I Need Horse Racing Tips

Every day someone reaches my blog by searching for some version of "Seinfeld you gotta see the baby." I rank in the top few pages in every possible rendition of that search. In a shameless effort to get more accidental traffic I have chosen to use another Seinfeld clip to illustrate my thoughts today.

Friday afternoon the 2010 live thoroughbred racing season begins at Oaklawn Park here in my hometown.  Before I moved here I had only seen live horse racing once. Now I absolutely love it. I enjoy the strategy of trying to read the forms and pick winners. I enjoy watching the horses run. I enjoy the sport enough that I watch the triple crown races on TV. Of course I love the social gathering that it brings as well. Just this weekend I will be seeing at least 4 and probably closer to 10 of my old friends and their wives at the track. It's a lot of fun.

If you are not sure why the track can be so much fun just imagine 20,000 people acting like Kramer. Throw in some adult beverages, corned beef sandwiches, and the chance to win a little cash and you have a great time.

I wrote at this time last year about Horse Racing as a New Dad. The racing last year was limited. We only went 2 or 3 times. Hopefully this year Arica and I can make a few more trips. A lot of that will depend on how things go this weekend. I am now under a lot of pressure to make good picks. One bad day can derail a race season pretty quick when you have an expensive diaper habit like me.

Everyone out there wish us luck this weekend, and feel free to pass along any "tips" you might have.

Another Weekend Gone

With Monday now beating me directly in the head I will try to fondly remember the weekend via this post. We had a good weekend with some negative influence. The best happening of the weekend was Braden rolling over for the first time. I was watching him while Arica was at the movies. He spent a lot of the night on his pallet in the floor playing and watching TV. His favorite activity is laying on the floor and playing. He holds his toys and tries to eat them of course. He rolls on his side trying to roll over. He likes to kick his legs and wave his arms. He laughs at the TV and whichever parent happens to be down there with him at the time. Friday he was doing all those things and laying on his side a lot. Finally he just went on over. It didn't scare him but he eventually got upset because he didn't want to be on his stomach. Arica called to see how he was doing and I shared the news. She was very excited. Later when she came home I went to the door to meet her. She was asking about Braden rolling over as she came in the room. Then we turned around and he had done it again. There he was laying on his stomach. Of course we are excited because every little development is exciting when you have a newborn. Now we will watch as he continues to practice his new skill and wait for the mobilization of Braden.

The bad part of the weekend started Saturday morning. I spent the entire day helping Arica's cousin move into a new house. As Jerry Seinfeld once told us, moving is a big step in a male relationship. You don't help just anyone move, but this was family so I think it is acceptable. For your viewing pleasure I have included Jerry's thoughts about moving in the clip below. It starts after he and Elaine finish the kiss discussion.



After the moving fun I spent Sunday losing money at the track. I figured the horses were hungry so I donated my money to feed them some nice oats and hay. I was afraid if I didn't make my donation they might get stuck eating beefarino like Rusty.

Even with the dual negative forces of moving and losing money it was a good weekend. Any day with Arica and Braden is a good one. I guess that makes me a lucky man because I get to spend every day with them.

Horse Racing as a New Dad

When I graduated college I got a job smack dab in the middle of a little horse racing town called Hot Springs, AR. Before I moved here I had only been to the horse track once in my life. It was fun but more of a party than anything else and I really knew nothing about how to bet the ponies.


Fast forward 9 years and you will find me as a horse racing junkie. I would go to the track everyday if it would not cost me my job and my marriage. I have learned how to bet all the bets, read all the forms, and talk all the talk. I go to the track every chance I get to make a few bets and drink a few beers. My friends come in from other parts of Arkansas to go to the track with me. I have become a true fan of horse racing following the big races on TV. There is nothing though that matches the excitement of live thoroughbred racing and it returns to Oaklawn Park this Friday January 16th.


This year I face a new challenge in the world of horse racing. I have never won particularly big. I take home a few hundred dollars from time to time. Most trips I gamble all day and have it only cost me for refreshments or less. Basically I can usually play the horses even and maybe even make enough to cover my adult beverages. By doing that I am enjoying some very cheap entertainment. Every once in a while I will take a beating and not be able to hit any races. I hate those days but in the past they have only been damaging to my pride. Now that I am a new dad things are a little different. My wife is no longer working and we have another mouth to feed. That is a nice way of saying that I cannot afford to take any big beatings this year. So what will I do?


I am not a rich man so I don't bet a huge amount of money but I like to place several different bets on every race because it increases my odds of winning. I think that if I cut down on my wagers I will cut way down on my chances of winning money or even breaking even. In the long run I think this will make me lose more. I am planning to make mostly the same bets on the slow days at the track. When I am partying with all my buddies I will cut way back on the betting. These are the days that I usually lose my head and make ridiculous bets. I think there could be some scientific correlation to drinking and and losing money. Don't anybody go and tell Las Vegas or Tunica.

This year I hope I can use my knowledge to have some good cheap fun. If I lose too much I could get banned by my wife or I could be relegated to screaming "Braden needs a new pack of diapers" as my horse heads for home.