GetSulky - Lenny and Arnold at Trackside

Were you born to race?

When I was a kid, my childhood chums liked to spend their time slapping around a puck or pulling out Old Lady Glafferty’s prized gardenias. I was a different boy. Coming from a racing family, I preferred harnesses to hockey. I enjoyed the smell of manure, and on occasion, the taste. In my teenage years, my friends hung around the community center smoking cigarettes and tying tongues. I chose to hang round the barns at the racetrack, praying for a chance to pick up a brush and treat a glossy mane.

I was born with racing in my blood. Think you might be a closet equine enthusiast? Answer the quick and easy questionaire below to see if you were hatched half in the sulky.

1. Do you ever dream of horses?
a) More than they dream of me.
b) Nope
c) Not in the way I think you’re insinuating, but yes.

2. Do you find yourself occasionally strapping a wheeled contraption on your dog, cat, or younger sibling?
a) Define “occasionally”
b) I’m pretty sure that’s illegal in most provinces
c) My sulky didn’t fit on my dog…so I got a new dog.

4. What does the sound of trotting hooves mean to you?
a) Santa’s on the roof!
b) A stampede! Run!
c) There’s a race on? I’m there.

5. How do you feel about exciting, anything-can-happen adrenaline rushes?
a) Eh.
b) Just thinking about it makes me tired. I need a nap.
c) They make me feel alive!

3. Would you eat hay?
a) Eww! Not if it was covered in chocolate.
b) It’s gotta be better than my mom’s spaghetti.
c) Slllurrppp. I’m sorry, what? Just finishing my hay-shake.

If you answered C to 2 or more of the above questions, then there’s no point in fighting it. Racing is in your blood! Quit your job, cash out your savings, and buy a horse today! (Name it Lucky Lenny for some extra good fortune!)

Never Bet Before?

Popping your punting cherry, as my ol’ man used to say, is easy as apple pie. The best way to learn is to just jump right in. It’s an activity, like knitting, best learned on-the go. At most tracks you only need 2 bucks to get started, and you’ll be amazed how easy it is to place your first bet.

Step 1: Pick Your Pony
Okay, they’re horses not ponies, but it sounded better. Wanna fight about it? Anyway, first thing you need is an Official Program from the track. Most raceways charge for ‘em, but if you look around you’ll quickly find many discarded ones laying around the entrance and exits.

Turn to the page which lists the horses entered in the 1st Race (or the next race up). The large numbers on the left side of the page are the horses’ betting numbers. Beside each number is the name of the horse. (For now, just ignore all of that other information in very small, complicated type.)

Some first-timers choose by horse names, going for something that reminds them of something lucky. While this might be fun, it’s always best to start off placing your bets based on odds. If you’re not familiar with odds, here’s the basics. Every time you have a winning ticket you receive your original investment back plus:
2-1: You win $2 for every $1 spent. Basically, you’re doubling up. You get your original investment back plus 2 extra dollars for each one dollar bet. A two dollar win ticket would return $6.
3-1: You win $3 for every $1 spent.
4-1, 5-1, etc: As the odds get higher, so does your payout…but that also means the horse is less likely to win the race.

Going the other way:
1-2: You earn $0.50 for every $1 spent. Unless you’re wagering big bucks or want a VERY low risk payout, avoid odds lower than 1-1.

Once you decide on which horse you want to bet on, take note its betting number and head over to the bettor’s booth.

Step 2: Place Your Bet
For your first bet, your best chances at winning are to make a show bet. That means if your horse finishes first, second or third, you win. The odds may be a bit lower but you’ve got greater chances to win. When you’re ready to place your bet, go to any betting window with your two bucks and a smile and say:
“Two Dollars to Show, Number....” (Use the number of the horse you picked in Step 1)
In return for your money, the teller will issue a “tote ticket” with details of your wager on it. Before you leave the window, check to be sure your ticket is correct – trust me from experience, it’s very frustrating to think you’ve won only to realize your ticket is for the next race!
If you’re holding a correct ticket then congratulations! You’ve placed your first bet!
Now it’s time to get ready for the action.

