Tom Barrister
10-05-2008, 07:50 PM
I was out at Prairie Meadows today to visit with a couple of people I know. With us was a man who has more money than common sense, and who probably loses high five figures at the track each year. This man is known as "Chalkie", because generally sticks to the low-priced horses. He only plays two circuits: NYRA and Southern California.
Today, after going off big on Sacred Icon in the 6th race at Belmont, Chalkie was out the $500 he brought with him. "Time to hit the ATM, he said. As he got up, his eybrows furrowed. He fished a $10 bill out of another pocket, scanned the Form and sat back down. "Might as well play a Pick Three for a sawbuck."
He picked #2 Fibberjibit (7/5 ML) in the seventh, and #6 Steel Light (5-2) in the eighth. It took a long time for him to decide between #4 Visionaire (Rocker, and #5 Harlem Rocker (2-1), but he finally went with Visionaire.
"Okay, then it's a ten dollar 2-6-4," Chalkie said as he began to get up.
"Hey Chalkie," Bob, one of the men at our table said , "you know that Belmont has ten races today, right?
Chalkie didn't know, since he seldom looked at an upcoming race before the previous one had finished (and he'd had a chance to do a post-mortem to arrive at the conclusion that either 1) He should have had the winner, or 2) that race were fixed).
"Darn, only three minutes," Chalkie said, looking at the tenth. After a couple of minutes, he said: "too many contenders. He looked at me. Tom, do they have a Pick Three on the seventh?"
"They have rolling pick threes at Belmont," I answered.
"Thanks," Chalkie said, getting up and getting into line at the window. As his turn neared, his eyes widened, and a look of urgency crossed his face. At that point, it was announced that the horses were loading into the gate. He looked towards us, then the window, then us again, then turned to the window and made his bet.
He returned to the table a minute later. "Darn," he said as he sat down, "I couldn't remember if it was 2-4-6 or 2-6-4."
"2-6-4," I told him.
"I know that NOW, Muttonhead," he frowned, "But I couldn't remember which it was there. He showed us two tickets. On one was a $4 part wheel of 2/46/46. On the other was a $2 straight Pick Four of 2-6-4-11.
That was something Chalkie would do. The man could go up to the window with a specific bet in mind, change his mind sixteen times along the way, and end up with something entirely different than what he set out for.
"I hope the 11 was the one I ws leaning towards in the tenth," he noted as he ordered another coffee.
You can guess what happened (otherwise, I wouldn't be telling this). 2 won as it was supposed to. Then #4, Straight Romance, at 10-1, nosed out Chalkie's original horse #6 Steel Light. And of course in the last race, #6 Tale of Ekati, at 6-1, won the race, with Chalkie's original choice, #4 finishing last at 3-2.
The Pick Three paid $379.50, and Chalkie had it twice, collecting somewhere in the neighborhood of $759.
"Ha," he exclaimed, as he took the original $10 and put it back in his other pocket. "Now I'm all set for Santa Anita." He looked at his Pick Four Ticket. Too bad it didn't come the other way (Chalkie meant 2-6-4), or I'd be alive for this, too." He pointed to the superfecta ticket, excused himself and went to the washroom.
"Yeah," I rolled my eyes after he left, "too bad it didn't come the other way and pay about fifty bucks so he'd collect a hundred and be live for another two hundred or so or so IF the eleven wins the tenth."
Bob laughed. "He doesn't have a clue, never has, never will."
About all the winning ticket did was save Chalkie a $400 ATM withdrawl, because he went through the $750 by the end of the seventh at Santa Anita and headed for home.
Today, after going off big on Sacred Icon in the 6th race at Belmont, Chalkie was out the $500 he brought with him. "Time to hit the ATM, he said. As he got up, his eybrows furrowed. He fished a $10 bill out of another pocket, scanned the Form and sat back down. "Might as well play a Pick Three for a sawbuck."
He picked #2 Fibberjibit (7/5 ML) in the seventh, and #6 Steel Light (5-2) in the eighth. It took a long time for him to decide between #4 Visionaire (Rocker, and #5 Harlem Rocker (2-1), but he finally went with Visionaire.
"Okay, then it's a ten dollar 2-6-4," Chalkie said as he began to get up.
"Hey Chalkie," Bob, one of the men at our table said , "you know that Belmont has ten races today, right?
Chalkie didn't know, since he seldom looked at an upcoming race before the previous one had finished (and he'd had a chance to do a post-mortem to arrive at the conclusion that either 1) He should have had the winner, or 2) that race were fixed).
"Darn, only three minutes," Chalkie said, looking at the tenth. After a couple of minutes, he said: "too many contenders. He looked at me. Tom, do they have a Pick Three on the seventh?"
"They have rolling pick threes at Belmont," I answered.
"Thanks," Chalkie said, getting up and getting into line at the window. As his turn neared, his eyes widened, and a look of urgency crossed his face. At that point, it was announced that the horses were loading into the gate. He looked towards us, then the window, then us again, then turned to the window and made his bet.
He returned to the table a minute later. "Darn," he said as he sat down, "I couldn't remember if it was 2-4-6 or 2-6-4."
"2-6-4," I told him.
"I know that NOW, Muttonhead," he frowned, "But I couldn't remember which it was there. He showed us two tickets. On one was a $4 part wheel of 2/46/46. On the other was a $2 straight Pick Four of 2-6-4-11.
That was something Chalkie would do. The man could go up to the window with a specific bet in mind, change his mind sixteen times along the way, and end up with something entirely different than what he set out for.
"I hope the 11 was the one I ws leaning towards in the tenth," he noted as he ordered another coffee.
You can guess what happened (otherwise, I wouldn't be telling this). 2 won as it was supposed to. Then #4, Straight Romance, at 10-1, nosed out Chalkie's original horse #6 Steel Light. And of course in the last race, #6 Tale of Ekati, at 6-1, won the race, with Chalkie's original choice, #4 finishing last at 3-2.
The Pick Three paid $379.50, and Chalkie had it twice, collecting somewhere in the neighborhood of $759.
"Ha," he exclaimed, as he took the original $10 and put it back in his other pocket. "Now I'm all set for Santa Anita." He looked at his Pick Four Ticket. Too bad it didn't come the other way (Chalkie meant 2-6-4), or I'd be alive for this, too." He pointed to the superfecta ticket, excused himself and went to the washroom.
"Yeah," I rolled my eyes after he left, "too bad it didn't come the other way and pay about fifty bucks so he'd collect a hundred and be live for another two hundred or so or so IF the eleven wins the tenth."
Bob laughed. "He doesn't have a clue, never has, never will."
About all the winning ticket did was save Chalkie a $400 ATM withdrawl, because he went through the $750 by the end of the seventh at Santa Anita and headed for home.