#27 Arlington--Ca Ching!

Completing goal #22, Bet $60 at Arlington Race Track, did not appear to be too difficult of a task to undertake, however, being the cheapskate that I am and hating to lose money, it was literally a gamble of a goal for me. After the first two races where both of my horses came in dead last, I began regretting this whole objective and wondered how I could possibly modify it without going home sixty dollars in the red. I won't bore you with the details, but I did manage to bet $60 and my returns landed thirty extra dollars in my pocket. My biggest win came when I mistakenly bet five dollars on a horse to win instead of my usual safe bet--to show. Rainy Rain was the horse that led me to $51.50 in the plus column. After the shaky beginning, I improved on my betting skills (picking the winner on the significance of the horse's name) and was on a roll with victory laps to the teller's window on almost every race.

As previously stated, trying to pick a winner on a name only basis proved to be a productive endeavor for me, however, Rob had a different strategy . He insisted on buying a daily race guide that he laboriously searched for possible clues that would lead him to a profitable day. Let me review the situation and establish what worked and what didn't-- I brought home thirty dollars and he was in the hole fifteen. No brainer, as my kids would say.

Speaking of names, where in the world do they come up with the outrageous handles for these beautiful creatures? A few of the more creative names were: Shes Down with Jim, Calzone (Mike renamed it the Italian Stallion), Sin Bin, and my favorite, Thiscatcanscat. The names along with the new vocabulary words--closers, stalkers, and pressers--has led to my continuing education at the track and, quite possibly, in life.

Will I now insist on a weekly or monthly pilgrimage so that I can repeat my triumphant performance on the rail? I think not. Lucky one day does not not necessarily mean lucky ever again. I did not lose my shirt, friends, or dear husband; but managed to laugh, gamble and check off another goal so it was deemed a successful day. Making money was not on my sixty list, but it certainly sweetened the pot.