Someone call the ASPCA - we've got a loose animal out here! Just in case you were wondering, that's the mascot's tail hanging from behind his legs... Actually, this is a picture from my first return trip to Belmont Park back in 2010. In preparation for next week's Belmont Stakes, where I'll Have Another will try to be the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 34 years since Affirmed in 1978, we decided to enjoy the cool day in the sun, and hone our betting skills for next week...
Unlike next week's race, where 90,000 people could be packing the stands, there was hardly anybody there yesterday - and we kinda liked it. No waiting to bet, you could walk right up to the paddock, and ask the jockeys a question. Best of all, there were actually seats! I had a permanent spot at the first bench in front row right at the finish line, and no one took it all day. Sweet ...... It was helped a bit that the sun quickly left, the wind kicked up, and it got pretty cold for a while. It didn't matter to us, and about two other guys who weren't giving up their prime seats either!
The first thing you might be noticing by now is that we have no pictures.. Well, the problem is that I wanted to keep it light yesterday, so I used my cellphone camera instead. As nice a still photo as it takes, it was delayed by about 3 seconds, which makes moving shots almost impossible. Next week, we're bringing the camera, and since we forgot to bring the lithium charger, we're praying the batteries last that long..
As far as the betting, it seems that I'm pretty ready to go. I picked five winners in the nine races, two exactas and four show finishers on longshots, which is where you make money. Unfortunately, the winners were all odds-on favorites or close to it, so I treaded water for much of the day, but I won about $50 overall, not including the $4.25 bottled water and $5 hot dog (which sucked)... After celebrating by taking my brother out to dinner, the day was a wash, but I had fun.
People ask me what my system is for betting. Simple: I use one main criteria. Their times.. First, I see if they've run this distance before and what their times are. If they've run it a lot and the times are solid, they make the cut. If they won or lost isn't as important - unless two horses run similar times consistently, but one manages to win more. Horses are funny, because some look another horse in the eye, and they own them. That is what separates winners from losers...
Another thing about me betting: I am VERY superstituous. If I find a hot ticket agent, I stick with him/her - and I scored right off the bat with this one lady yesterday. To give you an idea of HOW superstituous I can be in betting, here's an example. I picked some kind of winner in the first four races. Thanks to all the $4.25 water I drank, I went to the bathroom after the fourth race and lost. I used the same urinal after the fifth - and I lost again! So, when I had to pee again (thus the term 'peeing like a race horse) before the 7th, I used another urinal - and I won the last three races. It's all about the urinals, folks!
Overall, it was a fun day, and it broke up the monotony of what has been a pretty dull trip back. Tonight should be better as well, as Narcdog rocks the stage at Katie's in Smithtown again, though it could be an empty bar. Even Carol may not come, and she hasn't missed a Narcdog show since 1995! We'll see...
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