Winning Bets I Didn’t Make
Sometimes I think that the winning bets I don’t make hurt worse than the losing bets I do.
I went to Suffolk on Saturday planning to place one wager in race seven and another on the Preakness, and arrived in time to watch the fifth race horses leave the paddock for the track. Horse #6 caught my eye, as he was sans pony in the post parade and had a bouncy jog. “That horse will win,” I thought, and looked at the tote board expecting to see that he was favorite. He wasn’t; his odds were 5-1. I agonized — should I make the bet? I decided not to, because I was all about discipline on Saturday. A review of my wagering since the meet opened on April 30 had revealed that I was doing well, but frittering away my profit with $2 flyers like the one I was contemplating.
Horse #6 won and paid $12.20.
Race six came up and horse #7 intrigued. He was making his first start at Suffolk since racing at Laurel, a profitable angle during the meet’s first couple of weeks (although one that’s become rarer now that most of the horses entered in races have started at Suffolk at least once this spring). But he was stretching out to a mile for the first time, and the favorite looked legitimate, so I passed, even though his odds were 8-1. “Discipline,” I told myself.
Horse #7 won and paid $18.40.
Finally, it was time for the race I came to bet. Race seven, horse #6, odds 5-1. I put my money down.
Horse #6 finished sixth.
