Lieutenant's Lark, a horse i groomed for Howie Tesher winning the 86 Washington DC Int at 35-1. Bet $200 w/p and had a $30 exacta with Dance of Life paying $400 and some change.
Itsallgreektome 30-1 first time out on the grass in the 90 Spotlight Hncp at HP. It was Derby Day and a million in the pick 6 that day. I ended up with 5 -6 but nobody had 6, so the 5's paid 5k. Had 3 horses on the race i missed. Also he was the back end of the pick 3 which i had a few times. Cleared about 20k for the day..

Like Indian Charlie, Thirty Slews in BC Sprint way back when. Got like 35-1 on him in Chicago track pools and had him with Meafara (I think), the fast filly. My friends stared at me like the old EF Hutton commercials when I cashed 5 figures.
Also, Big Drama with Hamazing Destiny in BC Sprint during the Blame/Zenyatta BC. Hit exacta/tri/super for best score ever.
Great to redboard and remember the good ones!

Thunder Gulch------Kentucky Derby
Sea Hero-----------Kentucky Derby
Go For Gin----------Kentucky Derby
Volponi-------------Breeders Cup Classic
Gloria De Campo----Dubai World Cup
Spectacular Bid-----Woodward Walkover

Ice Box------------Florida Derby AND Magna pick five

Orb Future Bet 80-1
Bluegrass/Kentucky Derby Double Dominican-Street Sense

Belmont tribox Smarty/Zito/Zito

The first thing that came to mind for me was a horse called Chico Bambino in the 8th race, a $6,250 claimer, at now-defunct Playfair Race Course in Spokane, WA on October 12, 1986. I was 14 years old and my dad took me to the track every Sunday. He is just a casual fan and strictly a $2 bettor, but we always had a good time. We would read the form and I would make my pick, and he would bet it (with my money) and then he would bet whichever horse he chose.

So we were there and we were handicapping this race, and this horse had just won 10 days ago as the favorite by 5 lengths, and now he was on the board at 20-1! So I gave him my $2 and he bet his, and he came back to the rail with a $4 win ticket on this horse, who was usually a speed horse, but on this day he broke slow, but somehow managed to storm down the stretch to get up by a length, and paid $47 for a $2 win ticket. It was a great thrill to go back and have him collect $94.00 and then split it up between us. Even though it was the last race "Chico" ever won (he lost his last 28 starts) it still gave us a great memory.


Itsallgreektome was memorable for me too as I bet on him when he won his debut at Del Mar in 1989 at 27-1. There was about a 15-minute inquiry as he and another horse squeezed the favorite in tight quarters in the stretch, but after watching the board blink for what seemed like forever, Trevor came on and announced "No Change!" I quickly cashed my ticket before they changed their mind. :)

I've posted this before but love repeating!

Feb 14, 2004. (Valentines Day at the track with the boys is always a smooth move!)

I'm in the Clubhouse at Woodbine in a huge snow storm! Us three and 7 other strangers are the only ones there. Heathrow wins the Aqueduct 5th at 32-1 on top of an 8-1 and 11-1 third. I think it pays 5k in the States but this is before the common pools. We catch a flasher! (The only ticket in Canada) and grab a 26k tri for $1 with a 4 horse box.

Nuts! Still brings back the goosebumps.

Intercontinental in the BC.

That is the day my family & friends took notice that I might know a thing or two about this game. :rolleyes: Made my dad look like an expert at the party he went to that day. I'll never forget that day, for multiple reasons.

Thanks! "...Debonair Joe in a shocker!!"

I bet that horse by mistake. I was 21 years old and excited to be able to bet legally at the track in Sam Houston. I made a 100 dollar bet to win, earlier in the day, on the the number 4 horse in the 9th race. By the time I got home I realized I had bet the 8th race instead. I looked at the form and was disappointed at the hopeless longshot i mistakenly bet. Later I watched the replay and jumped out of my chair when this horse won at 53-1. The number 4 also won the 9th race but he was only 5 to 1.

