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CONTEST
DEADLINE TOMORROW: When will Florida
finally allow Canadians to bet into their pools, like the rest of the U.S.? Closest predictor wins dinner for
two. See UPCOMING EVENTS below.
Your turn, folks! So, what's on your mind as racing from Hollywood Park, soul food
and holiday planning take centre stage on this second Thursday of
November?
Anything
particular you'd like to see covered or covered more in The Insider? Favourite tracks or plays you'd like
to tell other readers about?
Ideas for the Downs' 50th
anniversary celebration next year? Email me your thoughts while they're
still fresh in your mind: theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com
I
like this time of year. The
heady days of summer and the urgency of the Breeders' Cup are behind us
and the countdown to the Kentucky Derby and arguments about the best
three-year-olds don't get serious until after Boxing Day, the opening
of Santa Anita's winter meet.
In
fact, when I saw that tonight's buffet in the Terrace Dining Room is
Soul Food, I thought: What an appropriate send-off for two months of
relaxing racing and spiced rum!
So,
email me your views and suggestions.
And, if you're serious about becoming a better horseplayer,
remember the formative meeting of a horseplayer club this Saturday at 11
a.m.
in the Finish Line. We'll also
discuss the best plays for the day.
WHAT'S THIS? Low payout in pick-4 is questioned
An
unusually low payout Friday in a pick-4 from Turf Paradise has raised a
few eyebrows and has the ticket-holder, Stretch (the Downs blogger), searching for answers. First stop: talking to local
feds. Here are the win payoffs
for each of the horses on his ticket:
$45.40, $11.40, $6.80, $3.00.
The pick-4 only paid $353.60, only 20-cents more than the Daily
Double in the first two races.
And, in the pick-3 on the first races, nobody had picked all
three so the payout went to those who had 2 of 3. A payout of between
$1,200 and $1,600 would have been expected. Maybe this is an explanation: the winning numbers of the horses
were these--#2, #3, #4 and #5.
Perhaps someone somewhere simply slapped down a $10 pick-4 bet
on that easy combination of numbers.
Stay tuned on this one.
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What a race!
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Winning jockey Michael Rodd aboard
Efficient
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Winning connections going a little
nutz!
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MELBOURNE CUP RECAP: A cheer and a whine
A
few Aussies and expatriate Aussies came to the Downs Monday night
where veteran player Charles Tax
was pouring Australian wine and buying beers for the Aussies as the
Race Book
bubbled with Breeders' Cup-like excitement for the
running of the $4.1 million Emirates Melbourne Cup, the biggest day in Australia's year. Some 120,000 fans had turned out to
Flemington race track in Melbourne. It was
special here, too. And, if you
missed it, promise yourself to put it on your calendar for next
year: It always goes the first
Monday in November.
But
I have a whine from that night and it has to do with information sent by
Australia to all
horseplayers. Their programs
don't list equipment changes.
And the winner of the big race, Efficient, who paid $39 to win, had just had his blinkers
taken off for the race. Regular
readers know this is a huge angle I have talked about here. Those of you who read The Insider (extra) Monday know
that I liked the horses that finished second, third and fourth in that
race (Purple Moon, Sirmione and Zipping) and certainly would
have added the winner had I known about the blinkers change. I'm emailing my concern to www.australianracing.com and you might, too, to encourage them to add this
element to their programs. Otherwise, what an exciting evening of
racing on a usually quiet Monday!
Efficient made a scintillating closing rush to beat the 20 other
contenders, a dramatic move which made it well worth coming out for
"the race that stops a nation."
TRIVIA TEASER: Why is a quarter horse
called a quarter horse? (a) Its hind quarters are more powerful for a faster start than a
regular thoroughbred (b) It runs about one-quarter the distance of
thoroughbreds (c) It weighs about one-quarter less than a
thoroughbred (d) It runs a quarter mile more quickly than a thoroughbred. (See answer at end of column.)
HOLIDAY FUN STARTS WITH
HOLLY
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Holly Klos
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Her
name says it all: Holly. In fact, her second name says it,
too: Klos, pronounced Claus--really! So, who better to entrust your
holiday planning to than Holly Klos, the Downs' point
person for group party merriment.
