Picking a Winner!

So you want some surefire tips on picking a winner?

Truth be told there is absolutely no "surefire" way to pick a winner. You can scan the pro's picks, read the racing form, check the online sites, talk to people at the track or use a combination of quirky methods.

People bet on horses based on the jockey, the owners, the trainers, they like the color of the silks, or the horses name, some even bet on the horse that has taken a (how to be delicate?) "dump" right before the race.

Others look at the top speed the horse has raced, the number of races won this season, the amount of money the horse has won, whether the horse is Kentucky bred or foreign.

Personally, I look at horse names first. I know, so NOT technical! I've devoured a dozen or more horse books so I'm a little familiar with owners, stables, and jockeys so that's my next criteria. I'm partial to Kentucky horses as opposed to those from Dubai. This time around, I got a number of tips so I began betting based on horse speed, money, and wins.

Random observations:

-wait until about three minutes before the race to bet so you can read the odds and see where the money is.

-don't waste your money on box seats. Most tracks are cheap to get into...$3! General admission gets you on the ground close to the horses. It allows you to wander around, get to the wagering windows quickly to cash in all that money you've won. Personally, I move as close to the rail as possible. I want to hear and feel the pounding of horses as they fly by me.

-all kinds of dress is appropriate jeans, suits, dresses. sneakers, heels. But the little sorority girls in their 4" heels, skimpy sundresses, hats, and sweaters along with the frat boys in pink shirts, madras and seersucker suits seemed a little over the top on this the second day of racing. Save it for the Woodlawn or Coolmore.

-the best bargain of the $3 pretzels, sodas, and popcorn is the soft ice cream sundae. It was enormous and featured a mound of soft ice cream, 3 cherries, hot fudge and nuts. You really do get more than you paid for here.

-wagering is very cheap...usually $2 and in some places just dollar. I gambled this time around and bet trifectas. .10 Superfecta boxed, exactas, and something that looks like this: 2-6, 2-6, under ALL, ALL ALL. I haven't a clue what ALL this means but I did win $15 on this one.

THE BEST TIP OF ALL? Detroit just broke ground this spring on a multimillion dollar race track called Pinnacle scheduled to open for a late July-August opening. I WANT TO WORK THERE!!! No, seriously. So meet me at the track.

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A Day at the Races

Race day at Keeneland was spectacular! I lost some, won some but all in all broke even. But along the way I took some real chances, relearned betting lingo, and picked up a few tips from some very nice and patient fans.

Keeneland is one of the most beautiful race tracks in the country thanks to the efforts of Alma Headley Haggin in the late 1930's. She was determined to make Keeneland the most beautiful racetrack. She was most interested about the lives of the race horses once they arrived at Keeneland. She wanted them to have shade so she planted tall Chinese Elms and fast growing maples. She made sure the trees grew upright so horses would not be hurt by low lying limbs. She also wanted the horses to be surrounded by beauty so at the corner of all the stables she panted flowering crab apples, dogwoods, cherry, locust, and magnolias. She also gave instructions to the gardening crew to make sure all horse paths were cleared of fallen fruits or nuts so the horses would not be hurt.

Seventy years later the fruit of her labors is quite evident and spectacular!