My name is Annie. I'm 30-something. I live in St. Louis, MO and I'm married to an awesome guy who loves the Derby almost as much as I do. We have 2 boys who are six and three. I'm trying to slowly get them into horse racing. When I was watching the Breeder's Cup, my three year old watched a couple races with me and I took the chance to teach him a few things like turf vs. grass and what the gate is. Gotta start small so he doesn't get overwhelmed. I think if my kids can handicap a race by the time they're 16, I will have done something right. Unless they go all Brandon Walsh and end up with a gambling problem.
I love the Derby. I love handicapping and watching the prep races. I love planning our trip. I love shopping for the perfect hat, dress and shoes (and jewelry and purse and special handicapping pens). I love walking up to Churchill Downs and seeing the twin spires. I love seeing the guy dressed up at Col. Sanders every year. I love all things Kentucky Derby.
So that's who I am. Who I am not is a serious, year round gambler. I'm too cheap for that and Fairmount Park, the race track just outside of STL, is pretty crummy. If Santa Anita is a shiny BMW, Fairmount is a used Hyumdai Elantra. One with a rear panel that doesn't match the rest of the car and it only has 2 hubcaps. I'd be surprised of there was a horse there this summer with a Beyer speed rating over 60. I've seen horses with negative speed ratings over there. I don't even know how that's possible! And while I can find my way around a DRF past performance sheet, I don't know anything about track bias or time splits. If that's what you came for, head on over to the forums at Pace Advantage.com. For me, it seems like I have the same luck whether I handicap a race or pick a winner because I like the name. I won $85 on last year's Kentucky Oaks by betting on Princess Sylmar simply because my favorite jockey, Mike Smith, was riding. That was a pretty awesome ticket to cash.
Stick around if you want to explore Derby contenders, prep races, fashion and travel tips. It should be a good time!
No comments:
Post a Comment