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LottaKash
01-26-2010, 03:27 PM
This is a story about a "Daily Double" esperience that I had on Mon. 1/25/90....It doesn't mean anything except that I felt like writing something today, and this is it....

Many "old-time darksiders" fondly remember the days when the only "exotic" bet that was available, in the day, was the Daily-Double....I remember how we would "fly" to the nearest track hoping that we would get there in time to bet the Double.....It didn't matter if you had anything, we just needed to get a bet in on the DD....

I usually don't bet horizontally much, as I rarely get more than 1-race in a row that maintains my standards for play, so my wagers are mostly just win/place and an occasional 1 or 2 way exacta, but yesterday at Dover Downs I had a couple of horses, that had some things going for them, that will often enough give a horse an edge, in a harness-race...

So, I get out of the Eye-Dr's office later than I anticipated, and when I walked in the house, I brushed and bypassed by everyone there at the time, had to boot-up and hoipefully get this bet in....3-min's to go, hurry up Windows !....I get to Youbet just in time to make my plays.....(Wow, it felt just like the old days at that moment, I was able to get my DD in !!! wow)

The players:

1st Race....#4....I'M OUTTAHAIR.....5/1..M/L....This was an BONW horse (broke out of the nw's of races class)...A BONW horse is one that has finally won his way out of the nw's of 2/3/4/5 races LT, and I am always on the alert for these types....Many horses will just languish in these classes for months and months or a year or so... The connections, just don't rush these horse along, knowing that these types of horses, once they win their way out of the conditions, just become so-so competitively in claimers or non-winners in cheap conditioned races....So they don't try to win, they just keep on getting checks, until they finally win their way out of the free-ride classes....I don't get too excited about the nw' 2-3-4-5's at cheap tracks for these reasons....

Not this guy tho, was 4/14 last year, and is 2/3 so far this year, so he is a definite BONW for me.....He won his last 2-races, in fact his last race was for way better than he had been facing recenlty, as he had finally broke-out in his next to last race with a win, and he won his last, despite the boost up in conditions, and won it on the engine, in hand....This guy was fast & fit, and on the march up the ladder....

The 1st Race:

The 4, @9/5 (2d choice) leaves alertly for the lead but, the 1 is well meant today, and leaves the 4 out, and all the early holes are quiclly closed, leaving the 4 hung out to dry or go on with it.....So, the 4 gets a cracdown and looks to clear before the 3/8's, but just gets halfway past the 1 who is dead-game today....From theron he was hung out 1st over not gaining or losing much (snappy fractions for the class), but the 4 is still triying to get past the leader again at the 3/4-pole (stayed even with him, battling)....Now the #2 horse who is the 4/5 fave, who was following the choice is three wide at the 3/4's, and looks to be the one in the late stages, only he folds up midway down the lane.....The 4 is still digging in halfway down the lane.....The 3-who was sitting in the 2-hole, minding his own business all the way round, slips up the rail after that big battle the whole way round, and wins it....But the 4 is still game and full of pace, just missing out on the place spot with the 1 for the whole thing.....This horse just raced his heart out, parked 1st-over the entire mile.....I was sure proud of my bet anyway..,,,.On another day, who knows ?
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2d Race....#6....BUSTED AGAIN.....6/1..M/L...this guy is racing in the stupid nw4 class today....This horse was claimed in the $15K claimer's last week by Chastity Dege (a modest 19% trainer).....This guy's previous 2-trainers were were dismal at 5% & 3% winners...Plus Dege had this horse in her care early on at Pocono Downs in 09", so she knows this horse, and last week she made that claim for "herself", and I always like that angle to a harness-horse....Plus, she moved the horse from that $15K claimer which are typically run with horse's with a TM-SR's in the mid to upper 80's, and this class, nw4lt, are typically in the mid to upper 70's, especially this time of the year....Most of her competitiors were losers at this level and/or had won in the nw3's recently, but failed in the subsequent starts at nw4....So we have a horse with a "trainer-claim" angle, a clear class advantage, and a clear speed advantage..Plus, this horse in the claimed race was battling hard to the 3/4's vs. the better stock and hung in there real good and tho lost ground at that point theron from the 3/4's, stayed evenly in the lane, not losing much more that before the meltdown...26:3...54:4 1:24:1 (so if this guy didn't bounce off of that sparkling effort, I would say,was tuned up quite nicely for this)...

