch list that wins at a nice price. On the track, most aggravating is the aforementioned E8 horse (or any clear-cut leader on paper) who inexplicably takes back, allowing a slower horse on paper to win wire to wire.

[Stillriledup]

I refuse to bet "almost all" unless the throwout is something like Rick's Natural Star in the Breeders' Cup who really does have no chance, versus not quite as much chance as the next horse. In a horizontal exotic I won't use more than half the field unless I use all.

Most aggravating for me is not betting on a horse on my watch list that wins at a nice price. On the track, most aggravating is the aforementioned E8 horse (or any clear-cut leader on paper) who inexplicably takes back, allowing a slower horse on paper to win wire to wire.

I'm fine with going "almost all" but i have to have a strong opinion on the horse i throw out and it usually has to be a horse under 10-1, that way, i'm taking advantage of some "edge" i have, rather than just tossing 50-1 shots because they look like they have no shot. I need to have an edge to toss, hard to have an edge knowing that a 50-1 can't hit the board.

[FrankieFigs]

One of the oddest was this past year at Woodbine I started a pic-3 where I had all in the next 2 races with a horse that paid over $100 in the first leg. After it won I looked up and it said racing cancelled. The weather was fine so I had no idea until later that it was cancelled due to a bomb threat at the track and my visions of preparing to cash thousands changed into them just giving me my $ back

Half Pass Fast was the horse. I remember this because he was on my Watch List when he ran at Tampa. I had $2 wps on him for this race. Didn't see the results until the following day.

I know this doesn't meet the requirements of this thread but just had to mention it.... :)

[cnollfan]

I'm fine with going "almost all" but i have to have a strong opinion on the horse i throw out and it usually has to be a horse under 10-1, that way, i'm taking advantage of some "edge" i have, rather than just tossing 50-1 shots because they look like they have no shot. I need to have an edge to toss, hard to have an edge knowing that a 50-1 can't hit the board.

"Almost all" except a low-odds horse makes sense.

If I am betting to show against a bridge-jumper, I do not handicap the rest of the field, I just bet them all. Along the lines of what is aggravating, betting against a bridge-jumper to show and then seeing the heavy favorite run out of the money but beat all of my horses is frustrating.