CHAD'S STORY
    How I hit paydirt
    in my first serious bet

Chad Lepage, a young Winnipeg painter, made his first visit to the Downs this summer as an afterthought while attending the Red River Exhibition. He was excited but confused. He came back the next day as a confident player and won $500. How did he go from confusion to winning? We asked him to share his story with you. Here it is:

"After watching a few bands at the Red River Ex, I got drawn to the Downs for the first time in my life. As I got closer, the sounds of horses thundering around the track and hundreds of people cheering filled the air. I wanted to play and get in on all this excitement but I didn't even know what to say at the ticket counter after hearing things like "superfecta" and "wheeling." I was totally confused. So I just picked some horses with medium odds and bet them to win.

Chad watches horses thundering down the stretch.

Chad shares racing opinions with noted curler Dave Boehmer.

"After live racing was over, my heart was still pumped from watching the races and yelling for my horse so I tried playing something called simulcast racing from Australia on big-screen TVs. Thankfully Ivan Bigg (who teaches "secrets" to betting the races) and I started talking for a while and he explained different ways to bet and what was important to look at in a racing program.

"I came back the next day with a lot of confidence and 15 minutes until race #4 at the Downs. I went through the program and used tips I learned the previous night from Ivan Bigg on pace and speed numbers and spent $16 betting a win-4 ticket. In a win-4, you pick the horses you think will win four races in a row. I thought two horses in each of those races had a chance of winning, so I took two horses from each of those races on my ticket and that's why it cost $16 (2 X 2 X 2 X 2).

"As I watched from the grandstand with utter disbelief my horses came in one after another after another until race #7 (the last leg of the win-4) when around the bend and dueling came both of the horses I had on my ticket. I was ecstatic--cheering and going nuts as they crossed the finish line. And just like that my $16 turned into $516! It was easy fun and all I can say is: Come out to the races. It's a blast!"

ATTENTION READERS: Want to find out what made Chad a winner?

Want to know what Ivan Bigg told Chad about the racing program that made Chad a winner? Click here. Also, get quick easy lessons from Ivan Bigg by coming to the "Learn the Secrets" stage at the main entrance to Assiniboia Downs 1/2 hour before live races start. Come at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 12:30 p.m. on Sunday--just inside the main doors. Fifteen minutes of your time could make you a "Chad".