Step 3: Cheer Your Horse Home!
Grab yourself an adult beverage and a snack and find a good seat. You’ll want to get in prime cheering territory – that’s the fun of the track. During the warmer months, some raceways have room for you to go stand right against the rail, which is something we all have to experience at least once!
As the horses settle behind the starting car, look for your horse. Feel free to shout his name, wave your arms, and scream like mad. Once they’re off, listen to the announcer’s call to see where your horse stands. When horse and driver reach the home stretch, it’s time to give them all you’ve got: yell, cheer, whistle, stomp - whatever it takes to get them to finish first, second or third!
Once the race has finished, catch your breath and check the results of the race - they’ll be announced, posted on the infield “tote board” and displayed on the video monitors.
Within a few moments, the race will be made “official” and payoff prices will be posted. If your horse is officially one of the first three finishers, take your ticket to any teller to collect your winnings!
If it didn’t work out in your favor, hopefully you enjoyed the experience and you can try again with the 2nd Race… which is coming right up!

After a taste of the action, you’ll find it easy to pick up on some of the details of the track. If you have questions, ask somebody. Try to avoid people with frowns or tears – chances are they’re not in the mood to make new friends. But generally, tracksfolk are all to happy to help a rookie get settled into the races. See? I told ya it was easy. Before you head off to the track, make sure you play the Sulky Racing Game [or whatever it’s called] for some last-minute practice!

Track Talk 101

I’m a full-time punter, living off the odds and the adrenaline of the races. Many a horseracing freshman has picked my brain over a pint, and the most important thing I have to tell them is to learn the basics. Too many guys will get caught up in the spirit of the track, thinking its more important to wear a fedora and scream at the horses than to, y’know, actually understand what they’re doing. And no matter how lucky you get, if you don’t know how to bet, you’re going to lose in the long run.

So listen up, junior. If you’re happy sitting all alone and picking horses based on their cute names, that’s fine with me. But if have any hope of success around here, take a second to learn the betting basics.

WIN: Putting money on the horse you think will finish the race first.

PLACE: Betting on the horse you think will finish second in the race.

SHOW: Betting on the horse you think will finish third in the race.

EXACTA (or PERFECTA): A bet in which you must choose the first two finishers in a race in EXACT order of finish.

TRIACTOR (or TRIFECTA): A bet in which you must pick the first three finishers in exact order.

SUPERFECTA: A wager where you have to pick the first four finishers, in exact order. A very difficult (but financially rewarding!) bet.

PICK 3 or PICK 4: A bet in which you must choose the first place finishers of three or four consecutive races.

ACROSS THE BOARD: Betting on a horse to win, place and show. If the horse wins, the player collects three ways; if second, two ways; and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. Basically, a good way to cover your ass.

DAILY DOUBLE: A bet where you choose the winners of two consecutive races.

QUINELLA: Similar to an exacta, but a payoff is made no matter which of the two horses win and which places second.

PARLAY: Using the winnings from one bet to place the next bet.

Looking Past The Odds

Sure, the odds are the easiest way to gauge which horse is favored to win a race. But in case you didn’t know, handicapping isn’t an exact science. Just ask that guy over there crying into his large soda. More than a few longshots have come from behind to victory – and yielded massive payouts as a result. If you’re looking to make some money, those are the gems you want to discover. So other than the odds, here are a three things to pay attention to if you’re looking to tell a winner from a wannabe.

Who’s Driving?
Take a look at who’s in the sulky. What type of year are they having? You can see their season record right there in the program. Big-name drivers usually race good horses, even if you’ve never heard of the horse before. Also keep an eye out for their UDR (universal driver rating), which appears next to the driver’s name. Consider it a batting percentage – the more wins/places/shows the driver has, the higher the UDR.

Who’s Training?
As with drivers, top trainers will often dominate in the win standings at a racetrack. How’s their season going? Is the trainer behind any other successful horses? The trainer’s rating and standings are located in the program here.

Post Position
An inside post position is a major advantage at the start of the race – this makes it easier for the driver to get good position early on. Sometimes even the faster horse can’t make up for a poor post position. A good rule of thumb to follow is this: the closer to the rail a horse starts, the better his chances of success.