A couple of months ago I wrote here about the “The Seven Deadly Bets.” I know it’s sometimes hard to find the virtues in betting horses, but here are certain behaviors and beliefs that could be termed virtuous  (with the corresponding deadly bets in parenthesis).

Diligence (sloth) – I do the homework and come up with a possible winning horse. If I lose, then at least I have an idea why I lost. When at a large simulcasting facility this virtue usually goes out the window.

Temperance (gluttony)  – There are bets I don’t make. I hold my need for action in check.  Don’t succumb to peer pressure – just say no! This virtue keeps from the potential handicapping despair that lurks under the wire after every race.

Charity (greed) – Sometimes I feel like my pick can’t lose and I will generously share it with friends, spouse or whoever is standing next to me. Occasionally my sure thing happens to lose the race, usually at even money or less, but then I remind myself that I really can’t win every race and try not to blame  the horse, the jockey or take it out on the nearest trash bin.

Chastity (lust) – Horses are wonderfully beautiful and alluring animals. That doesn’t mean I bet half a paycheck on one. Everything in moderation.

Patience (wrath) – When my horse has a tough trip or a bad beat, I remind myself of the possible juicy price on my horse the next time. Practicing this virtue means keeping a horses to watch list.

Kindness (envy) ­­­– When I show real cheer and enthusiasm for a friend’s winning bet. Even after said friend berates me for not taking their advice.

Humility –  Similar to the virtue of kindness at the track, humility is trying to scale back the times I say “I gave you the Tri!” when I’m holding a winning ticket.

There isn’t any live racing in New York City right now and the local OTB shop was shuttered at the end of July. Recently I paid my eight bucks at the Lincoln Tunnel to make it to the Big M for some simulcast action. Betting on horses, especially at a simulcast center with that many races going off at once is not unlike throwing coins in a fountain and hoping for luck. There are very few virtues in betting like this: never fully prepared for any one race, irrational bets are made on certain longstanding beliefs. Whether it’s a puzzling Penn 5K MCL or a wide-open Grade I, I have come to believe in certain fall back positions.

The Big M

When in doubt, I will go with the grey or roan horses on the turf, especially if it is a filly or mare contest. Call it simpleton-breeding analysis 101. I don’t have any hard evidence to support this angle but you’d be surprised how often they win turf races. On another note, now that the Meadowlands live flat meet has been canceled I will miss the annual Grey Ghost Handicap held at on the Friday night before Halloween – only gray or roan horses invited to enter.

Numerological betting ­is comparable to playing a lottery ticket, but with calculated risk. Pick the combination like the # 6 over the #2 and #4. Or the # 5 with the #1 and #4. It can be any combo, but most bettors have a FAVORITE combo that adds up or has another significance such as a birthday or anniversary, etc. The calculated risk comes from watching the board when betting this angle. It is often, but not always, wise (and safer) to add the favorite underneath in the exotics. I might add that harness players, I’ve noticed, are more likely to use this position. The kicker is when a $700 exacta comes in on your favorite combo at 30/1 over 20/1 and you didn’t play it because the odds were too high.

The last example of a 30/1 over a 20/1 may seldom happen, but when it does the IRS wants your name, SS# and 25% withheld if your winnings are over $5,000 or if it is more than 300 times the original wager ($600 for a 2 dollar bet). Many of us repeat $2 bets 2 or 3 times to avoid the possible with holdings. Usually this happens right before a race and my fellow fans waiting in line start to scream “hurry it up” or some other politeness. I don’t think you should bother with multiple tickets for tax purposes, it rarely happens anyway and than there is always someone who will cash it for a small fee…

When in doubt play the dime super. A late addition to the current wagering menu, the dime super is a time consumer at the window. Unless you’re playing a numerology combination, be prepared to spend minutes hunched over a program at the machine going through 360 permutations of a 10-cent bet. Playing dime supers probably won’t make you rich but for 10-cents a pop you get some bang all of those combinations.

There are virtues in all of these opinions, most notably because they are my own. There will always be others who are winning more than I am and those who have met larger defeat on the betting field. No matter what the position I usually fall somewhere in the middle. My final bit of impractical knowledge to impart on comes from Hamlet “to thine own self be true.” When to comes make your picks, who else is better qualified?

In this past Friday’s New York Times Sports section there was a touching story about trainer/owner Tim Snyder and his horse, Lisa’s Booby Trap, stepping up in a stakes race at Saratoga after 3 wins at Finger Lakes. The story is rather amazing. Tim Snyder has been around horses almost all his life having been born in the first aid room at Scarborough Downs in Maine. Doesn’t seem to have had too much success with the horses but he did meet his wife at the track. His wife, Lisa, unfortunately died of ovarian cancer. Sometime after she died, a friend told him about a horse. A filly with a bad shoulder, blind in one eye, and a club foot. Doesn’t sound like a good tip to me. But, Tim saw some potential, I guess, and bought her for $2,000 upfront with $2,500 to be paid if she won a race. He named the horse Lisa’s Booby Trap after his wife and a favorite strip club. On her death bed, Lisa had told him she wanted to come back as a horse. Well, what do you know. After finding some special shoes, Lisa is now 4 for 4. She convincingly beat her rivals in the Loudonville  at Saratoga on Friday. The crowd at Saratoga roared with delight just as they have in the past for great fillies like Rachael Alexandra. There was Tim Snyder in the winner’s circle. Don’t tell anyone, but I had a tear or two well up in my eyes as I watched the race on a video screen.

On Saturday, Zenyatta, the much heralded undefeated 6-year-old mare from California ran at Del Mar. It was the 18th start of her career and her 18th win.  Another squeaker. She always runs from the back of the pack and just gets up to stick her neck out in front at the wire. She’s owned by Jerry and Ann Moss and trained by John Shireffs. They don’t need the money, they don’t need the fame, but they always seem very excited by their horse and the fan response to her.

What a tale of two horses. Equally inspiring. This year is probably Zenyatta’s last. Lisa’s Booby Trap is only 3. Who knows how many more wins she has in her. Tim says he’s been offered $500,000 for her. She’s not for sale. Win or lose she will always have a home with him.