Would you like to earn money every time you go to the races? That was a goal of mine since I ran handicap in my first race many years ago. I come from a long line of horse lovers and racing fanatics. In one of my first photos, I’m sitting on a horse while people are outside having breakfast. As a small boy, he had seen the horse’s hooves echoing from the view below the bottom rail at Narragansett Park. That and a natural inclination toward voluntary inertia probably led to my desire to make “easy” money racing.
As anyone who has tried to make a long-term profit from handicap horse or dog racing can tell you, however, betting, kicking, handicap, playing pony, call it what you want, is not easy. That fact was demonstrated by many trips to the races and many trips home with empty pockets. I learned a few lessons along the way. First of all, buy something to eat first. In those days when I would say I would get something to eat after a few races, sometimes I would lose the money and have to live on my dream of being a professional handicapper.
I was writing about racing at the time and started putting out a newsletter based on local tracks. Advertising paid for the printing, and sometimes there was a little left over for a meal or a bet. A friend from the publicity department of one of the tracks offered me a job as an announcer. I jumped when I had the chance. My reasoning was that I would be right at the race track and also working in the offices, I would get all the buzz. I wrote promotional articles for the publicity department and called the races and every day when I got off the track I made money. Unfortunately, as an official, I was not allowed to bet on the races. The money came in the form of a paycheck.
Here’s another thing I learned, be very specific when you ask the universe for something because the cosmic wish granter is literal. My dream had been to make money every time I went to the track and to make money in horse racing. I was getting paid to do what I loved, handicap, because one of my roles was handicap racing and creating a morning line for the show. My dream came true, but I was no longer betting on my choices. Be careful what you wish for. I quit my job and went back to being a race track dweller. I traveled from trail to trail and had a great time honing my skills and living the life of a hiker.
That was many years ago and one would think that it had taught me a valuable lesson. But recently, with a bit of pressure from some well-meaning friends, I started a disability service to help other people benefit from my years of experience. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I handicap both harness and Thoroughbred breeds and send out my Weekend Warrior Newsletter to subscribers. At first I just felt like the computer selected and the key horses and the fit and go horses, but now my subscribers have also asked for the best bets.
Once again, I am working so hard, handicaping on so many tracks, that I rarely have time to get to the track. You’d think she’d have learned her lesson years ago, but apparently, she needed a refresher. As you go through your program and stand at the finish line watching your horses win, think of old Bill Peterson, slaving away at the computer and poring over past performances and muttering expletives as he picks the winners other than others. people are. cash in Once again I make money with handicap races and once again my dream came true and once again I don’t bet on my odds. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, you just wish you could remember the old tricks!
