Familiarity Breeds Results

It's only been a few weeks since the Woodbine thoroughbred campaign ended, and already I miss the racing and camaraderie with friends at the track.

Woodbine on a dark day is an eerie site. The complete lack of activity track side, the light towers standing idle without so much as a flicker and a tote board which offers up no hope of a winfall, leaves me feeling empty.

Inside Woodbine you will find some serious types trying their luck simulcasting, but the connection between myself and the on-screen talent is negligible. Despite twenty years of handicapping experience, simulcast events throw me back to square one. Further, even. At least as a youngster at Woodbine, I knew enough to feel safe with Dave Penna to keep a favourite in the money. For sure I could bet David Clark on a Gord Huntley two year-old. But what is square one at Tampa Bay Downs?

A quick scan of the Index to Trainers provides no recognizable angle. The only name that really sticks out is Ronald P. Behrens. Is this the same Behrens that jumped in the lake at Fort Erie after a contrary Puss N' Boots?
I flip through the pages of the Form and it seems that Juan Lopez and Daniel Centeno are on most of the live mounts. In fact, Centeno has dominated the jockey standings in Tampa for the past two years. Impressive, yet I have no mental visual of the jockey at work.

A thought bursts through my head that perhaps wagering a track where I have no ingrained bias might actually help my handicapping.

The thought is barely completed when I realize that more than any new hook, I miss the old standards. I'm not really all that upset. It's just that familiarity breeds results.

Where is my Casse/Husbands combo?

Where is my Jim McAleney sure-fire favourite that I can confidently key on a righteous exactor?

The pages of the Form begin to blur and questions rush at me from all directions. Is 54 a good Beyer? Is a 4F workout in 49 flat all that impressive here? How tight are the turns on their one mile oval? How on earth did a horse that's 1 for 45 lifetime end up with the name Hardtobeat Bob? (Thursday's 3rd Race at TAM)

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I have any thoroughbred racing to watch at all. If I really wanted to see Patrick Husbands ride, I know I could tune in to Fair Grounds and see what mounts King Patrick is picking up. Jimmy Mac is trying to get his green card, but for now isn't riding in the States. Eventually, plenty of Woodbine regulars will start turning up in the entries in Florida. Chantal is still trying to make it work in Calfiornia. However, the whole picture is out of context. Remember the first time you saw Wayne Gretzky in an L.A Kings Jersey? It just doesn't feel right.

Tonight I'll take my advance edition Form home and try to make sense of a few races. I won't be reading from the comfort of the Woodbine grandstand. There will be no eyeing up the action in the paddock before post time. But just thumbing the pages of the Form will help ease the angst.

Four more months until first post at Woodbine. I can't hardly wait.