On a long ago November afternoon when Easy Goer didn’t catch Sunday Silence in the BC Classic I became hooked on horse racing. Following is a list of Seven Deadly bets I have made over the past years.

The Greed Bet – I bet way too much to win on the 8/5 “can’t lose” favorite. They do give money away at the track, don’t they?

The Gluttony Bet – These type of bets will often come from a feeling of desperation and a need to pick a winner: that is to say boxing 7 horses in the Kentucky Derby field of 20.

The Sloth Bet – Those guys in the Daily Racing Form can’t be wrong!

The Envy Bet – This wager usually comes from my resentment toward a friend or family member whose betting advice I did not take in a previous race. “I told you I liked the #4!” My envy wager is typically a long shot in an attempt to inflate my handicapping self-esteem that much more when my horse comes in.

The Pride Bet – Similar to the Greed Bet, this wager involves copious notes and numbers with the certain belief that my pick cannot lose and my handicapping skills are superior to those guys in the Daily Racing Form .

The Anger Bet – Usually directed at myself, the angry bet comes not from picking the wrong horse, but from coming up with a winner yet not having made the right bet, i.e. “I didn’t have it over the 7!” or “Why didn’t I just bet it to win!”

The Lust Bet – This is probably the most understandable of the deadly bets.  I have fallen in lust with many beautiful fast race horses.

In terms of horse racing, I probably won’t be covering the seven virtues: Kindness, Patience, Humility, etc. I do have several superstitious betting angles yet to come.



What is, who is Drosselmeyer? Discovered Drosselmeyer is a character in the Nutcracker. On Wikipedia it says “Herr Drosselmeyer has brought to the party three life-size dolls, which each take a turn to dance.” Think this sums up the Triple Crown this year: Super Saver, First Dude, and finally Drosselmeyer, each taking their turn to dance. It would only have

Photo of Stanislava Belinskaya as Clara (left), an unknown performer (center), & Vassily Stulkolin as Fritz (right) in the Imperial Ballet's original production of the Petipa/Ivanov/Tchaikovsky ballet "The Nutcracker". Circa December, 1892. Unknown photographer of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre. St. Petersburg, Russian Empire.

Having little success at handicapping the Derby Under Card and faced with an eighty minute wait for the big one, I turned to the 10th at Belmont desperately seeking some value. A MSW on the inner turf going 6 panels, my favorite handicapper had landed on Solar Panel at 16/1 and I tended to agree with him. Trainer Thomas Bush was giving Mike Luzzi a leg up in this wide open affair. This was added value because I know from experience that the Luzzi is capable of bringing home a winner in a NYRA nightcap. The race unfolded like this: Solar Panel led from the gate and battled Linda Rice trainee Hear the Footsteps throughout. In the shadow of the wire hard charging Mighty Tuff with Victor Santiago urging nailed Solar Panel (that’s him with his tongue hanging out) on the line.

Mighty Tuff nails Solar Panel (on the inside) Belmont 10th 5/1/10 Photo: NYRA

Well we had a run for our money from Solar Panel. Some of my greatest pleasures at the race track come from watching a losing horse (at high odds) run a close race. Solar Panel and Mike Luzzi were giving it their all and I didn’t mind losing a few bucks on the win. The healthy show price came back $9.80 which more than made up for the wager in the first place.

The National Weather Service is predicting 1 to 2 inches of rain for Louisville tomorrow. Those 80 hooves and shoes hitting the wet ground will be kicking up the mud. The phrase “here’s mud in your eye” is a humorous toast, usually among friends. Some believe the phrase came from horse racing, where a horse in the lead kicks dirt or mud into the eyes or face of the horse following behind. All theories connote good spirit and humor. Perhaps it signifies a desire for two friends to finish well—the toaster in first, and the toasted a close second.

Drawing by Ana Mirela Tache

Check out our book for more phrases and idioms that come from the world of horse racing.

