what got you in .. why is horseracing ...

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

That precludes my response.

C'mon, let's hear it.....

[theiman]

Summer of 1970.
The back up goalie for the NY Rangers, Gilles Villemure, was a harness trainer driver at Roosevelt Raceway. I had Ranger season tickets and had to see him drive.
I found a friend who was 17, as I was 15 and too young to drive, and he was going to the track and got a ride with him. He told me we would have to ask an adult to walk us in thru the gate, so we asked some older folks, gave them the $2 admission and went in with them. I won the first night betting $2on each race. Bought my first horse 6 years later at 21 and have loved it since.
Converted to mostly T-Breds about 20 years ago, but still follow the trots as some of my friends still own standardbreds.

Never regret getting into the game or following it. Met way too many good people along the way, and some creeps too.

[Rileyoriley]

An uncle took me to the Northampton fairgrounds when I was 7 and watching the TC races on tv with my grandfather. Derby and BC day are my holidays. I only bet a couple times a year but I tape all the races.

[jman5581]

Growing up a mile from Churchill Downs did it for me.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

My father and grandfather and others in my family were all degenerate horse gamblers.

As were some of the regulars at a little bar my dad owned/booked bets from. That was of course after his illustrious betting coup/training career was halted.

I guess I was a big hit in the bar. They named a sandwhich after me - and I was all about giving horse and sports betting advice as long as the recipiant of my fine advice gave me a quarter to go play pac-man after I was finished.

In 1991 I cashed a bet on my first big longshot winner - I believe it came on the same card as when Dance Smartly won the second leg of her Canadian Triple Crown sweep. Through the magic of technology and BRIS Cd's I now know that the winner, Time To Gogo, finished her brilliant career with a 1-for-25 record.

Concern's win in the '94 Classic - when I had the exacta straight and called him winning a last-to-first pace meltdown - that was when I first thought I was a genius...and believed myself.

Perhaps that race played the biggest role in the obsession I got to take handicapping and betting as seriously as I do....or at least did.