The following story pains me to relive, but I feel it is necessary to share. Its theme is centered on the characteristic of loyalty, which, for the most part, is an extinct commodity within the fabric of today’s society. We live in a world that often asks the question, “What have you done for me lately?” — and this inquiry may be spoken more by horseplayers than any other type of prospector.

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Many people who frequent racetracks on a regular basis never hone the abilities necessary to become successful. They wager according to odds, favorite colors, lucky numbers, gut feelings or someone else’s advice. Veterans of the game call this method of wagering “betting blind” and will agree that it usually proves futile. They have learned from experience that acquiring an adequate literacy of the Daily Racing Form is the only way to play the horses intelligently.

There are several high-quality publications that offer thoroughbred racehorse past performances. I truly believe, however, that when it comes to accuracy and sheer volume of information, nothing can touch the DRF. (more…)

What’s It Like

Greg Bush is the senior director of operations at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Home to the Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs is the most famous horseracing venue in the world, but Bush’s duties extend well beyond preparing for racing’s biggest day. From working with maintenance crews to walking horses, the operations director does a little bit of everything — and says he loves every minute of it. (more…)

The superfecta is a challenging bet found at most racetracks across the country in which the bettor is required to pick in the exact order the horses that will finish first, second, third and fourth in a particular race. Due to the difficulty involved, this bet can generate some very large payoffs. It is not uncommon to see one-dollar payoffs in excess of $10,000 on a daily basis.

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Like most horseplayers, I can be classified as a low roller. I travel to my local racetrack with about $40 in my pocket, and then I proceed to bet $5 a race in the hopes of eventually doubling my bankroll. However, when a major race rolls around, I somewhat break out of my conservative shell. I am not suggesting that you could ever label me as a whale, but I have purchased a few tickets over the years that would make the average person’s heart race. The two largest wagers of my life were as follows: a $500 win bet on Real Quiet in the 1998 Belmont Stakes (lost in a photo finish), and a $600 win bet on Street Sense in the 2007 Preakness Stakes (lost in a photo finish). This is not to say that disaster has ensued every time I have decided to up the ante. On more than one occasion, I have pushed a few c-notes through the window and lived to tell about it.

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Don’t let Noel Michael’s self-deprecating sense of humor fool you. Michaels has worked hard for his success. The latest addition to his storied resume was his recent second-place finish in the Keeneland $40,000 Handicapping Challenge on Dec. 5 in Lexington, Ky. From a total of 405 contestants, his second-place win earned him $7,900 and a chance to compete in the NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas, where he will have a shot at winning a million dollars. As a fiction and non-fiction writer, former full-time handicapper at the Daily Racing Form (DRF), former television host, seminar instructor, current house handicapper for Nassau County Off-Track Betting in New York, and handicapper for the Premium Picks Plus Card at CaseTheRace.com, he is a horse-playing Renaissance man.
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One can definitely draw a direct parallel between a thoroughbred racehorse and a professional athlete. This is because neither entity simply walks out onto their respective playing field and performs at the highest level without first putting in an ample amount of preparation. Just as every NFL quarterback who hopes to reach the Super Bowl must endure a strict fitness regiment, the rigors of training camp and preseason scrimmages, equines who earn their keep by racing must also hone their God-given ability if they wish to visit the winner’s circle.

When a handicapper tries to access the aptitude of a particular horse, it is certainly logical to begin with an examination of the runner’s previous races. However, the difference between ultimately cashing and shredding a mutual ticket also hinges on ascertaining what an equine has been up to between their starts on the oval. To do this, a horseplayer must become versed in interpreting posted workouts that accompany the past performance lines.

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Let It Ride is a variation of 5-Card Stud Poker where the player receives three dealt cards and two community cards to make the best possible hand. The two community cards are dealt one a time, where the player can opt to “pull back” the first bet after being dealt their own three cards or the second bet after the flip of the first community card.

In Let It Ride, the $1 casino tournament bet, or scaled payout bet, is a good option to play when:

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CaseTheRace.com and Southern Gaming and Destinations Magazine have come together to provide you the latest and greatest news, tips, and handicapping tools.  Click on the more tab below to get more info from and about casetherace.com.

