Luck

[LutherCalvin]

I like to do some quick handicapping and betting on my lunch break so I visited the off track near my place of employment. I focused on the early daily double races at Calder and Belmont. Sunday’s first race at Calder was for maiden claimers, which is one of my specialties. I thought that the #2 filly, Truly Original, was standout and the only true speed in the race. The only other filly that had a chance was the #5 Rubioli, who had the early speed/fade angle going for her. The animals were not consistent (after all they were maiden claimers). I thought to myself how I am going to structure my wager. The potential 2-5 exacta payoff was $6.00 so I looked at wheeling the 2 on top in the double for a $20 investment as the second race looked tough with four speed horses at the distance of 7 panels. I checked the potential double payoffs and noticed I would lose money if some of the colts and geldings won the second race. I watched the odds on Truly Original drift down from the morning line odds of 6-5 to 1-5. Gee, I thought. I can’t play that horse at those odds so I went with my second choice which was 6-1 and hubcapped him on top with several of my choices in the second race. I watched the race as Rubioli went to the lead, led around to the head of the stretch with a daylight lead, then went wide into the stretch where he was collared by the odds on pick. Well that’s racing. I was kinda kicking myself now for not wheeling my top pick in the double. Well, on to New York, Belmont. I liked the #3 Provincetown at 4-1. The six year old gelding had back class, last year finishing in the money against stakes caliber, and was even entered in a Grade 2. This was his second race after a layoff. I went up to play my bets with Provinceton and had some double picks with him. The betting machines malfunctioned. Every machine was frozen. Damn, I thought. I was watching them load in the gate. A regular patron who I knew offered to bet for me. He went to some machine which had results of previous races and was somehow able to wager on it. He had asked me what I wanted to bet. I told him #4 to win and a double bet with the #4 and several other horses in the second. He hurriedly punched the numbers in the machine when I realized that had given him the wrong horse. I wanted the #3 Provincetown to win the first race at Belmont, not the #4. I had confused the number of the horse with his odds. I told him to cancel the bets and he was able to cancel them all but the win bet on the #4. “You got a bet on the #4”, he said. I sat down to watch the race. My original choice was leading the race going into the stretch, but here comes a horse on the outside I knew was going to win. I looked at the saddle cloth and saw it was the #4 with odds of 22-1. My jaw dropped. I told my off track friend that I would split the profits with him. He told me that if the horse that I would have in the double came in, he would kick my ass. I looked at the name of our gift horse, #4, in the prgram. It was Planets Aligned, 20-1 in the morning line. I went out to my car and saw a brand new penny laying face up by my car. Not that I’m superstitious or anything. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Truth is stranger than fiction. Every handicapper needs a little luck sometime.

[JustRalph]

paragraphs?

[LutherCalvin]

Stream of consciousness. I'll try to remember next time and use my Big Ten education. It was fresh in my mind.

[Dave]

so, did the second half of the double come in, or what?

[Sailwolf]

so, did the second half of the double come in, or what?

Since he did not have a live bet, do you really want him to find out?:jump:


Based on this story, the less you know the better in this instance.

[Suff]

I broke it down as best I could. I was an english major at Sing-Sing..:D

[QUOTE=LutherCalvin]





I like to do some quick handicapping and betting on my lunch break so I visited the off track near my place of employment. I focused on the early daily double races at Calder and Belmont.

Sunday’s first race at Calder was for maiden claimers, which is one of my specialties. I thought that the #2 filly, Truly Original, was standout and the only true speed in the race. The only other filly that had a chance was the #5 Rubioli, who had the early speed/fade angle going for her.


The animals were not consistent (after all they were maiden claimers). I thought to myself how I am going to structure my wager. The potential 2-5 exacta payoff was $6.00 so I looked at wheeling the 2 on top in the double for a $20 investment as the second race looked tough with four speed horses at the distance of 7 panels.


I checked the potential double payoffs and noticed I would lose money if some of the colts and geldings won the second race. I watched the odds on Truly Original drift down from the morning line odds of 6-5 to 1-5. Gee, I thought. I can’t play that horse at those odds so I went with my second choice which was 6-1 and hubcapped him on top with several of my choices in the second race.

I watched the race as Rubioli went to the lead, led around to the head of the stretch with a daylight lead, then went wide into the stretch where he was collared by the odds on pick. Well that’s racing. I was kinda kicking myself now for not wheeling my top pick in the double. Well, on to New York, Belmont. I liked the #3 Provincetown at 4-1. The six year old gelding had back class, last year finishing in the money against stakes caliber, and was even entered in a Grade 2.

This was his second race after a layoff. I went up to play my bets with Provinceton and had some double picks with him. The betting machines malfunctioned. Every machine was frozen. Damn, I thought. I was watching them load in the gate. A regular patron who I knew offered to bet for me. He went to some machine which had results of previous races and was somehow able to wager on it. He had asked me what I wanted to bet.

I told him #4 to win and a double bet with the #4 and several other horses in the second. He hurriedly punched the numbers in the machine when I realized that had given him the wrong horse. I wanted the #3 Provincetown to win the first race at Belmont, not the #4. I had confused the number of the horse with his odds. I told him to cancel the bets and he was able to cancel them all but the win bet on the #4. “You got a bet on the #4”, he said.

I sat down to watch the race. My original choice was leading the race going into the stretch, but here comes a horse on the outside I knew was going to win. I looked at the saddle cloth and saw it was the #4 with odds of 22-1.


My jaw dropped. I told my off track friend that I would split the profits with him. He told me that if the horse that I would have in the double came in, he would kick my ass. I looked at the name of our gift horse, #4, in the prgram. It was Planets Aligned, 20-1 in the morning line. I went out to my car and saw a brand new penny laying face up by my car. Not that I’m superstitious or anything. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Truth is stranger than fiction. Every handicapper needs a little luck sometime.

[OhioGambler]

Great story, regardless of the eeinglish problums...

OhioGambler

[maxwell]

Luther,

Congrats on the world's longest paragraph. :)

Suff,

Thanks for saving my eyesight and sanity. :cool:

[LutherCalvin]

Luther,

Congrats on the world's longest paragraph. :)

Suff,

Thanks for saving my eyesight and sanity. :cool:

You're welcome, Maxwell. The devil made me do it.

And Suff, thanks for your editing. I should have majored in English instead of Handicapping with a minor in Shamanism.

[Dave Schwartz]

Great story.

If it was me, I would have found myself on the 7.


Dave