Opening Day at the Spa

Back to back days. Here we go. Summer in full swing.

Yesterday was everything California, a rollicking day of racing and partying by the sea.  Today we visit upstate New York and Saratoga race track, where the air will have a more leisurely feel and every step will be steeped in history.  

Saratoga is commonly known as The Spa for the mineral springs which have lured visitors to Saratoga Springs for centuries. The oldest sporting venue in the country, Saratoga is a place where time stands still.  Today the gates open for the 146th season. 

Most visitors will bring a picnic and stake out their spot under the oak trees which line the Saratoga grounds. 20,000+ attendees will walk through the turnstiles every weekend day until September to see the best horses on the east coast, which traditionally stable at Saratoga and make an appearance at some point in the seven week meet. Everyone wants to be a part of the fun at The Spa.   

As for today's gambling, yesterday at Del Mar I was reacquainted with an important lesson that I need to commit to memory (or brand into my skin): track conditions matter, and there is no way to know how the track is playing early on opening day.  Yesterday speed was fairing very well on both the main track and the turf course at Del Mar.  Horses that were trying to come from behind were for the most part stuck in the mud, which applied to several of my Pick 3 selections.  Locking in my selections before getting a good read on how the track was faring is a rookie mistake.   

My key horse from yesterday Super Reagan got in good position early in the race and finished a hard fought second.  I thought he had it won turning for home, but he couldn't get passed the winner.  I had a $10 show bet on Super Reagan which returned $16 and helped to negate a little of the losses from my Pick 3, but I lost that profit of $6 right back when I played $2 across the board on Stoney Fleece in the 5th race who started slow and had no luck trying to pass horses in the stretch.   

In short, I should have watched a few races before committing to the horses in my Pick 3.  Or I should have negated my Pick 3 altogether and focused more energy on the races in the latter part of the card, once I knew how the track was faring.

I won't make the same mistake today.

I'm going to watch the first few races at Saratoga and then develop a plan for races later in the day.  Maybe play a late double or just enjoy the action and pick out a few horses to support across the board.  It's a long racing season and the excitement of an opening day can catch up with you, but patience is a huge virtue at the betting window and today I'm going to use some discretion. 

Opening day at The Spa is enough to get me excited.  The profits can wait.  At least a few races.