American Lion – Illinois Derby winner took the lead and held the lead from a suspect field 4 weeks ago at Hawthorne Park. He finished in 1:51 1/5 but his last 1/8 was in a respectable 13 flat. Am Lion had a little extra burst in the tank when Yawanna Twist (who finished 11 in front of the next- Backtalk) came up to challenge. That race was the runner’s first effort on dirt and with middling works at CD I can see an over looked talent at a healthy mutual price.

Lookin At Lucky – This troubled troubadour is 6 for 8 lifetime with a victory in the 1 1/16 Rebel at OP 7 weeks ago. In that race he clicked heels halfway thru but was able to repel the likes of Nobles Promise and Dublin. Baffert trainee has been professionally working the past two weeks at CD. I see him picking up the pieces late ala Pioneer of the Nile in ‘09. His trouble at the rail in the SA Derby Post may be a problem for the inside post runner.

Dublin – Durable Afleet Alex colt makes his 9th career start – all on dirt. Came in third in the Arkansas Derby but ran a very consistent final 1/8 of 12 4/5 seconds. His chances go up with the sunshine, I don’t think he’ll respond to a “cuppy” wet surface. I look for him to hold a stalking position and finish up close but not ahead of American Lion or Lookin at Lucky.

Sidney’s Candy – Outside draw may set him up for the blistering early fractions that he will need to get the lead, Joe Talamo will have his hands full keeping it over 46 and change. I like the final 1/8 time of 12 3/5 for the SA Derby while maintaining a 4 length lead. His prior two races were not as impressive as the SA Derby and the fields were not of this caliber. He is a special horse if he can win from the outside, I see him fading in the stretch.

Super Saver – Borel will get the leg up from Pletcher for the Winstar LLC. He ran a very respectable 12 4/5 the last 1/8 in the Arkansas Derby. He was closing in on Line Of Divid on the wire and lost by less than a neck. Front running type fires from the 4 hole which should suit Colonel Calvin. If Super Saver has kept/made the lead when turning for home I think that American Lion or Lookin At Lucky would be the only ones to catch him.

LATE SUPER ADD – Make Music For Me California turf and synthetic specialist is coming off a lackluster final 13 2/5 in the Bluegrass. He lost to Lucky and Nobles Promise by 1 1/4 lengths in the Cal Fut at Hollywood Park during the week before Christmas. Underrated Joel Rosario is up in the saddle. It wouldn’t shock me to see him take dirt and make some cha ching type of music filling out the super.

According to this article the first reported use of a camera to document the end of a race was in 1888 at a track in Plainfield, New Jersey.

The term refers to the end of a race that is so close that the winner is only discernable only from a photograph taken as the horses cross the finish line. A common variation is “It’s a photo finish!” or simply “He wins in a photo!”

Grassy Wins the 9th in a 6 horse photo at Saratoga Race Course 8/22/09 photo courtesy of NYRA

An interesting photo of a triple dead heat is here.

Another, more technical, article on the different aspects of the photo finish cameras is here.

Who knew that way back in 1888 a camera on the finish line at a racetrack in New Jersey would usher in the age of instant replay. Now during challenges in the NFL we are treated to super slow motion replays at every conceivable angle. Referees duck under video hoods like the Wizard of Oz behind his curtain. While the time clock on televised basketball games is divided into tenths of a second. It never ceases to amaze me when announcers confidently assure us that there is “no need to rush here, there is still plenty of time to get the shot off” when there are 2.7 seconds left on the clock.

In horse racing the imperfect science of keeping time during morning workouts is still associated with a hand held stopwatch. Race times are now measured by hundredths of a seconds but the time honored method of 1/5 of a second per trailing horse length is still the rule for handicapping. Many of us prescribe to our own methods of finding a Derby winner, but generally, these includes the back of the envelope computations using the finishing times for the last 1/8 mile in recent few prep races. After the injury to Eskendereya the 2010 edition of the Kentucky Derby looks like an evenly matched field, perhaps this the year for a photo finish. For those of you who are interested, a very smart Kentucky Derby system is here.

