In the short period of time since the 50 cents minimum bet has been offered by NYRA on the pick 4, I have been alive several times into the last leg. This had been a rarity in my handicapping life at the larger denomination and my mind raced with ways to spend those large will-pays while waiting for the last race to go off. My natural inclination was to start figuring out how I would like to be paid: hundreds (sometimes hard to cash), twenties (too bulky, fifties (bad luck) which made it that much harder when I lost these wagers. But there are ways of coping with, and understanding, the psychic pain associated with losing on the last leg of a multi-race wager. To explain these complicated feelings I have taken a page from pop psychology and  developed my own 5 stages of grief after losing the last leg of a pick four.

Denial – A crushing defeat is a crushing defeat, but the fact is that I cannot believe what I have just seen, usually on a small TV monitor at a simulcast facility. This disbelief is nothing more than a protective coating that helps me move on to next race. But when my fellow cigar chomper, who professed mild interest in the winner, tells me he only had “a few bucks on ‘im”, I cannot deny the sight of visible steam coming out of my ears. Where’s my blood pressure medication!?

Anger – At the new 50 cents minimum I should be able to toss in a couple of  “maybes” here and there.  But my bankroll is smaller after playing Calder, which looked like a monsoon had landed on track and I had no business betting in the first place. My anger is directed at my lack of handicapping discipline. Because I have my own golden rule: “Do not run up and bet a simo race until you’ve covered all the races you spent the morning figuring out” and I can’t follow it.

Bargaining – This is where I start asking for help from the racing powers: just this once please put up the inquiry or objection sign. Just this once make it so that I put the wrong horse onto the ticket and that would be the number that won the race or maybe I’ll scratch into the post time favorite. This type of bargaining works both ways: usually my end of the bargain is a pledge of 10% of future winnings to a horse charity or the promise that I will never again yell repeatedly at anyone near by “I crushed that number” after hitting a long shot winner.

Depression – This is the darkness before the light of acceptance. The storm cloud in my head is repeating: I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS make the wrong bet. Of course I know this is not true, I try to keep in mind the Derby tri I hit this year and the late pick 4 at Belmont that paid handsomely, even for two bits. Then there is always the “happy” trip to the ATM, like a cherry on top of a crumby day at the track.

Acceptance – I really enjoy betting the NYRA pick 4; it’s a challenge and a thrill to be alive into that last leg, it’s even better when I have the occasional win. I’ve been playing horses for a long time but there is a learning curve for me with the Pick 4. When I’m alive into the last leg, I’ve taken to covering a few other horses with win bets. I’m slowly figuring it out, but it’s more than that. I have a stack of pick 4 tickets at home. I’ve always tossed losing tickets right away but I can’t bring myself to get rid of these little mementos of how the racing played out. They’re reminders of the action, the strategy, the fun of being in the game.

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.

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.

Wednesday is the opening day for the 2009 Saratoga Thoroughbred meet. Everyone has their fingers crossed for clear skies. Be sure to visit the gift shops located throughout the grandstand and clubhouse and pick up a copy of Off to a Flying Start (or at least a free postcard). Read the book and you’ll be well armed for cocktail party conversation after the races!

Here are the entries for the first race, a mile and a a sixteenth on the grass. Who do you like?