|
Hi friends! Only
two weeks to Christmas! Christmas
for
horseplayers, that is--Breeders' Cup Day--when the best
horses in the world compete for $23-million in purse money. Saturday, Oct. 27. And Christmas Eve, the day before the
really big races are held, is even more special this year because three
preliminary Breeders' Cup races will be run that day. You can even bet doubles that start
on Christmas Eve and are completed on Christmas Day!
How can you be as ready a possible for the Big Day,
perhaps to nab a $50,000 superfecta for spending just $20 like the
player at the Quest Inn did last year?
By having money to play with and having the best information
possible. That's where The Insider comes in. Today, in Countdown to Success, I set the
scene and tell you what to attend and watch for as the days quickly
wind down.
And
tomorrow the guillotine comes down! Get ready for
electrocutions and decapitations in an atmosphere of Halloween
frivolity at the dueling-horse corn maze! Electrocutions and
decapitations? Read on, fine
folk, both Christmas and Halloween arrive early in this scary but
seductive package.
TRIVIA TEASER: Where
did Monmouth, the funny-sounding name of the race track that is hosting
the Breeders' Cup, originate? (a) the mouth of
a river? (b) the mouth of an ocean fish? (c) from a
boastful horseplayer that liked to bet big money? (d)
it has nothing to do with
"mouth." (See answer
at end of column.)
BREEDERS' CUP RACES:
Countdown to success
What do you need for Breeders' Cup day? Money, a winning attitude and info.
•
MONEY: Players are
already telling me they are saving up for the big day. But why can't you also
pad your bankroll by playing the races more intelligently? Come to this Saturday's
free horseplayer clinic in the Finish Line banquet hall which I will be
hosting at 11
a.m. The topic is: How to spot almost-guaranteed winners. This could be an
eye-opener for you. Discussion
will also centre on prime bets for the afternoon. At the last meeting, the group started
out with EVERYONE winning their first bet when a 7-1 horse
won an early race at Belmont. Coffee and sweet rolls will
be served. That's
this Saturday in the Finish Line at 11 a.m. sharp.
•
A WINNING ATTITUDE:
Here's where you can get real one-upmanship on other
players. Attitude is
more important than money. Huge
amounts of money will be bet on Breeders' Cup day. Most of it is "dead
money." What is dead money
and how can you outfox other players to pocket dead
money? I'll tell you in next
Thursday's Insider.
•
INFO: You're going to be
flooded with information. What
should you care about and what should you ignore? That will be discussed as well in the
next Insider. I'll also give you the best
sources for the right kinds of info. Then, in two weeks, the day
before the preliminary Breeders' Cup races, I'll tell you
about a remarkable study I did that will help you pick longshots.
How's that for a schedule for success? And, on the actual day itself, I'll
be hosting a Breeders' Cup preview at 9:30 a.m. that will feature knowledgeable guests
who will look at the results of the previous day's preliminary races to
forecast possible results of the bigger races that day. That will be in the Finish line. The first race from Monmouth goes at 10 a.m., a race the group can play
together. The first Breeders'
Cup race goes at 11:30
a.m. Clear your
calendar! Make the biggest day
in racing your biggest day, too!
See you this Saturday to start the ball rolling!
A TRUE CHAMPION
PASSES: John Henry laid to
rest
|
|
|
The Last
Call--John Henry.
A canvas by
Fred Stone. Available for $350. To order click here.
|
You didn't even have to know horses to have heard of the horse John Henry. An irascible gelding
who, even in old age, required trickery to catch him to medicate him
was gently put down at age 32 Monday night leaving an incredible legacy
from the 1980s: 39 wins from 83 career starts including a staggering 16
grade 1 stakes victories that included the Arlington Million twice,
Santa Anita Handicap twice, Hollywood Invitational three times and Oak
Tree Invitational three times.
He was voted Champion Grass Horse four times and Horse of the
Year twice and inducted into the Horse Hall of Fame in 1990 with
$6.6-million in earnings--a record at that time.
Bought as a Kentucky-bred yearling for $1,100 in 1976, he
was retired in 1985 to the Kentucky
Horse
Park
in Lexington
where thousands have visited him even as he eschewed attention. "The most people could hope
for," said his groom Robin
Bush,
"was that he didn't dislike
them." A public
memorial service will be held at his grave in the park Friday, Oct. 19
at 2 p.m.
SCARRRY STUFF! Guillotine falls tomorrow at maze
|
|
|
Uh, I don't think so
|
If you thought getting lost in the corn maze of dueling
horses was scary, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!
Starting tomorrow night, at Murray's Corn Maze near Stonewall,
you'll see an actual guillotine doing what guillotines are devised to
do (shudder) and, in the Tower of Terror, you'll see an electric chair
doing, well, anyone under 10 years old won't be admitted because it's
just too scary. It's the
beginning of Halloween pranks times at the maze which continue every
Friday, Saturday and Sunday until Sunday, Oct. 28, the last day the
maze is opened. Everyone is
invited to wear a Halloween costume, said maze operator Murray Boonstra,
and to bring a flashlight for maze prowling--and you'd better take out
extra life insurance.