Debonair Joe shocked everyone again few weeks later by winning the Malibu stakes at Santa Anita at 27 to 1.

Pleasantly Perfect in the BCC...man oh Mandella what a hit @14-1

My most memorable wager was ironically the one I did NOT want to cash.....

I had a major wager on Bernardini in the 2006 Preakness.....

or as the Boss so eloquently sings it "For every wish, there comes a curse"....

That's a whole bunch of JV girl Basketball games you ref now.. Guessing the pride you attain from watching these gals develop their craft trumps the track.

Thrilling Pick 6 scores: 117k

Calling Races: 250,000 a year

Reffing JV Girl BBall and doing what you REALLY love: PRICELESS

I loved this horse. Won somewhere in ny before the cup and I made note. Holy crap this horse is the real deal.

isnt that the horse who tries to bite the other ones?

i would have to say Invasor in the breeders.

Most memorable winner will always be Thunder Gulch in Derby '95 and my first IRS ticket, an exacta on Alabama Day 1990 when the 2 longest shorts on the board -- Mikey Aro Rockingham shipper Keynote Speaker (27-1) & Balinar (16-1) -- photo'd for $721.

But I'll offer a crazy sequence that changed my willingness to play wet tracks and featured a winner that had special significance in my life. Was really rainy at Saratoga in '08 overall and the Barbecue was dead quiet on this particular stormy midweek day. The 1st and 4th came off the turf, so after SCR's the fields were down to 6, 6, 6, 6 and 12 in the MCLM 5th.

I started the card with some rolling P3's and the early P4 for small money.. under $200 total. After $4 CT Phone Home won the opener, Capt. Candyman Can (!) won his career debut for Wilkes at $40 and a McPeek horse won the 3rd at 10-1. The first P3 paid $585. Another eventual stake horse, Motion's Silver Reunion (!) -- whom I had singled in the P4 -- broke his MDN in the 4th for $10 for a $1,350 P3 and setting up hefty P4 payoffs.

In the pivotal 5th, a $50k MDN Claimer, I included a David Donk firster named Spina that had lured Ramon Dominguez. She romped at 17-1 and the P4 came back for $11,850, the third P3 for $720. Was an unbelievable couple of hours and since Tina was working the IRS window, we got to spend a lot of time together. We had only been together a year at that point. A few people played along too I recall, including Dave Blaha's father who was at the track almost every day.

Spina became significant to me again a year later. My mother passed away Alabama Week in '09 and on closing day of the meet Sciacca got a race named for her. In the kind of odd coincidence you can't make up, Spina, now with Mitch Friedman, upset an odds on Dutrow fave to generate a presentation win photo I cherish with Ramon.

Cost him a race at Del Mar, I think the photo at Hollywood shows WL biting at the runner-up in that final, I will have to watch the replay again to check for sure.....:zz:

A little off form going in and she speed pops. Always liked her.

Sun Apr 1, 2012
I spent the rent money on my twin daughters
16th birthday party - but "In God I Trust" so I had about
$80 to turn into a 1k by Monday morning. I dropped the kids
off at the mall and I went to work at a local OTB nearby.
It was Louisiana Derby day and there were some horses I
liked that day. I started cashing on Nates Mineshaft,
then I hit on Casino Day in the next. I still hadn't paid the rent
but I was drinking lots of beer and starting to warm up! In the
LA derby I was looking for an upset and someone who would go
wire to wire. I was liking Comisky's Humor, but I had also bet
another Sharp Humor horse two weeks earlier on the grass...
Hero of Order. So I plunked down my win/place money and exactor
with Mark Valeski and started cheering. If they ever have a contest where someone yells at his horse to win, I'll be 1/9 to win:)
and they lived happily ever after

Intercontinental BC at Belmont..Then I destroyed Pleasant Home Society Selection... 500 + exacta a lot a lot of times..

Why racing is great... Have played poker and gambled on sports and won and lost much bigger pots and I dont remember a darn one or care too.. Gambling on horses is just a WAY different experience.