Love of Game/Love of Money

[bigmack]

Amongst my comrades there are only a few that didn't gravitate to the game as a result of their love of the sport and their awe of the athleticism in the animals. Curious how many of those that ya'll know that simply play the game as stone cold raffish gamblers and have little in the way of respect for the game?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiFdoEBhuqs

[Racer98]

I consider myself to be a fan of the racing, not of the betting.

That describes the race, the thrill of the ride, the real world. The beauty of the horse, not the trainer or owner or the guy who bet $15 on a 6-8-7-2 superfecta.

That isn't racing. The video shows racing.

[Robert Fischer]

sport of kings

[bigmack]

The game can hold ones interest as the congeries of experience and the immense amount of information needed to excel borders on the infinitesimal. All the while, scores of participants remain less than skilled, less than profitable.

In a myriad of ways, the confounding nature of the endeavor is the flame that syncretically draws one into the pursuit of something that is allusively unbeatable for most. Many are involved. Most are underqualified. A whole bunch search for programs/clues to better their game. Much like golf.

Ah Golf ... I've seen the lure of this very difficult game become so embedded in some that they've spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on the game and they'll never be better than a "bogey" golfer at best.

From my world, the pursuit of being a formidably profitable handicapper is exponentially more difficult than dropping a dimpled ball into a cup.

Enjoy this dynamic game. Enjoy the run of these great animals. Pine less of a loosing ticket and know the game can be oppresive.

It ain't easy, but when you've got a bundle riding on a race challange yourself to watch the race without the bias of your involvement. It oftentimes becomes an interesting display of equine talent and the ticket you played takes a back seat to the sport you're involved in.

The following may sound as corny as Kansas, but it can work. The infusion of the love of the game that you once had can show up in your joy and oftentimes in your roi.

[Racer98]

If you're happy, and want to get PO'ed, then go golfing. :)

[Overlay]

It seems to me that someone who started out as only interested in the money side of the equation would either develop an appreciation of the game through necessity, by being forced to become versed in the factors related to successfully predicting the outcomes of races on a consistent basis; or else (if he felt that that would consume too much time and effort) would look for a game where random selection could yield a profit (or, at least, a lower percentage of loss than at the track).

[Dave Schwartz]

If you're happy, and want to get PO'ed, then go golfing.

Arguably, one of the greatest titles of all time:

A Good Walk Spoiled : Days and Nights on the PGA Tour (Paperback)

[Overlay]

A Good Walk Spoiled

Mark Twain came up with that description. (I also like Churchill's definition: "A game, the object of which is to hit a small ball into a small hole with implements peculiarly ill-suited for the purpose.")