But I digress, the term photo finish originated at the track yet is used to describe everything from elections to dancing contests in Florida.

I am always surprised when I see the generally unrecognized influence horse racing has on our language and culture. I hope that both horse racing fans and those interested in the English language will also find all of this enjoyable.

In horse racing to tout means to give out tips on a horse, usually for money or for the expectation of a share of any winnings. The word tout can also be used as a noun, meaning someone who gives out the tip on a race with an expected compensation. The word is Scottish in origin and originally meant to peep, to spy. It came to be used in horse racing when touts would secretly watch horses working out and sell or profit somehow from the ill-gotten information. So touts have had a bad rap from the very beginning of horse racing. If you follow this sport, these next few weeks before the Kentucky Derby are loudest and most lucrative for touts.

Oaklawn Park, Mar 01, 1960 . Photo: Francis Miller./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

This is an exciting time of year. The Kentucky Derby is just around the corner and Baseball season has begun.

On Saturday, Eskendereya showed everyone he is a top contender for  winning the Derby by  easily running by his competition in the Wood Memorial on Saturday at Aqueduct.  He “hit the ball out of the park” so to speak.

In last night’s opening game of the 2010 baseball season, the Yankees got “off to a flying start” against the Red Sox but couldn’t sustain the lead, faltering in the stretch in the late innings of the game. I’m a Yankees fan, my husband is a Red Sox fan. He would say the Yankees were cheap speed on the lead last night.

The question is, when all is said and done, when the campaign is over, who will be on top? Will Eskendereya keep up the pace and win the Derby and maybe go on to the Triple Crown? Will Lookin at Lucky rebound from his eventful third place finish in the Santa Anita Derby to show everyone he’s the top horse? Will the Yankees prevail? Or, will the Red Sox regain the pennant? Or, will some other horse or team step forward and surprise? No one can predict, but watching it all unfold is priceless.

As the seasons unfold, watch how the language of baseball and the language of the sport of kings will be used repeatedly to describe the competition. Both of these long established, hugely popular spectator sports have contributed much to the richness of the language, particularly when describing competition. The cross-weaving of the terminology of these two sports is fun to watch and listen to as well.

Enjoy the ride.

Reading about Angel Serpa’s much deserved 30-day suspension for “gross careless riding” in a race last Saturday at Aqueduct, brings to mind the apt phrase “riding for a fall.”

In our book, we describe this as:

“riding a horse recklessly or overconfidently, courting disaster. Jockeys who are too aggressive with their horses may create the conditions for a spill that could harm them, their mounts, and other horses and jockeys in the race.”

This couldn’t fit Angel Serpa’s behavior any better.  In this case it was Jose Espinoza and his horse, Freudian Storm, who bore the brunt of Serpa’s reckless riding.  Freudian Storm was forced into the rail, badly hitting his head and forcing Espinoza to lose the irons. The NY Post reports that Gary Contessa (Freudian Storm’s trainer) wrote a letter asking for severe pubishment for Serpa:

“(Espinoza) could have ended up in a wheelchair. Now for the horse. He has severe head trauma and is still bleeding out the nose. He was in shock and has a severe concussion.”

“To imagine that this jockey, experienced or not, would put my horse and rider in a position where the results could be devastating just to win a race suggests a complete lack of concern for those around him in the pursuit of a few dollars . . . I sincerely hope the punishment fits the crime.” (click here to read more)

We hope Serpa changes his ways and we also hope that others in horse racing take Contessa’s words to heart. It should not be about winning at all costs.

Thinking about the Apple Blossom Invitational next month and thought I would try my hand at haiku poetry. Put yours in the comments and we’ll put them up on the site. Thanks.

Forty six and change
Miss white forehead on the lead
Rage face of nature

Lady Z in refuge
A rational stride in back
Undefeated late

Dreams of great horses
Pundit and punters abound
Apple Blossom scent

Rachel A, Zenyatta
Tower over their humans
No gambling needed

Race for the ages
Forget the five million dollars
Connections are flush