Category: 2008

I got interested in the Belmont Stakes race a few weeks back when Big Brown won the Preakness at Pimlico, which was the second stop of the coveted Triple Crown. We’ve not had a Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. For those of you who haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, please read the Wiki about the Triple Crown, then read the story of Big Brown’s loss.

Ok, now that you are up to speed, let me tell you about MY disappointment in this race. As I said, I became interested in this race with all the buzz about this colt named Big Brown. I’ve not even watched a race in years but this one caught my eye. I’m glad I didn’t see the race that Eight Belles died in – The Kentucky Derby. But PETA is completely wrong about the death having anything to do with mistreatment. It was a total freak accident. Horses don’t win a race then collapse with TWO broken ankles. It just doesn’t happen. It was a horrible, horrible accident that could not have been prevented in any way. They put her down because a horse that can’t stand will die. PETA, as usual, is going off half cocked and causing trouble for people who did nothing wrong.

I told Nick that I definitely wanted to watch the Belmont and I was thinking about putting some money on the race. As late as Friday night I was trying to find a bookie to place a few bets. (BTW, if anyone knows a horse racing bookie, please email me.) The bookie wasn’t found and I got up Saturday to read about the field and do my betting in my head – like I always do because I never have a damn bookie! So, I pick up the paper and look at the odds and pick out 3 horses I’d bet on if I had a bookie. I was not interested in Big Brown – the Belmont is notorious for killing Triple Crown runs because it’s a 1.5 mile track which is much longer than other tracks.

I looked at the odds and I picked out Da’ Tara, Anak Nakal and Denis of Cork – not because they were supposed to win, but because they were long shots. The odds for Da’ Tara were 38 to 1, for Anak Nakal 34 to 1 and for Denis of Cork 7 to 1 (these are the payoff final odds, which were different than the early Sat morning odds). All the oddsmakers were pushing a Superfecta with Big Brown as Win – I knew better than that. I’m a Trifecta kind of girl and let me tell you something: if I’d bet what was in my head, which was 6, 4, 8 (Da, Denis and Anak, respectively) I’d have won $3,703.00. Yup, thirty-seven HUNDRED. Even if I’d simply bet on the individual horses for $1 W-P-S (win place show) tickets I’d have gotten $121.80 for Da’ Tara, $9.50 for Denis of Cork and $7.60 for Anak Nakal ($138.90 on $3 investment). I’d not bother with $1 tickets, though, I’d have put at least $25 on each WPS… you do the math. WAH!! I’m SO irritated that I didn’t find a way to make those bets. That won’t happen again, I can promise you that.

I have a history of winning on horse races. I won when I played the trotter races in MO and if I’d bet REAL money on the races that pique my interest rather than making dream bets in my head, I’d have made money on just about every race I’ve ever watched.

So, I’m finding myself a bookie and I’m following my hunches on horse racing. The hunches don’t work for the lottery, but they certainly seem accurate on the ponies. Next time, I will place real bets, not play fantasy horse racing in my head. As my Dad pointed out, “You can’t win if you don’t bet!”

Yah. Got that.