Off the Snide

It's been a few weeks and many bets coming, but I hope I've turned the handicapping corner with a modest win yesterday at Belmont. My Triple Crown performances - the big dances and their undercards - have been abysmal. Yesterday I had some time to look at Belmont's final four races. With Wishful Tomcat, almost a sure thing in the feature, I tried to nail down races six, seven and nine in short order, since I only had $12 in my wagering account. 

Alas, I missed race six, but came home in time to catch the last race. I would have missed the Pick 4 - one that was hittable since Wishful Tomcat won - but arrived home in time for the nightcap -  state bred, NX1 dash on the turf. Two overriding reasons for landing on the eventually winner, Princess Maura:

• Loose on the lead type speed in a paceless race
• My good friend's oldest child's name - Maura

At 12-1, I simply clicked $2 win and played two, $1 exactas. The win and half the excata returned $80 for my $4 wagered. Finally!

By the way the Pick 4 with a horses odds - 10-1, 3-2, 8-5, and 12-1 returned a $1,050 for a $1 bet. With the free space of Wishful Tomcat, an investment of $36 to $48 would have been enough to hit it.