Would you like to earn money every time you go to the races? That was one of my goals since I got a handicap in my first race many years ago. I come from a long line of horse lovers and racing nuts. In one of the first photos of me, I am sitting on a horse while people are out eating breakfast. When he was a little boy, he had seen the horse’s hooves thundering from the view under the lower railing in Narragansett Park. That and a natural inclination toward voluntary inertia likely led to my desire to earn “easy” money at racing.
As anyone who has tried to make a long-term profit from handicapping horse or dog racing can tell you, it is not easy to bet, kick, handicap, play ponies, call it what you want. That fact was reflected in many trips to the races and many trips home with empty pockets. I learned a few lessons along the way. First of all, buy something to eat first. In those days when I said I would get something to eat after a few races, I sometimes lost money and had to live off my dream of being a professional handicapper.
Back then I was writing about racing and started distributing a newsletter based on local tracks. Advertising paid for printing, and sometimes there was a little left over for a meal or a bet. A friend from the advertising department of one of the tracks offered me a job as a broadcaster. Take the chance. My reasoning was that I would be right on the race track and also working in the offices, I would get all the buzz. I wrote promotional articles for the advertising department and called the races and every day when I left the track I made money. Unfortunately, as a civil servant, I was not allowed to bet on the races. The money came in the form of a paycheck.
Here’s another thing I learned, be very specific when asking the universe for something because the cosmic wish fulfiller is literalist. My dream had been to make money every time I went to the track and to make money at a disadvantage in horse racing. I got paid to do what I loved, to handicap, because one of my duties was to handicap the races and create a morning line for the program. My dream came true, but I was no longer betting on my choices. Be careful what you wish for. I quit my job and went back to being a race track dweller. I traveled from track to track and had a good time honing my skills and living the life of a hiker.
That was many years ago and you would think it had taught me a valuable lesson. But recently, with a little pressure from some well-meaning friends, I started a service for the disabled to help other people benefit from my years of experience. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday I handicap both sled races and thoroughbred races and send my Weekend Warrior newsletter to subscribers. At first, I only submitted the computer picks and key horses and fit and ready horses, but now my subscribers have asked for the best bets as well.
Once again, I am working so hard, with so many obstacles that I rarely have time to get to the track. You’d think I would have learned my lesson years ago, but apparently, I needed a refresher. As you go over your show and stand at the finish line watching your horses win, think of old Bill Peterson, slaving in front of the computer and poring over past performances and muttering expletives, as he picks winners who other people are. . charging. Once again I make money handicapping at races and once again my dream came true and once again I am not betting on my teams. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, he just wishes he could remember the old tricks!
