I grew up following horse racing. An afternoon at the park with my dad often meant Aqueduct or Belmont, which was only natural since he was a gambler. I know how to read a racing form, and determine which horse should win and why. However, I have discovered that more often than not, the horses don't read the form, or follow form for that matter. In fact, the odd-on favorite wins only about 1 out of 3 non-fixed races.
I cannot bet on the race. Off Track Betting closed its NYC offices. I am not going to set up an on-line account for the purpose of betting around $20 on each of three races per year. So I have decided to share my wisdom with you, along with my foolproof method of always winning at the track. As an added bonus, I'm even going to share my secret to winning poker. My picks for today's race are guaranteed . . . to be mine. In the interest of disclosure, I have a post on here saying Romney couldn't win the nomination.
With that admission out of the way, I can produce witnesses that I correctly picked the past 2 Kentucky Derby winners. Now for my foolproof method for winning at the track.
Step 1. I go with my Dad.
Step 2. He gives me some money.
Step 3. I don't bet it all.
My secret to winning at poker is flush. If you have one you will win more often than you lose. When you actually pull winning hands, it becomes easier to bluff because people become predisposed to thinking you've got another one.
Back to the race. Two weeks ago I correctly picked I'll Have Another. This was an easy call for me. At a pub I visit, one of the bartenders once asked me "Another one, Hal?" I responded that that was in fact my nickname in college. That statement was closer to joke than fact, and it became a joke between us. Hence, when I learned of this horse's name I had to pick it.
I have always believed that a little knowledge is dangerous. After watching the Derby, I have a little knowledge and am therefore dangerous. I am not picking I'll Have Another. My pick is the 7 horse Bodemeister. Bode is a frontrunner and the Preakness being a shorter race than the Derby favors speed. I'll Have Another is a good closer whose agent is apparently in talks with the Mets who need one.
I am also picking the 2 horse, Teeth of the Dog. I do this in honor of my 5 year old ptibull Molly. Even without Molly, I would be partial to a name with the word dog. I am also picking the 6 horse. I don't know who the 6 horse is (Creative Cause, I looked it up). The point is, having selected the 2 and the 7, adding the 6 horse gets me my father's birthday. I could have picked the 1 horse, but that would have been my parent's anniversary, a day neither of them want to remember.
I often play my birthday. On my last trip to the track, and yes it was with my dad, we walked in with just a couple of minutes to post time on a race. The top two choices were numbers in my birthday, so without even knowing the horses' names my dad played the trifecta box and it paid a couple of hundred dollars.
Please donate my 10% commission on your winnings to progressive causes.