It was Saturday afternoon and a bevy of the best racing was taking place in the country. Surrounding all of the simulcast TV’s were the marquee college football games. Toss in a few cold ones, and dozen or so wings, and you have entered heaven for many gamblers.

This being the case, I was in the company of four of the best guys to sit at the track. They are true racing fans, and each year we all come up with some sort of scheme to get us closer to making a big pick-four play on Breeders’ Cup Day. We have held close in the past, and we always have money rolling on the big day. Here are the rules of the table, and they don’t vary much from year-to-year.

• We all have to put in $200 cash  – $1,000 total.
• The object is to start a $100 place parlay every Saturday and Sunday until Breeders’ Cup.
• If a race hits, there will be no more than three parlays on the day.
• If a race fails, the wagering is done for that day.
• This will allow our group a minimum of $600 for the next three weeks, and the remaining $400, and any winnings will go into the Pick-Four on the Saturday Breeders’ Cup card.
• There are two designated handicappers, with no help or comments from the group. The handicapper is designated to keep everyone up to speed on who is wagered via text.
• No crying if we lose, and feel free to brag if we win.

The handicapper’s for the wager will be myself, and a gent who is a small farm owner. We will flip a coin to see who goes first, and we will rotate from that point. If a runner is over 10-1 on the morning line, the handicapper’s may discuss if the wager should be a possible show wager. Any money that is won will automatically carryover to the final day. The maximum loss for the day will be $100. The max amount of wagers to be made on any day is three.

I know this sounds like a lot of money to shoot, but take a look at this scenario:

$100 to place on a horse who pays $3.40 = $170

$170 to place on a runner who pays $3.60 = $306

$306 to place on a runner who pays $3.60 = $550.80 for the day 

Is it worth the risk, or should we just toss all of the money into the final day? After further review, and three beers each, we have decided to take the chance, and have more fun than the law allows. Everyone knows that I have been involved with Winning Ponies for years, and we decided that we will use the E-Z Win Forms for Belmont and Keeneland for our parlays. So, stay tuned as we begin this Saturday for Round #1. And no matter what the results, we will still be alive for the big Breeders’ Cup Day!