Not-So-Instant Karma

The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance has graciously laid out the Welcome Mat and has included me, a working mother of two who attempts to handicap, analyze, and review horseracing while swapping out discs in her 4-year-old's Viewmaster, into their fold. Patrick, Alan, QQ, Toteboard Brad, Railbird, et.al.: you are all talented and witty. In return, I hope that you and others find some sort of entertainment and/or pertinent information here. Or some relief for any bouts of insomnia.

Thank you, TBA. I'm excited to be part of the group.

Now, let's get to the real excitement. Saturday's action. I had only a couple of races that required my attention, so I didn't saunter over to the track until later in the day. I flipped open my Gulfstream race card 3 minutes before the post of the 7th race. It was a maiden special, a personal favorite of mine. And it was one of those bets that was a no-brainer. Bernie White Shoes had previously come in third by 3/4 lengths to a couple of notable horses, Dixie Swinger and Exclusive Quality (and the notation in the racing form was "lost whip stretch"). Easiest $30 I made. And immediately I'm thinking to myself, "It's going to be a great day."

But good karma can switch on the dime-breakage. And it usually has to do with some cosmic event, such as the guy next to you spills his beer into your lap. Or your hot wings' sauce splatters over your racing form. Or you go to the bathroom and the toilet overflows. Or you run into an old boyfriend. In my own scientific way (and it should be noted, that in real life I am a scientist) I have determined that this "cosmic event" sucks the life out of every subsequent wager placed. Jockeys fall off. Horses break late from the gate. Horses scratch. Exacta bets finish first and third, or second and third. Piles of losers begin to litter the table.

I had greatly anticipated the First Lady Handicap (gr III) at Gulfstream and Trickle of Gold. I felt that the LaBrea Stakes (gr I) in the slop was just an indication that she didn't like those type of track conditions. Or Southern California. But my feelings was that if she got out front, it could be try-and-catch-her situation. I was almost confident. But if there was a horse that could beat her, Smokey Glacken could do it. She had won previously a little off the pace, and if there were too much speed she could win. Smokey Glacken did not let me down and she won soundly. But Trickle of Gold ... well, trickled. The longshots finished out the trifecta. I was disappointed, in a very lady-like manner. The, ahem, gentleman sitting next to me was disappointed in a not-so gentlemanly manner.

But hey! The American Beauty Stakes at Oaklawn had my attention next. And as previsouly touted, True Tails would be sitting big on top of my exacta. Well, True Tails scratched, much to my dismay. Thus my second choice, Josh's Madelyn was pounded down to nothing. At that point, I opted to save my cash and head home. Maybe I would come back to place a wager on Happy Ticket, who would be running at the FG@LaD on Sunday afternoon.

Happy Ticket scratched.

My Sunday afternoon consisted of looking at SpongeBob in the Viewmaster. The good karma has returned.