Reply #32: devilgrrl, please provide a list of subjects I'm allowed to care about

[Awsi Dooger]

I promise to bow, and never deviate or question. A few minutes ago I was eating frozen yogurt, but that's put away pending your approval.

Reminds me of a few years ago at Caesar's Palace, when the sportsbook manager excluded me from wagering there after a winning streak, telling his boss, "He bets on things we don't win on."

"Here," I mockingly told him, "I'll give you $10,000. Just call me tonight and let me know what I have."

I care about horse racing immensely, and not merely from a betting standpoint as another poster suggested. Other than one-on-one matchups or classic races it's foolish to wager on thoroughbred racing, with so many variables and about an 18% house take.

Check out Old Broad's terrific posts and manage a little common sense. The huge TV races are generally won by elite owners and trainers, but that hardly represents the sport as a whole. Funny Cide's owners were a group of about 10 old school chums who invested a few thousand apiece and came within a few lengths of Triple Crown immortality. The vast majority of people who work in the sport have nothing to do with the horses themselves. The best person I met via eBay is a ticket puncher at Aqueduct. A friend of mine from college has helped develop software that examines breeding patterns and theory.

Virtually every summer I travel to Saratoga. I park across the street next to a midsize stable whose workers are always upbeat and glad I'm back, saving a parking spot for me every day. We sit there and BS, watching the fans of every description head toward the grandstand. Sometimes I don't even make it to the track. These guys are primarily black and anything but filthy rich assholes. Racing is and has been their life. Frankly, I'm thrilled you apparently don't have the veto power to sweep it all away.