Frustration is running rampant around here lately. It seems as though I have sat down to write a blog entry at least 4,372 times over the past three days and there are continual interruptions: children requiring nourishment and/or bed time stories, a husband questioning me as to why our Target bill was so high last week ("Honey, Korbel was on sale for only $8.50 a bottle!"), contractors and painters and the bugman trooping in and out of the house. There's some frustration in Torino ... Michelle Kwan grabbed her blades and said, "Ciao!", spectators at the luge run actually missed the event because they blinked, and a small contingency of people somewhere in Boone County, Iowa, are complaining that NBC isn't televising women's curling in primetime.
But my biggest source of frustration was Saturday, the Appleton Handicap.
It was a great race to sort out and handicap. And I clearly loved 4 horses, led by Host (Chi). That beast had put a substantial amount of money in my purse last year and had always proved reliable. Would you care to guess the other three horses? Gulch Approval, Drum Major, and Old Dodge (Brz). And this is where frustration, futility and a self-imposed challenge lands directly on my lap and the opportunity is ignored altogether. I'm not a big fan of the 3 horse exact box. Don't ask me why. A $1 box of three horses is only $6. But there is something I just can't bring myself to do. Why can't I spend the extra $2? I prefer to wager $2 2 horse exacta box, or a wheel. So I piddled around with various combinations, and wheels, and everything else. But good ol' reliable Host was always in the mix. Ouch. The race finished 4-10-1 ... Gulch Approval, Old Dodge, and Drum Major. It was painful. Aaargh!
However, there were a couple of other notable races that ran as expected but were not profitable. Achilles of Troy won the Whirlaway in Aqueduct. The competition seemed a little light. According to quotes from trainer Jennifer Pederson, Achilles of Troy is off to Florida and may show up in the Fountain of Youth. Which will be handy, because I will be there too. Maybe I will take it upon myself and have a little girl chat with Ms. Pederson. I don't know what that means, but it sounded good when I wrote it. That reminds me of the story of my friend, Suzanne. She met Celine Deion in Las Vegas and the only thing that Suzanne could think of saying was, "I saw you on Oprah!" I wonder if Jennifer Pederson has been on Oprah? Come to think of it, I'm not sure if Oprah even likes horse racing, which would be a little disappointing since she resides in Chicago and could go out to Arlington Park.
3 comments:
Fear of the three-horse exacta box is not a disease, I would define it as more of a syndrome. I am not a doctor but I think you can be helped. I prescribe that you bet a three horse exacta box on your trip to Gulfstream; then call me in the morning. In the meantime continue dime superfecta therapy :-)
I'm not a big fan of the three horse exacta box either. It means that you can't narrow the race down to less than three for the top spot, which means you should probably pass the race, or use it in a Pick 3. Of course, when the exacta returns $183.40, it's easy to second guess yourself, but that's "only" at 15-1 return, which in this case probably is just fair value, if that.
Well I see I made your post and I sound so insightful... Yes, I have read most of them now and think you are a great writer. Suzanne
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