Call her at 885-3330 ext 249.
When you think about it, the Downs has an
exceptional feel-good ambience during the festive season: Snow sparkling under the glare of
spotlights outside the wall of windows in the Clubhouse enhances the
warmth and glow of festive lighting in the terraced dining room. Few dining venues can match the eye
appeal of these contrasting scenes.
The Finish Line, too, with its soft inset ceiling lighting has a
cozy comfort to it.
READERS WRITE: "Unsubscribe me"
Ivan: Just got your "upset"
edition of how great the Breeders Cup was--with not one mention of the
tragedy that has befallen the great George Washington. You are impervious to the notion that
horse racing is cold and callous. Not one mention by people who report
on the sport adds insult to injury.
Please unsubscribe me from this mailing list.-- Shan
Hi Shan: Neither did The Insider mention the great victory by Curlin
in the same race, the Classic. I
simply stayed away from covering news that was widely available in the
racing press. Certainly it was
very regretful that George Washington broke down. He was the darling of Europeans who
cared deeply about his welfare and many felt certain he could win the
Classic. I'm not sure what more
could be said.
SALUTING WINNERS: Ron
Young
picked up $100 in betting vouchers Friday night by winning the regular Texas hold 'em game. R. J. Subedar
won $25 in betting vouchers Saturday for entering Show Parlay Challenge
and increasing his imaginary $10 to a remarkable $171. But did he play his picks at the
windows?
HORSEPLAYER TIP OF THE WEEK: Finger Lakes is playing very true these days. Horses with the biggest pace numbers
often wire the field. Catch Finger Lakes Monday,
Tuesday and Friday.
GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL (and delicious, too!) Chef Cheryl has come up with an intriguing theme for tonight's
Taste the World all-you-eat-buffet:
soul food. Leek, potato
and asparagus soup with coconut dinner rolls, Georgia Florida salad, soul roll
(stuffed pork loin), Southern fried chicken, fried catfish, black-eyed
peas and rice and sinfully--I mean, soulfully--delicious desserts
table. And so much more.
I'll bite. I'm ready to
nourish my soul--and the rest of me. Served from 5 to 8
p.m. in the Terrace Dining Room. $14.95. Next Thurday's theme: Irish. Coming soon:
Mongolian BBQ. Phone
885-3330 to reserve.
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Make U.S.
Thanksgiving weekend memorable!
Turn great racing and $25 on Saturday, Nov. 24
into a day of glory and $500 by entering
the Player’s Choice Horseplayer Tourney in the Clubhouse. Look
for entry forms at track and OTB locations.
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UPCOMING EVENTS: Observe Remembrance Day at
track
 The giant screens in the Race Book will be tuned in to the
national Remembrance Day service at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Why not come out early for breakfast and join in the company of
others to observe this solemn occasion?
Following the ceremony, Calder and Aqueduct racing begins at 11:25 a.m.
Blue Bombers football will be shown at 1:00 p.m.
CONTEST
DEADLINE: Tomorrow (Friday) midnight is the deadline for you to predict the
date you think Canadian players will be able to bet directly into Florida's
large pools. Closest
prediction--without going over--wins a theme night dinner for two and
the right to walk around with his or her nose in the air. Email theinsider@assiniboiadowns.com
Florida
would be the final state to approve common-pooling. Negotiations with Florida
have apparently been "positive."
SATURDAY
MORNING SEMINAR: Finally, let's get
a horseplayer club formed to learn more and play better. Come Saturday 11 a.m. to the Finish Line in the lower level
of the Downs.
Discussion, too, about prime plays on the day.
OTHER
HIGHLIGHTS: Hollywood
Park
and Golden Gate,
with its new Tapeta synthetic surface, have
just begun fall meets. Sunshine
Millions goes Saturday at Calder.
See the best Florida-breds
compete.
Answer to trivia
teaser: Answer is (b). A quarter
horse is called a quarter horse because the average distance it races
is about one-quarter the average one-mile distance a thoroughbred
races.
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