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My good friend Ernie reminded me that even the best handicappers fail 67% of the time and to just keep firing away. Little did I know that the chance for redemption would come at an OTB on Valentines Day.
I mean, who goes to the off track on Valentines Day? I'm sad to report, lots of people. Lots of men actually. Angry, opinionated men.
My day of romance started out innocently enough as Amy and I crawled out of bed at a reasonable time and went for brunch. Our idea of a good time is to get in the car, play some tunes and just drive till we find something fun to do. Sometimes we end up five hours out of the city, roaming through flea markets or just taking photos in random small towns. On Saturday, we found ourselves an hour north of Toronto at a clothing sale. This was shanrgi la for Amy. A hotel banquet hall filled to the brim with racks of clothing from the UK. Top Shop, Marks & Sparks, - nothing at all for guys. As it happened, attached to this hotel was a Champions Lounge, Ontario's version of an OTB. Amy was looking at this banquet hall the way I look at Pick 3 with locks in the first two legs. Innocently enough, she said, "why don't you go watch the horses while I shop around"?
At first, it seemed like a trap. Am I really going to an OTB on Valentines Day? When I turned back to ask Amy if she was sure, she had disappeared into the racks.
Off I went, down a flight of stairs and descended into the men's club that is the Champions Lounge. I purchased a Form, found a table and looked up at the multiple screens to find a track. Aqueduct was getting ready for the post parade for Race 2, and I decided I'd give it a shot. The race was a solid $41K MSW with only six horses, three of which I quickly disposed of as not good enough. Richard Migliore had the hot favourite May Day Now, leading rider Ramon Dominguez had a nice looking horse in Olympic Pegasus and I just couldn't cast out the front running Lord Greystoke on the tight turns of the inner circle. Still treading gingerly from Friday's defeat, I boxed all three on a $2 wager and went back to my table to await the results.
As the horses warmed up, I realized that Amy was going to be a lot longer than 15 minutes trying on dresses and decided I had time for a quick double as well. The third race was the 15th running of the Dearly Precious featuring five three year-old fillies, including a Kiaran McLaughlin trained Dream Play who I immediately fell for. Though Migliore would again be on a favourite in Liza Too, Dream Play had hit a 70 Beyer in her latest after 8 months off the track and looked fantastic in the paddock.
One of the punters nearby was busy giving advice to anyone who would listen, and loud enough so that those who weren't we're privy regardless. With all the certainty in the world, this Yappy punter declared, "I love a horse with one race under his belt taking on horses with more than a few under theirs...you just know that Beyer has the chance to go up. The other horses, well you already know what you have there."
This punter was staring at the screen of a Florida track but his logic applied in this instance and I quickly rushed back to the terminal and wagered a double using Dream Play and Liza Too with all three horses from my Race 2 exactor.
Just minutes from post time and I finally had a chance to survey my surroundings. There was only one woman in the entire facility. One side of the facility was filled with Chinese men talking amongst themselves, to my right an older couple, easily pushing 70 and I tried to decide if they were happy in love or simply tolerating each others bad wagering habits. The look on the man's face said the latter, but the woman chattered in earnest and there was a bit of a "we're in this together" type unity to their fixation on the screens.
To my left, another curmudgeonly man was lamenting a wager messed up by the ticket taker. "I bet three straight races on Tampa Bay and she gives me a ticket that says Fair Grounds" said the disgruntled denizen. "When do I ever bet Fair Grounds" he asked incredulously.
The Yappy punter from earlier had an opinion. "Fair Grounds, Tampa Bay...they sure don't sound the same at all. But, what difference does it make, you've been losing every time I've seen you here!"
I was pretty sure I was about to witness my first horse racing related fight when the Disgruntled denizen retorted, "what do you know, why don't you blow it out your a$...you're nothing but a ten year loser here"
The Yapper wasn't having it and the two exchanged comeback after comeback as Race 2 got underway with Lord Greystoke charging to the lead and May Day Now tucking in along side him.
"What kind of car are you driving then...I got a Carrera" stated Yappy as the horses turned for home.
"What difference does that make...you probably stole it" said my disgruntled friend as May Day Now chased past Lord Greystoke.
"Well, I'll tell ya what...my wife's a doctor" boasted Yappy while Olympic Pegasus made a dominating run to circle past both front runners to win at 5-1.
I won! I was so happy. Alive in the double, a cheap little $20 exactor but I was back on a winning horse.
Meanwhile back at the OTB, Yappy and Disgruntled were all over each other. I'm hoping they had one of those relationships like the one Clint Eastwood had with his barber in Gran Turino. You know, happily harping each other but deep down good friends. But it was hard to be sure.
"What's your wife a doctor of" asked Disgruntled
"She specializes in little known diseases" said Yappy
"Well, that explains how she can deal with you" snapped Disgruntled
I was biting my lip trying not to laugh as a shocked silence fell over the OTB. Someone had finally shut Yappy up. Even the Chinese table in the corner, that appeared to be keeping to themselves, hushed. After 15 seconds, Yappy could take it no more and yelled at the Tampa Bay screen "I got a first time lasix at 5-1"
I guess when you know you're beaten, you change the subject, but just keep on talking.
At this point, I'd decided that I was not having Amy come down to this place. As soon as this race ended, I was running out of there. I took my winnings from the Exactor and keyed Dream Play over Liza Too and a shipper from Philly named Chattertown. It seemed appropriate considering what had just happened.
Liza Too couldn't get out of the gate and when Dream Play took off to an unchallenged lead I knew I had it good. Chattertown stalked from second position but Dream Play just exploded at the top of the stretch opening up from a three length lead to win by nearly nine. Chattertown held for second and the exactor paid $35 which I had two and a half times.
$20 had become $120 in a matter of 30 minutes and I quickly withdrew a hundred and raced back across the hotel to the clothing sale. Amy was just walking out the door of the sale and we greeted each other with huge smiles...I waved my Form in the air...Amy wiggled two armloads of shopping bags. The girl got the dress, the guy got his winner.
Vintage goodness that filled Amy with love.
We made good use of the $100 win fall over the course of the day, paying for lunch, buying a few trinkets and eventually a lovely dinner at Jalapeno that included serenading from a Mexican troubadour. Yes, he sang Besame Mucho. Our evening ended up cuddled under a blanket watching a film with our fuzzy friend Kitty The Cat. It wasn't the romantic day we expected, but we both got something we needed. Happy Valentines Day!
Amy and Kitty pose for the camera.
*I can report that Boule D'Or was claimed out of the fourth race at Santa Anita by trainer Doug O'Neill. Hopefully my old friend has found a happy new home.
1 comment:
And sometimes, that's all you need.
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