Why we play?

[jon]

Awesome response to my money management question...I see that I am going to learn A LOT about handicapping here!

My next question to you fellas is why do you play the horses? Sounds like an easy question...for the money stupid. But I don't think that is the answer, at least not in full. I have won a couple of big pick 4s this year. Biggest was 3180 dollars at los Alamitos. When I win, my reaction is of "a peaceful calm". I get more joy of picking winners than the actual money being bet. Does this sound stupid??? Interested to hear what other bettors feel.

Little background about me. I grew up in the shadows of Belmont Racetrack and started going to Roosevelt Raceway when I was 18. Joined the Air Force at 24 and 16 yrs later, I am stationed in the panhandle of Florida still betting daily! I wish I had the "bankroll" you guys have, but with a 2 month old at home, and a Sergeant's wage, 30-60 a night is what I limit myself to. I bet online and usually have 400-1200 in my account.

I will post my picks in a little while.

Thanks for your ears!

[trackrat]

I've actually never considered myself a gambler. More of an informed sports speculator. I limit myself to two arenas where one can maximize their involvement and reduce or eliminate the involvement of luck. So I stick with poker and wagering on the horses. Both involve the assimilation and processing of information, which, when done correctly, can be profitable. I grew up playing poker. Our whole family played poker and there was always a game going on at every family gathering. Got involved with harness racing when my ex-brother in law owned a piece of a cheap trotter at Northfield in the 70s. Really never got involved with the intricacies of handicapping until I read some on-line articles by Cliff Gregory several years ago. His theories made sense and they worked. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

[jay44224]

As a child my dad would take me to Aqueduct and Belmont on the weekends as minors were allowed in the NY racetracks - not so in New Jersey - as I got older I was introduced to harness racing and although visited Yonkers and Roosevelt - I really got hooked on afternoon racing. Throughout the late 70's and until I moved to Ohio I rarely missed a Sunday afternoon at Monticello and an occasional weekday afternoon at Freehold, and the races at Goshen in the summer were really a highlight. During their off seasons I would go to the Meadowlands on either Friday or Saturday evening.

Living out East I found it a reasonably priced night of entertainment - Face it back then a night going into the Bronx to see the Yankees was $100 to $150 minimum, going to Manhatten was just a tad bit more, etc, etc. Less stress driving to the tracks and it was always more than just the horses that were entertaining.

To this day going to the track is something that is very enjoyable as there is always a cast of characters on the apron in nice weather and inside in bad. A Bad night at the track is still better to me than a good day at many other entertainment venues.

[jimhorseman]

Hey Jon, another interesting topic. By the way, I'm heading down with my family to Central Florida in a couple of days and will be there for a week and a half. Could you turn down the humidity before I get there?

Many on this board know my story so I'll keep it quick. My dad was my major early influence. He loved the horses and cards. Before I was two years old I could pick any card called out from a deck. I had a vague idea of how to play poker before I attended school. I was maybe the only second grader who could read a race form. I grew up and remain in the Buffalo, NY area where we have two local harness tracks which is why I grew to like drivers over jockeys.

When I was a teenager I had a friend in school whose Dad owned harness horses at Buffalo Raceway. I spend a couple of summers helping a few mornings a week at the track. I thought it was fun to ride in the sulky, wash a horse down, feed them etc. I never did get to like cleaning out the stalls. Of course the most fun was attending the races at night. I had a couple of close friends that were harness enthusiasts and together when we were in our mid-20's we actually bought and owned several horses. Sadly, due to our poor local econony both of my friends established careers in other states and I left racing for a number of years.

About a dozen years ago I played on a softball team and met a couple of guys my age (early 30's at that time) who were into the harness racing. Good guys I went to the track with them and they introduced me to Northfield Park; their favorite track to wager. I was and still to this day was hooked again. I still attend the track weekly with my two friends; Jack & Mike, usually on Friday nights. At the time I re-entered harness racing I was the a V.P. Senior Credit Analyst at Marine Midland Bank which is now HSBC Bank. I had developed a projections program which was popular with many of the loan officers & Senior management. Being a numbers guy the program allowed an analyst to change a couple of key factors (gross margin, tax rates, sales etc) and one could see the effect on the bottom line. This allowed the bank to judge the amount of bottom cushion a company had before they would have trouble re-paying loans.

I thought if I can work numbers with company financials I should be able to do something with harness races. After all; unlike the t-breds all races are at a mile, split into quarter times with lengths out at each quarter given. Post positon could be factored in as well as other stats like driver/trainer percentage, win percentage, class etc. I spent many years trying to perfect a system with terrible results. Finally, I just simplified and came up with what I probably incorrectly call a speed rating system. It seems to be very successful and has finally led me to profitability the last couple of years though I have a long way to go before making up the 25 years of prior losses.

Now in my mid-40's I have two teen-age daughters who will be going to college in a couple of years so ownership is still probably ten years away for me. In the meantime I'll still be doing my weekly full race friday handicapping and attending the simulcast that night while dabbling when I have time with a few races on other nights. My long-term goal is to be at a place where I can spend the time guys like Trackrat, Believer, Longshot Mike, BW, Jay and others do by analyzing races on a daily basis. I admire and envy those guys. It is a lot of work and grinding; they do an amazing job.

Good Luck with the harness handicapping Jon and a sincere Thank You for serving our country. My brother is a staff sergeant in the Air Force Reserve. He served for ten years in the Air Force all around the world and has been in the Reserve another ten years. He is scheduled to go to Iraq in January which will be tough for his family. I know the sacrifice the armed service people make to keep our country safe. So again, truly, Thank You!