Betting on Horses at Santa Anita

[K.R.Such]

1/19/2013

Hello Nerd fighters!

I am K.R.Such and I wanted to kick off my new blog with a bang so I wanted to talk about one of my newfound favorite pastimes- horseracing.

I went down to the Santa Anita track today and took part in some betting. I am sad to report that the only successful horse I bet on was Medusilina, who I placed to get second, and she did, returning a profit of twelve dollars on a four dollar bet. While this may sound impressive, my father and I managed to leave Santa Anita with a grand profit of negative $114.60. This is not to say that I made uneducated bets; in fact my desperate studies of newspapers and programs could only be described as second-hand cherry pipe smoke-filled panic. For instance; I bet on a trifecta that finished 2^nd through 4^th place instead of 1^st through 3^rd, a bet which I had the potential to win $865 on. I also observed the horses in the paddocks, noting their apparent conditions tediously with all the detail of an old racing pro. Although I probably put in much more thought than the sticky toddler on some middle-aged father’s shoulders squealing, “NUMBER FIVE TO WIN!!! NUMBER FIVE TO WINNNNN!!!!” I failed to produce a more significant payoff. Yet the apparent truth that random bets received better payoff compared to educated bets based off the condition and experience of the jockey and horse failed to deter me from my due course, and I will no doubt eagerly return next weekend to Santa Anita with a pocket full of crisp 5 dollar bills and a heart full of hope, filled with esoteric knowledge of the horses, their barns, and their jockeys. But, I refuse to become another statistic (1.4% of problem gamblers are addicted to Horse racing).

So, is it possible we want these 50/1 payoffs to win so desperately because we find ourselves as the 50/1 in our own lives? My own performances in competitive swimming and education would indicate so. Keep in mind that those who do chose to bet on these horses are rewarded heartily for their support when they do win, proving that those who may have the better odds; the better cars, the better brains, the better looks, or the better salary don’t pay off nearly as much as those who work hard and know when to pull out a win at the end. Lest I change something inspiring into something boring, I included some pictures of these beautiful animals. For all of you unframiliar with the sport, I also included a chart of pay- offs so you can better understand my point. As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and may be used in my novel; a Treatise of the Philosophy of Humans. I appologize in advance for the quality of my pictures and any grammer mistakes I have made.

Pay-off Chart

 

[K.R.Such]

Well the horse track is located in Arcadia, CA where it is mostly enjoyed by the middle-aged population but I am not included in the middle-aged population and I found it very enjoyable. You should try it; it's quite a phenomenon to observe.

[Sarah H]

Is going to horse races a common activity where you are?  Before now, my only exposure to it is through popular culture.