We had a dog track about 40 miles from my house. It was a fairly new sport up here, but I got hooked fast enough.
One Father's Day about 14 years ago, they had Superfectas in all 15 races. I made my usual wagers, and put a $2 straight SF on my last four digits in my phone number at that time (4236)
It was uneventful until the 14 race. I watched the race unfold, and my handicapped tickets got whacked when two longshots came home. I noticed by the colors, that they where 4 and 2.
I watched the replay, and it came in 4-2-3-5......ONE DOG AWAY! Man, was I hot. But, I got to thinking:
Those first two mutts were two of the worst odds on the board. I was praying for an "Any" to come up in the last spot. It was a photo finish to boot, so I needed to wait.
Eventully, the tote read 4-2-3-A and I had the only winning ticket!
It paid out $2700 on a 2 ticket. I was standing at the IRS window filling out forms, and noticed the next race was about to start. I hadn't made a wager, and forgot what I had handicapped, so I just said, "Gimmie another $2 4-2-3-6"
The race was going on while the girl was paying me, and I saw it on the monitor. "Holy horse shit!" It ended the exact same way! 4-2-3-5. Once again, the top dog was a little pricey, but the favorite was in the mix as well. I waited for the outcome, and someone had the exact order. That would have been really sweet!
The next year, on Father's Day again, I hit another SF, but this one was handicapped. It paid around $2000 also, but made me feel better, because I handicapped it. Those are the only two big bets I ever hit at the dogs.
Horses:
I never went to a horse race......track too far from home. My best friend and I where going to Chicago to see the U2 tour. (The Achtung Baby release.) He said we should go to Sportsman's Park before the concert, and make a day of it. I said why not?
Well, I don't know shit about horses, and just played the tote board all day. You know.....pick a 4-1 or 5-1 shot to win and place....Simple shit. I was holding my own, and up a few bucks when I took a shot on the second to last race. I actually looked at the program, and handicapped it like a dog race! (I have since found out that this doesn't work!)
I saw two horses that seemed to me to be faster out of the gate than the rest. They were the two longets shots on the board! I figured if one of them could win, I would get a nice payday. I also hade the bright idea of wheeling each horse to finish second with the field! This was a pricey wager, but we were leaving soon.
I put $10 on each to win, and did the wheel for two or three bucks...I don't remember.
Well, the race went of and the odds stayed tall! One of my horses was off like a shot! He led the whole damned race!.......Until the last few strides, when he got passed by another horse! I was pissed! "Man......I almost had the winner!"
But, I knew I had the exacta, and that had to pay nice, depending on who won. I didn't even notice the number on the horse that won, so I waited for the replay. It was another photo, because they were close, but it was clear to all, that the leader gave way by a neck.
The replay showed the final strides, and I said, "You gotta be fuking kidding me!" My buddy said, "What's wrong?"
"That horse that won........he was my other horse!"
So, I had the longest shot win at about 21-1, and the exacta at about 250-1!
I put a neat little $700+ in my pocket on that race. I told my buddy I was letting $200 snap on the last race.
I bet it on the nose of a 3-1 favorite, and he placed!
Still.......... a nice day at the track, and to this day, I tell everyone that I have never had a losing day at a horse track.