During daylight hours, when young kids are still allowed,
they can expect to be attacked by the headless horseman during a
hayride. And this is tame stuff?
The 10-acre maze, the biggest in Canada
featuring two dueling horses under the Assiniboia Downs logo, has
already seen thousands of people, Boonstra
said. "It's been wild."
The Downs, as part of its hottest game in town promise and as an
early kick-off to 50th anniversary fun, wanted to make history by
creating the biggest image of horses ever shown on Earth. Have you taken the three-minute
aerial tour? Click here.
To visit the Boonstra Farms website, click
here.
Boo!
POLYUNFORTUNATE: Two breakdowns at Keeneland
Polytrack, the surface that's supposed to minimize horse
injuries, saw two breakdowns during key stakes races at Keeneland on
the weekend: Gold Train suffered a fatal
breakdown in the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity during a pace duel with
the eventual winner, Wicked
Style who now is heading to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile race; Teuflesburg
broke down with a fractured ankle in the prestigious six-furlong
Phoenix Stakes and was to undergo an operation to try to save him. That
race had another tragic consequence: In the paddock prior to the race, Dream of Angels flipped, landed
with all his force on his head and had to be put down due to
hemorrhaging.
WINNERS' CORNER: From
last Friday's and Saturday's almost-live racing card from Remington. Poker: George Newbury outplayed nine
other players Friday and won $100 in betting vouchers. Show parlay challenge: Brad
Williams increased his imaginary $10 to $31.50 and received $25 in
betting vouchers.
HORSEPLAY TIP OF THE WEEK: The Bay's the place
If you aren't playing Bay Meadows, you are missing one of
the best-valued easiest-to-play tracks on the continent. Pick-3s and pick-4s often pay much
more than you think they should.
Five of six in the pick-6 is relatively easy to attain. Locals there put extraordinary faith
on every horse Russell Baze rides.
If he finishes out of the money, you cash big. Show prices on Sunday paid $19, $78
and $24 respectively when his horse finished fourth.
|
|
|
Braised beef, served with Yorkshire pudding
|
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK, Yorkshire pudding with braised beef and British whiskey chicken
are just three of the tantalizing entree items featured in tonight's
all-you-can-eat British theme night dinner in the Terrace Dining Room
from 5 to 8 p.m. that also includes a wide array of salads, soup and a
to-die-for dessert table with apple cobbler, carmelized
pear tart, Suffolk trifle and so much more.
$14.95. Next Thursday:
Ukrainian. Coming soon:
"Soul" food. Reserve now for Christmas and New Year's feasts.
BREEDERS' CUP CA$H BONANZA: Is this your number?
Today's
$50 bonus winning number is 0116. To claim your prize click
here. Breeders'
Cup Bonanza cash giveaway numbers were distributed on the final three
days of live racing. A new
winning number is published every day on the Downs' home page www.assiniboiadowns.com and a new $50 bonus number will be
published here each Thursday until Thursday, Oct. 25, two days before
Breeders' Cup Day. On that day,
draws will be made at the track for cash prizes of $500, $250 and $100. Also, 20 betting vouchers of $10 will
be drawn for.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Tomorrow:
Almost-live racing continues tomorrow and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. from the Downs
sister track, Remington
Park
in Kentucky. Play poker tomorrow for $100 in
betting vouchers; play "show parlay challenge" for $25 both
days. Saturday: Everyone welcome to attend my
horseplayer clinic and group play session in the Finish Line at 11 a.m. as everyone counts down to the
Breeders' Cup. Topic: "How
to spot almost-guaranteed winners." October racing schedule: For a complete October race schedule,
click here.
NEXT INSIDER: How
to take advantage of "dead money" on Breeders' Cup day.
Answer
to Trivia Teaser: (a) Monmouth orginates from the
mouth of the Monnow
River located way across the ocean in Wales. Pronounced "mon-muth."
A town called Monmouth is located in Wales. The area is better known in North
America as the location for Rockfield
Studios where rock band Queen
recorded "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Wealthy landowners from Wales
bought land in New
York and their kid named a county in New
Jersey, Monmouth
County,
after his overseas birthplace.
So, logically, Monmouth
County
gave birth to the racetrack which opened in 1870, closed in 1893 when New
Jersey banned betting, but reopened in 1946
with the legalization of parimutuel
wagering. Neat fact: You can take a ferry to Monmouth
Park
from the end of Wall Street in Manhattan.
The excursion is called--what else?--the Seahorse Express--and costs $30 round-trip. Are ferry passengers who lose giant
show bets then called "boat-jumpers?"
|
