Wednesday's Picks

I love Tuesdays. I'm writing this late Tues. night/Wed. morning. Tuesdays are my first day off work. I have what some friends like to call a "Ray Day". I don't do a heck of a lot. I have virtually no responsibilities, except maybe cooking, which I usually flake out on, and I do a few loads of laundry. Maybe a few Bloody Mary's on the patio during the spin cycle. My wife likes to call it "Tired Tuesdays." I do however, buy and read the NY Times(science section On Tues), and the Daily Racing Form...the bible of my hobby. Some people use thorograph charts now...commonly referred to as 'sheets'. I'm old school. Give me the racing form, and let ME come up with my own formula. If I go down, I go down on my own choices...not on a computer choice or some other cheeseater's opinion. I have 2 plays for Belmont, and three plays for Hollywood Park today.

Belmont Park- Race 6 - I'm taking #4 Medjool. He's getting the best percentage jockey in NY right now, Ramon Dominguez back on him for trainer Gary Contessa. This 5-year old hasn't won in a long time..but his main rivals here haven't RACED in a long time. Should be a decent price, between 6 and 10-1...for A contessa-Dominguez combo, I'll take it. PLAY: $10 to win #4- Medjool.

Belmont Park- Race 7 I'm going to play a trifecta box here and also put a little to win on my favorite of the three. Boxing # 4-5-6 in trifecta...and win bet on #6- Nefertiti. Remember that guy Dominguez I just talked about? Well he's on Nefertiti here, for a HIGH - percentage trainer in A. Dutrow(25% winners...anything over 12% is pretty good...25% is HOT). It's the first time this horse will have Dominguez riding, and he's raced fairly well in his two starts.
PLAY: $2 trifecta box #4,5,6. $10 win #6 Nefertiti. Total cost: $22.00.

Hollywood Park Race 5- I like #2 Pay for Play. He's dropping down to his lowest class level ever and changes it up with blinkers ON. This is an equipment change, that I will explain another time, that sometimes wakes a horse up and improves performance. We'll see. O'Neill one of the best trainers around. Tyler Baze is solid jockey..and I think a couple other horses will take money, so we might get a decent price here. PLAY : $10 win #2 Pay for Play.

Hollywood Park Race 6- Tyler Baze again. I guess I'm hoping for some multiple wins by jockeys on this first Wednesday in May. I think #9 - MyIndyKitty is one of the best bets of the day. Extremely high pct. trainer,having a great year...dropping his horse from a Maiden Spec. Wght race to a Miaden claiming race(one of the biggest "drops" in the game...I'll explain another time) PLAY: $10 to win #9 - MyIndyKitty.

Hollywood Park Race 8 - Another maiden race. Well, there many maiden races on Wednesdays all over the country...especially this time of year. I like#7 Minister D'oro. This guy improved on his first try over the grass....back on grass with a young, hungry jockey with skills, Martin Garcia. I also like # 3 Preciado, so we'll box the exacta. PLAY: $6 to win # 7 Minister D'oro...$2 exacta box 3-7. Total cost: $10 dollars.

So there it is. My first picks. If anyone is reading this(highly unlikely)...good luck if you play. Total cost for today is $62.00. I will keep track of money invested/return every post.

Have a good week everyone! RP

Introduction

This blog will mostly be about horse racing, with some personal life experiences as well. I will use my many years of handicapping horse races to hopefully select some winners for everyone at the racetrack My focus will be on Southern California tracks..Santa Anita,Hollywood Park, and Del Mar....and New York tracks, my hometown...Aqueduct,Belmont,and Saratoga. I am by no means a big bankroll bettor. So, my focus will be on the $10 a race bettor...specifically targeting a goal on making money betting ten dollars a race. Now, if & when you win a little, increasing,and/or doubling up on bets is encouraged, with caution. As an old friend once told me.."Don't bet outside your parameters, Raymond." And he is right. Just because you had one good race, or one good day, does not mean you are a champion or world beater. This endeavor, betting horses, is a treacherous hobby. Gambling can be a destructive force in one's life...as addicting and destructive as alcohol or any drug. If you have a problem setting limits for yourself, do not gamble...EVER! Even if you say you're going to bet only $2 a race..if you know better, and you know you have an addictive personality, do not place a bet. I'm not perfect...but I am able to stay "within my parameters" and stick to my limits. I set aside a certain amount every week,starting on Wednesday. If I'm out of that amount by the 6th race, I don't place another wager until the following Wednesday. That is the only way you can keep control of your hobby.

I will focus on betting individual races at first, and then proceed to multi-race bets, like pick-3's,pick-4's,pick-6's,etc. Don't forget about the daily double. Most tracks allow you to bet a daily double on any race...and heck, it's much easier to pick two races in a row than 3,4, or 6, right? And because of those multi-race wagers,many people don't play the double, so there is increased value there as well. I'm still working on some things, but I will be posting selections for Calif & NY tracks very soon. Thanks for visiting, Ray