Read At Your Own Risk

Read At Your Own Risk

Risk of what you might ask?

Only possibly wasting 10 minutes of your precious time – nothing more. The following will be simple musings as more-or-less relates to our game of horse racing . . .

But hey – the plot already thickens: “Risk” and “Time” – aren’t those two of the most critical points of handicapping and betting on the nags? Certainly they are, and how they tie together can mean the difference between success and failure in this arena. “Arena” rings another vaguely familiar bell. Horse racing’s early heyday began in the great arenas of ancient Rome along with the gladiator spectacles, and the Circus Maximus with its outrageous public games and contests.

Life was evidently ‘cheaper’ in those days, and perhaps the idea of putting oneself at great risk was far more acceptable. Imagine . . . utterly wild horse and chariot racing – with few rules and absolutely no regard for safety of man nor beast. But you can bet the wagering on those events was hot and heavy!

So what is at risk when you wager on a horse race – when you try to predict which horse will take the least amount of time to get from point A to point B?

The obvious answer is – your money. A less obvious answer is – your time. And perhaps the least obvious of all is – your well-being.

I’ll make a few random (and rambling) points about each risk listed above (in no particular order) . . .

For me, the ‘obvious’ is that the three listed risks go in reverse order of importance.  Again – the question: Why do we enter into a game of risk in the first place? And again the usual answer is – “to get more money” – to end up with more money than we started with. Then why this urge to get more money? Again the answer seems so obvious – so we can acquire more things. Let me interject a quote here: The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We really want more freedom – of choice and action – and that relates directly to our sense of well-being.

How do you feel when you have spent, say, 2 or 3 hours pouring over the past performance data for the races in which you are interested – then take up, say, another 4 hrs. watching and betting on those races . . . and then lose, say 30% of the money you wagered that day? Don’t you often feel like you’ve just “wasted” your time? Like you could have been doing other things that would have ultimately been more rewarding to you during those hours?

The feeling of wasted time, time we can’t get back, time we could have spent in other ways – again can cause a sensation of regret, and a loss in one’s overall sense of well-being.

What then is the antidote – the solution – the manner in which we can use horse racing to increase our well-being?

I would put to you that it is not to treat it like a “circus” – not to look at it as some sort of grand entertainment put on for our benefit. It should be approached as a “pure” challenge. Another chance to act with precision, grace, and total commitment.  In other words, to have an attitude more like the gladiator in the arena rather than with the attitude of one of the greedy and rowdy spectators in the stands.

With this attitude – and a slight edge on the game – betting the races will be equally as rewarding as any other activity you could choose (let’s set aside quality time with loved ones – which is in a special category of its own).

. . .

Current update stats on results from the SPG and HO Indices:

Playing all top ranked horses from the SPG Index at odds 2/1 through 9/1 =  +35% ROI   – figures cover 116 races issued
Playing all qualifiers in the HO Index +34.2% ROI   – figures cover 67 races issued

Using the “K.C.” filter on the SPG Index  ROI is an astounding +90.8 %  (with exacta plays more than double that!)

. . .

 

4 comments

  1. The following article, which I copied and am pasting in its entirety, was published in today’s Lew Rockwel World Wide Web page, and with which I whole heartedly agree with in principle and spirit, details what each of us, who wish to restore these United States to following the the purposes for which they were created by our forefathers, must do:

    http://lewrockwell.com/orig13/hunter-l1.1.1.html

    • Thanks Hap. I replaced the long full excerpt with a link – I advise everyone to go there and read the article.

  2. No way should government get involved. Fully believe horse racing can police the drug problem on their own. What the Feds need to do is raise taxes on the super wealthy(rescind the Bush give aways to the super rich,) and initiate a plan to seriously reduce the budget deficit. Otherwise we are in as serious trouble as the Greeks, Spanish and Italians.We are not that far away from following San Bernadino into bankruptcy. Horse racing is a great pastime, and a great challenge.

    • Andrew – Thanks fo the comments. I like your very first sentence. But then you later indicate that perhaps the plan of one party is less optimal than the plan of the other party, and that maybe the recinding of certain policies, and the creation of new ones will help. I only know I’ve lived long enough to see the parties come and go – taking their 4 or 8 year turns at the helm – back and forth – a never ending parade of partisan ideas and plans to counteract or ‘save’ us from the terrible plans of the ‘others.’

      It’s has not served to make this country greater. Regardless of the plans, or who’s they are, we still find ourselves in our current situation. Our freedoms are fewer, the power and control of big government are greater, the dollar is on it’s way to worthlessness, and the furure of our children and grandchildren couldn’t be much bleaker. It seems to me that we need to wake up to the simple fact that big government of any kind will not – indeed by its very nature – cannot be part of the solution, but only part of the problem.

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