In the early morning my head was rattling off numbers. Keeping count and arguing with myself while sleeping, but still looking to find the best representation. Funny, I used to hate math as a little kid, and many moons later my dad still speaks of a 4th grade math test that went wrong. But today […]
The game of racing fades in 20-minute increments. – That’s the time in between post times. Where we made friends, talked horses, and handicapped for the big win. – Over the years, we see friends get older and make fewer trips to the races. Then, they disappear. You hear the story of how they passed […]
I was attending college and the simulcast boom was just beginning. ADW’s were a bunch of letters, and if you wanted to bet the ponies you went to the track or made a call to your bookie. – Keeneland was in session and I spent more time digging in my pockets for quarters as […]
As the preps come and go, Derby dreams fade in and out like an old TV. You remember ? The TV your grandpa used to watch baseball games. Sometimes it came in as clear as day, and other times it took a while before you see what’s happening. That’s the thought rolling through my head […]
Gambling had a mystique that took place in back rooms or places your Mom wouldn’t approve. Rooms filled with smoke, profanity the second language, and if a lady was there she was tending bar or waiting on tables. Men could be found from every walk of life, and was the only place where you’d see […]
Think of this as a report card on what’s happening in the world of racing from a handicapper’s eyes and ears. – I listen to the players. I’ve always enjoyed that part, and the players have always been the best part of racing. – For years that’s been my stance, and it’s not to say there aren’t […]
I was reading an article about riders and where they cut their teeth. Everyone starts somewhere, and it doesn’t matter how big or small the venue you ply your trade. Some were happy to be the big fish in the small pond, and others had bigger dreams. In my travels I’ve been lucky enough to […]
If you pick up any newspaper, magazine, or dial up the web and have the universe at your finger tips. There is always a story behind the story. For this handicapper, it has been one helluva’ year! I sure hope as we close in on Breeders’ Cup, we start getting the busy butterflies in our […]
When the Travers is in the books, and you start reading about the fall meet tracks. You tell the fat lady to start warming up, as the cool winds of autumn are just weeks away. Football season is on deck, and baseball is starting to shake out contenders to watch down the stretch. I tried […]
Many handicappers have mixed feelings about the morning line. Some feel it’s not necessary, and others feel it’s a “beginning” to where wagering kicks off. I have always enjoyed reading the lines of Mike Battalgia, Joe Kristufek, and many others who cover the tracks in their daily handicapping. I learned at the foot of an old-time book […]