Good Omens

[Rick Ransom]

I'm not usually very superstitious, but since it's Friday night and I'm drinking a lot of beer, I thought I'd post this.

Have you ever had an "omen" about a race. You know, where you thought that everyone else was so wrong that you had to bet more on the race.

Ok, when I first met my wife we went to the track about five times and I never lost! Ok, I know I was lucky but she didn't. I was betting a lot of recently claimed horses at the time and they just couldn't lose. I kept telling her that they wouldn't win all of the time but she didn't believe me.

Well, anyway we were living in Northern California and went out to Bay Meadows. I had a horse in a race that I liked that was going from dirt to turf. Well, we were in the infield next to these young guys who were saying that there was no f****** way a horse was ever going to win going from dirt to turf. So, my wife and I looked at each other and doubled the bet. The horse payed $39 something and won by a nose.

Ok, another one. Whatever year it was that Colonial Affair won the Belmont, my wife and I were in a race book in Las Vegas (the Sands). Now, we liked the horse anyway, but these two east coast guys started talking about how no f****** female jockey could ever win a Triple Crown race. So, what did we do.? We looked at each other and decided to double the bet. The rest is history. It was actually even better than that because the Sands was offering a 10% bonus on all winners at Belmont at the time. We really cleaned up!

OK, now tell me about your stories.

[Rick Ransom]

Woops, sorry about that, it's only Thursday night. I was looking at races from Friday and made a mistake. Oh well, who cares what day it is anyway.

[andicap]

Starting early on the weekend, eh?

I've got a couple:

Was sitting in a bar in S.F. on the day of the Travers a few years back with a colleague who hated the horses. Travers was on the TV and he asked me who I liked -- I casually mentioned a three-horse box and voila 3 minutes later it came in 1,2,3. And the exacta paid something like $58 so it wasn't chalk. He was impressed.

Another time I was in the Yonkers Raceway simulcast -- most of the people there are generally a bunch of neanderthal numbnuts, it's a glorified OTB parlor after all.
I bet a 17-1 one shot and this one guy near me is going on and on about another horse he loves. My horse comes in and he starts screaming, "There's no F***ing way you could have that horse! There's no F***ing way you can have that horse!!"
That was sweet.

One more: A few people here might remember the late Michael Starr from the Prodigy board. Big braggert who generally played big bucks to place and show. Loudmouth on the boards, but a sweet, tragic guy in person. Starr was always putting me down for putting so much work into my handicapping. he used All-in-One and took about 2 minutes a race.
Anyway, one day at the New Haven Sports Haven facility, I spent 15 minutes digging into a first timer by Diablo that was 6-1. I told him the horse was live -- we looked up more stats and he bet $200 across the board -- even to win, a rarity for him. Horse won and Starr never made fun of me again, God rest his soul.

I don't really think its the same as an omen,but I do have days at the track when I get that "feeling in your bones".You know what I mean,for some reason you have a good feeling about that days card,or a particular race,even with or without handicapping.
I remember when Cigar was on his winning streak,and the Pacific Classic was the race that would put him over Citation.Well I told everyone that would listen to bet a Dare and Go ,Cigar and Siphon trifecta.
Well ,I collected almost a grand on that race and from that day on I always get somebody trying to pick my brain(or my pocket) because I can come up with longshots.Can't pick a favorite ,but I can find that retread that hits the board at double digit odds.
That feeling can hit at any time and sometimes you get it in the middle of the race,kinda like Trotter did in the movie,"Let It Ride".You know,when he bets it all on the last race,and as they come down the stretch he looks up and says "I got it" before the race is over.

[PaceAdvantage]

Get this.....

About a good 10-12 years ago, I went out in the morning and bought my DRF because I was going to Belmont that aftenoon. I went to the bathroom (before I ever opened the DRF that morning after I got home), and was doing my business (LOL), when for whatever reason, I kept thinking about how telephone operators always use the phrase "One Moment Please" when they answer your call. This bizarre thought kept going through my mind over and over as I was sitting there on the can.

Well, wouldn't you know it. I get to the third race in my form, and a horse named ONE MOMENT PLEASE is entered to run. I go to the track, with every intention to bet that horse...nothing like that ever happened to me before.

Well, I bet the third race, watch the horses cross the line, and tear up my tickets as I lost. I look down to see who won the race, and it was ONE MOMENT PLEASE.

I HAD FORGOTTEN TO BET HER!!!! She paid somewhere between $25 and $30 on the win end....it's been so many years, I forgot exactly how much......

That's my story, and I'm stickin to it!!


==PA

[Dave Schwartz]

I don't know if "omen" is the word, but I think this story fits.

A good old, ex-friend (I have lost touch with him) was part of our annual Breeder's Cup party for several years showed up at the party one year with a story.

