The Kentucky Derby is quickly approaching, and like most
undergrads, I went into last weekend not quite sure what to look
for in a winning horse.
In college, most students learn how to check-raise their poker
hands, but betting on the ponies remains as foreign as a periodic
table on North Campus. For some reason, a day at the races
doesn’t carry the same allure as a night in the casino.
I paid a visit to Hollywood Park (which is really more like
Inglewood) this past Saturday, but only spotted a couple people in
UCLA apparel. One had white hair and a fanny pack, while the other
seemed to be desperately looking for his parents.
“There’s more competition now with casino gambling,
lotteries, and poker on TV,” said George Ortuzar, a marketing
representative for the venue. “There’s so many things
to do in L.A. People just want to pull a slot machine and have
instant gratification. Here, you have to study. It’s more of
a process.”
Growing up, I’d get dragged along to the races every now
and then with my family, who made the excursions worthwhile by
letting me bet on a couple races. My methods back then were
slightly more sophisticated than my grandmother’s. She picked
the prettiest horse; I picked the one with my lucky number.
Little did I know how much studying could go into the process.
Hovering around the paddock this past Saturday, the crowd of
spectators carefully scrutinized the horses before they were taken
onto the track. As the horses were paraded around for the fans to
examine, I felt like a blind judge at a beauty pageant. The
foremost criterion I considered was eye contact, but most horses
seemed too bashful, so I had to take a deeper look at their other
body parts instead.
“If their veins are sticking out of their legs, they look
athletic,” said Connie Carter, a frequent spectator who gave
me some tips on what to look for. “If they’re too
excited, it’s no good. If they poop, it’s
good.”
Other spectators told me how perked ears and dappled spots were
good, while a sweaty white lather on the skin was bad. And then
there were the odds, as well as a host of other factors to consider
as well.
“I like to look at past performances, map out the race,
and look for advantages,” said Chad Kudica, a devoted fan who
is a firm believer in doing some homework ahead of time.
Fortunately, I had been given a complementary program guide,
which gave me the inside scoop on stuff like which horses ran out
in front of the pack and which ones had been injected with the
steroid Lasix for the first time.
Needless to say, there was a lot to digest. Realizing I
couldn’t become an expert in one day, I made a number of bets
on the horses with the coolest names. Follow the Rainbow and
Bordonaro paid off, but Gong and Thundermann didn’t quite
live up to their names. I also took Carter’s advice when I
saw Panzano drop a deuce on the way to the track, but his
fourth-place finish in the ninth post gave me a hunch that Carter
was just trying to pull a fast one on me.
After placing my bets, I made my way toward the grandstand to
catch the actual races. Fans can only see the stretch-run live,
which was a little disappointing for me because Gong and
Thundermann were never in contention by that point. Nevertheless, I
could sense the adrenaline rush, particularly during the eighth
post’s photo finish between King of Happiness and Red
Fort.
Some spectators were doing their best jockey imitation,
galloping in place while slapping their newspaper against their hip
and shouting, “Hold him off.” I think King of Happiness
must have gotten the message, because he had just enough juice left
to hold off the surging favorite at the wire.
Shortly after, countless losing ticket stubs and cigarette butts
fell to the ground and some fans muttered things under their
breath. Part of me wanted to get their reactions on the record, but
based on my experience of interviewing athletes after losses, I
decided it’d be best to leave them alone. The afternoon at
Hollywood Park had been quite enjoyable and there was no need to
spoil it by talking to some distraught fans who just lost their
weekly paycheck betting on Red Fort to win.
In spite of my novice level, my losses were minimal, and I
couldn’t understand why more college kids aren’t
clamoring to get their gambling fix while enjoying a sunny
afternoon so close to home.
Hollywood Park has been trying to reach out to the younger
generation with $1 beers, hot dogs and live music on Friday nights.
The slogan, “Hang out with some real party animals,” is
catchy and clever.
It’s enough to get me out there again, but maybe some
students just don’t feel like doing more homework over the
weekend.
E-mail Finley at afinley@media.ucla.edu if you like picking
longshots to win, place or show.