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For all practical purposes, the 2009 book on thoroughbred racing closes each year when the last horse crosses underneath the wire in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The national spotlight does not shine on the “Sport of Kings” again until the next February when the Kentucky Derby Prep Races begin. This doesn’t mean the serious horseplayer has an extended furlough to do nothing except enhance their social-networking skills. History’s supreme runners share the common thread of a successful 2-year-old campaign. Therefore, if one dreams of being the first to spot the next Secretariat, they had better be on the alert from dusk until dawn.

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When I went to Aqueduct or Belmont Park during my formative years, I would often skip over a few of the four basic food groups at lunchtime in order to save a couple of extra buck for the daily double. Meanwhile, handicappers armed with a good set of speed figures were dining on Champaign and caviar. In those days, speed figures weren’t common knowledge, as they are now, and class was the factor that most bettors paid attention to.

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Perhaps the most difficult concept to grasp in the realm of thoroughbred racing is class. Webster defines this word as: “A number of persons or things forming a group by reason of common attributes, characteristics, qualities or traits.” The presented explanation is simple enough if we are categorizing frozen pizzas, but the term becomes significantly vague inside the spectrum of handicapping ponies for profit.

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It seems that everyone is going all-in for poker these days. In recent years, there has been a huge increase in television programming and dedicated content to the game, and it seems that it has become the preferred pastime for millions of people stretching over multiple generations around the world. The Rio Hotel in Las Vegas hosts the World Series of Poker (WSOP), a series of high-stakes poker events ending with a $10,000 Buy-in Main Event that crowns the champion as the world’s best poker player. Every year, athletes, movie stars and thousands of enthusiasts from pros to novices attend the WSOP to try their hand and claim the millions of dollars of prize money.

In addition, from coast to coast, the game has also caught the fancy of trainers, jockeys, agents and owners, who play poker for a vacuous breather from a livelihood that demands 365 days a year of unwavering dedication to achieve success.
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There is not a horseplayer alive who hasn’t dreamed of the “ultimate score.” The one extremely optimistic goal for anyone who invests into the Sport of Kings with any regularity is to have the perfect storm of events blend together for a fleeting moment to form the flawless race. Our vision is a plane of unparallel wisdom and foresight where everything uncannily falls into line just as imagined, thus granting total financial security for a lifetime.
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Although it’s one of the oldest sports on earth, greyhound and thoroughbred racing are struggling to stay alive in a gambling world dominated by luxurious casinos catering to every taste. The challenges facing the industry are many, but advocates think they’ve found a saving grace in “racinos,” tracks that offer live races as well as other forms of gambling, such as VLTs (Video Lottery Terminals) and poker rooms.
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When I lose $7 in a photo finish on Gulfstream Park’s fifth race, I never lose sleep over it. Throughout the year, an average horseplayer wagers on a countless number of races and endures various results. After a contest is declared official, we collect some money or shake our heads in disgust, then move on. When it comes to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown Series, though, I have certainly suffered through a plethora of insomnia caused by a fair amount of regret and discarded opportunity.

Every Triple Crown race I have won burns with everlasting ecstasy in my memory. Every Triple Crown race I have lost is an open wound in the pit of my stomach caked with salt. The three races that make up the North American 3-Year-Old Thoroughbred Championship hold all the glory, riches and satisfaction that an enthusiast of the Sport of Kings could ever dream about. Let it be declared, though, that one must maneuver through a unique gauntlet of treacherous terrain to grasp the golden ring.
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Street Sense wasn’t the only winner who came from the clouds on Derby Day 2007.

TwinSpires.com also launched a last-to-first bid that year in the world of online account wagering. In less than two years, the Churchill Downs Inc.-backed platform has blossomed into the industry’s third-largest site.

Not bad for an entity that didn’t even exist prior to Churchill’s 2007 Spring Meet. It’s not yet No. 1, but the race has barely begun. After all, older rivals such as TVG.com and YouBet.com had a bigger head start than Street Sense spotted Hard Spun.

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I cannot think of anyone I know who is not worn out from being constantly bombarded with the infinite reports about the sagging United States and world economy. Unless you live in a self-constructed war bunker 50 feet underground filled with rice and beans, you are certainly aware that several industries are suffering mightily. Day and night on the TV and radio, we listen to reports of record unemployment, a plummeting DOW, hiring freezes and inflation. And it’s not getting any better.
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