He said that over the years his wife had experienced a couple of these, as she called them, "Rocking Horse Winners." On each of these occasions she had experienced a dream the night before and something clearly pointed to a horse winning. It might be a the horse's name, or a phrades (like PA's One Moment Please).

Well, on this day, he tells us that HE had one of them. He had been having a dream all week about the BC. In some race, there was a horse which just exploded out of the pack in the stretch run to win. Each time he had the dream he could see the winner's name flash on the screen (of his mind) but could not quite make it out. He finally said that he had the feeling it was French and started with an "A."

So, the night before the BC he searched the Form and concluded that there was only one such horse it could be... Arcangue. He actually made a $2 w-p-s bet on the horse along with his regular bets in the race.

When Arcangue exploded out of the pack down the stretch none of us realized that it was his horse. We never gave it a thought until he started screaming, "That's my horse! That's my horse!" I don't recall exactly what the horse paid but it was like $266 to win.

True story. Lots of witnesses.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[Rick Ransom]

Great stories guys. I really do think betting against blowhards makes for some nice overlays. My wife claims I'm better at handicapping after a couple of beers. I'm certainly less inhibited, sort of "fuzzy logic" I guess.

[Dave Schwartz]

Rick,

Handicap after a couple of beers, huh? LOL - In my case that would not be "fuzzy" logic. It would be "sleepy" logic. (Or maybe "snoring" logic.)

Dave

[Rick Ransom]

Dave,

Yeah, that's only for "recreational handicapping". However, I don't think it helps my handicapping the next day. I still think it's fun to hang around a race book and try to find something in every race. That's completely different from what I do day to day.

I owe it all to my wife. Before I met her I would bet two or three races and leave. Strictly a spot player, especially in Nevada. When I started taking her to the races, I had to try to learn more about betting every kind of race.

[Longshot]

Back about 1985 I got on the elevator at Delta Downs to ride up to the 3rd floor
clubhouse. When the operator pushed the button to start the 3 lit up on the board.
I made the comment that the 3 horse sure wins the first race a lot (tongue in cheek)
and with that button being lit up it sure was an omen.
After the 1st race , which the 3 horse won and paid $48, a big guy came up and
slapped me on the back , handed me a $100 bill and wanted to know if I had any
more of those hot tips. He had $50 across on the 3 and wheeled him for $10 in the
double. You don"t have to ask. I never gave the #3 a thought before the race.

[Rick Ransom]

I probably told this one before, but I was in a Nevada race book on July 7, 1977 (7/7/77). I stuck around all day just to watch everyone bet the 7 horse in every race. When the 7th race came up at every track, there was a line about 20 people long at every window. I don't remember how many of them won, but I sure didn't bet any 7 horses that day. It's really unbelievable how many people believe in these superstitious numerology kinds of things. You should pay attention to it though, because it can ruin the odds on a good horse occasionaly.

[hurrikane]

couple real quick

About 10 years ago I was at CT with my kids...at that time about 6 and 7 years old. They were picking horses and I was telling them I would bet them for them. ( I know, contributing to the deliquincy). I, of corse wasn't really betting..hell, they're just kids..what do they know? Anyway...they hit a friggin 22-1 shot and guess who had to shell out the bucks!!!!!

Just last week I was playing Del with my girlfriend and a Capuano horse came up at odd of 27-1. Well I threw him in the exacta just because he was a Capuano and 27-1. Then I started telling this story of how a Capuano mdn was 99-1 once at LRL in the 80s. I put 10w on him just because he was Capaunos...this of coures dropped his odds to about 70-1...anyway he won. I finished the story just in time to see Capuanos horse crossing the finish line at 23-1. I had the exacta but didn't bet the win...because I was too friggin busy telling a story about betting any really good trainers horse when he comes off at rediculous odds. I was kicking myself all day. Even the exacta..which paid real nice...was bitter sweet.

[NoDayJob]

Originally posted by Dave Schwartz
I don't know if "omen" is the word, but I think this story fits.

time he had the dream he could see the winner's name flash on the screen (of his mind) but could not quite make it out. He finally said that he had the feeling it was French and started with an "A."

So, the night before the BC he searched the Form and concluded that there was only one such horse it could be... Arcangue. He actually made a $2 w-p-s bet on the horse along with his regular bets in the race.

When Arcangue exploded out of the pack down the stretch none of us realized that it was his horse. We never gave it a thought until he started screaming, "That's my horse! That's my horse!" I don't recall exactly what the horse paid but it was like $266 to win.

True story. Lots of witnesses.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz



***********************
If he had looked at the Past Performances he would have discovered that Arcanque was the only G1 winner against 4 & up. Arcanque's finish time was very good for that race too. -NDJ