Every Day of the Week

Speed. Pace. Condition. Each one an integral piece of any race. Deciphering the impact values of the collective variables that define any one entrant’s potential for success defines handicapping. Astute wagering results from the pursuit of a solution for that intellectual puzzle comprised of past performances and pedigrees. Yet it’s your money. So place your wager any which way you choose. Bet the color of the silks. Bet your favorite name. Above all, forget the tote board. In a field of twenty, anything can happen. The odds only matter if you’re at the cashier’s window.

Holy Bull (I call him Daddy) sired a runner in the 132nd Kentucky Derby. The colt didn’t have much of a chance, on paper that is. He left the gate at 50 – 1. Yet every fan of his sire, grey horses, the number 10, light green, and Sting had a winning ticket when Giacomo, named after the son of the front man for the Police, ran the biggest race of his life on May 7, 2005.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to be a cowboy (Cowboy Cal). Maybe you’re name is Robert and you’re skilled at twenty-one (Bob Black Jack). Fancy yourself a renaissance man (Visionaire). Maybe your friends find you hysterical (Z Humor). Ball handlers need to understand the playing field (Court Vision). Others like to play with fire (Pyro). Any of those just might work for you. I know a man that worked at a coal mine where he operated a haul truck. So handicapping aside, I’ll also place a few oats on Cool Coal Man and Big Truck to fill out the exacta. Luck trumps skill seven days a week.