The 2d Race:

So, the 6 leaves alertly, with new driver Vince Copeland aboard, and has a brief lead, until the 8 clears for the lead just before the 1/4....At this point I thought that the 6 would retake before the 3/8's, only the 1 (eventual winner) who was sitting the 3-hole, beats the 6 to the punch and just to the lead before the 3/8's, leaving the 6 in the 3d-rail spot....Very Soon after the 1 clears, the 3-(vulnerable fave @4/5) who was sitting in the 4-hole darts out cat-quick to the outside to battle with the 1, before my horse even had time to react...and two other horses get sucked quickly into the 3's flow, shuffling my horse back to "last" trapped in.....So, with the 1 in clear command the whole way,.and my horse wasn't even outside yet near mid-lane, Copeland has to take back to clear the outside flow-horses, then fans out widest of all, then gets it into "high-gear", quickly gobbling up the other horses and gets a clear 2d place finish, losing only to the 1 who had a clear advantage in the lane.... was off @7/2....Such a big burst in such a short span of racetrack !...Would he have won with a better trip ?....I think so....But, we'll never know now, will we ?...haha !

So, I lost both my win bets & the "daily double"....The double would've paid $82....But it was "fun"

And, I did make the double after all....

best,

DeanT
01-26-2010, 03:46 PM
Since I have rushed to bet more than enough early doubles that came last-last, you kicked my ass :)

LottaKash
01-26-2010, 04:02 PM
Since I have rushed to bet more than enough early doubles that came last-last, you kicked my ass :)

Dean, is that why you have become so "hard-assed" at this point in your life ?...:jump:

best,

Trotman
01-26-2010, 05:23 PM
LOTTAKASH just loved the story,I felt the anxiety late out of the doctors, brushing by everyone, get the bet down only for the betting gods to say try another day. It does bring back memories. :ThmbUp:

Sea Biscuit
01-26-2010, 09:52 PM
John I must say that you have a very good memory to recall those races so vividly even after 20 years.

Thanks for the post enjoyed it.

Ray2000
01-27-2010, 07:52 AM
LK,
Your story prompted me to put this one up of my own. Back in the late eighties when I was a regular at the Meadows There was a horse on my watch list who drew into a favorable spot and was going to be my best bet of the day. I figured he’s gonna be a good 8 to 1 shot so I went to the ATM, and then stopped for my usual at the Holiday Inn, before heading to the track.

A good friend, a cocktail waitress there, had some good connections with one of the top trainers (I think she dated them all) and she gives me a tip on a different horse in the same race. My pick was the four, but she had got word that the six had popped a gavel and had trained like a monster so we put $25 together on a 46 Exacta box, I’d buy the ticket, she’d be up to the track later after her shift.

The race:

At post time both horses were double digits on the board. So we’re standing by the finish line at the rail, anticipating a soon to be snapped picture, and the gate swings open and 2 barn burners fight for the lead just as I had hoped. When they reach the quarter, my 4 is sitting 5th and her 6 is in the perfect 3 hole. Heading into the straightaway the 4 pulls and starts his brush. As the field approached us… I just knew what was going to happen, (as does everyone reading this), yep… her six horse pulls out, the 4 can’t get checked and the two lock up wheels and everything goes down right in front of us. Thank goodness nobody or no horse was hurt, but that moment is forever burned into my brain, standing there, looking back and forth between this $50.00 ticket and this tangled mess of horses, lines, drivers, head poles, bike shafts, (it looked like a Katamari ball if you are familiar with that Xbox game).

Just goes to prove that the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.