Do you have any odd rituals or superstitions while at the races

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by KingChas

Have never won,
when they are leading the horses into the gate and my horse starts taking a dump...................No B.S.

No kidding....me too. If I have a wager ona horse that empties out on the track( post pararde, warm up, to the gate).....Kiss of death..

[bisket]

Originally Posted by Paseana

My biggest problem is making defensive wagers. I'm a small bettor, and usually just the win and place type. What I hate is when I'm handicapping a race with the PPs, and keep getting drawn back to a horse that's double digits on the board....for some reason. It might be a workout 3 back, or some quirky pedigree thing, or who knows what else. All I know is that I end up agonizing over this horse, and ultimately end up eliminating him. I go and make my bet on the horse that I pick.

But that stupid horse that sitting on the board at 15/1 won't let go of me. All I can think about is what if this animal wins this race and I don't have a dime on him! It would make me feel even more stupid than I feel right now for thinking he has a chance! With a minute to post, I run back to the window and place a small wager on him....just for self-protection.

I've been playing for about 30 years now, and I have to say that I can't remember one time when that defensive wager ever paid off for me. The handicapping is solid, but superstition plays a part for all of us, no matter how much we want to deny it. It's horseracing, and sometimes a Sarava wins the Belmont.

I can only wish that I'd become fixated on him!

don't let the odds determine which horse you like. i never look at odds when i am trying to determine which horse i like. i look at odds after i pick which horse or horses (in my case) i like. the odds determine how much i wager. the higher the odds the higher the wager! if your letting the odds determine which horse you like, your not betting your horse your betting the competition's horse!!

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by kenwoodall2

Good thing you did not give me a chance to respond!!LOL!!
I have bad luck whenever I bet a "monster".

Whenever I hear the word "monster", I run away...Very fast...
Not once have I heard the term used, except in the case of a huge fav in a stake race, those are obvious..
But these first time starters, big drop downs, etc...they NEVER WIN. Not for me anyway.

[A. Pineda]

Originally Posted by QuarterCrack

I have a little bottle of some oils I got from a healer in the mountains when I was in Burma. I sprinkle some of it around my desk when I'm at the simulcast facility. At the track, if I'm close enough to the paddock/walking ring, I try to get close enough to sprinkle a few drops of it on the backside of the horse I want to bet on. I get kicked and lunged at from time to time - supposedly the stuff burns the horse like battery acid.

Aha! I've been telling my friends that I've been losing because some of the horses which I bet on seem to be trying to rub something off of their backside on the rail.

By the way, have you sprinkled your magic oil at the dog tracks? I've lost a few big bets on runners who just rolled in the dirt, having no interest at all in chasing the wabbit.

P.S. I had a buddy that tried to sprinkle mountain lion urine, but as soon as he took the cap off the bottle all hell broke loose, and they're still looking for some of those horses.

[therussmeister]

Originally Posted by bisket

don't let the odds determine which horse you like. i never look at odds when i am trying to determine which horse i like. i look at odds after i pick which horse or horses (in my case) i like. the odds determine how much i wager. the higher the odds the higher the wager! if your letting the odds determine which horse you like, your not betting your horse your betting the competition's horse!!

I let the odds determine which horse I like, but I'm betting against the competition's horse. In theory, I'll take any horse at the right price. In practice, I'm not going to bother betting a horse with, for instance, only a 3% chance of winning.

I let probability determine how much I wager. The higher the probability, the higher the wager.

[JustRalph]

I go to an obscure track in the Northwest and Piss in the Paddock

[Hanover1]

I never snap my fingers or slap the program on the rail before the 1/8 pole.......

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

I never, EVER, cancel a bet once I make it...regardless of circumstances.

You should re-think that one. Unless you are a newbie, your last impression is likely to be better than your initial impression.

[Sham]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

I go to an obscure track in the Northwest and Piss in the Paddock

Now THAT's funny...extra points for inter-thread humor!

[tbwinner]

Originally Posted by Valuist

You should re-think that one. Unless you are a newbie, your last impression is likely to be better than your initial impression.

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.

[thespaah]

Originally Posted by tbwinner

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.

I never let win odds throw me to the point where I will throw out horses numbers I have already written down.
I always tell myself that the odds to win are the opinion of others.
There are instances when I can read the exacta probs, P3 and P4 will pays that will lead to clues as to where somewhat smarter money is going.
My philosophy is once I have committed to the wagers, I make them. Just as I do when on the golf course. Once I commit to a particular shot, I make it.

[therussmeister]

Originally Posted by tbwinner

I disagree unless you're a strict tote board/odds player. I go down in flames when I rethink a bet that I wrote down from handicapping the night before. Just Sunday at Arlington I would have hit a $170 exacta and $850 tri, but no I canceled my original bet and took out a longshot from the 2nd leg. Of course that longshot came 2nd and f-bombs started flying. Only exception is seeing something in the post parade or the paddock.

I solve that problem by not making decisions the night before, I do the final 6 minutes of handicapping between races, it saves me about 2 hours of handicapping every night(for 20 races).