#28: Bet on a Horse Race

Having lived in Richmond, I have been to the Strawberry Hill Races at least five times in my life and am ashamed to say I have never actually seen a horse there, much less a race. Hence, #28 Bet on a Horserace. Plus, gambling is fun.

Located in Martinsville, VA at the home of Dave and Reneé Scott, The Dead Kings Bar and Dart Lounge has attracted visitors from across the country. Kevin and I had to plan a visit to see it for ourselves. Kevin’s brother Dave teaches high school and coaches the Bassett High baseball team. We drove into Martinsville on a Friday afternoon, just in time to catch the last half of a game and to see one of Coach Scott’s players almost knock himself unconscious against the outfield wall. Don’t worry, he was okay. Then two of Dave’s kids hit back to back homeruns, making it the most exciting HS baseball game I had ever seen (also the only HS baseball game I had ever seen). Post game, we drove to the Dead Kings Bar, where Reneé and I lounged at the bar while Kevin and Dave played darts.

The next morning our hosts drove us over to the Colonial Downs Off Track Betting site so I could pick my pony and place my bet. The boys grabbed a few race books and seats at the bar while Reneé explained what was going on. You can pick a horse to win, place (1st or 2nd place), or show (1st, 2nd, or 3rd); or you can box your picks which turned out to be the real moneymaker of the day, meaning you can pick two horses to finish 1st and 2nd.

I picked ‘She Be Classy’ in my first race, with a simple pick for her to win. She may be classy, but she wasn’t fast; I lost. After that I started paying attention to the odds and varying my bets, but I still didn’t have any real strategy to what I was doing. Luckily, the OTB has a simple touch screen betting system, so you never actually have to talk to a real person. In fact, the room was filled with several older men who may not have talked to anyone else in years. In the next race I boxed my picks, and good ole ‘Struggles’ really came through for me in one of my biggest wins of the day. From there I picked a horse with a jockey by the name of Bobby Walker (lost), and Kevin bet on ‘Dakota’ (also lost). For my last bet, I put money on a long shot to place, ‘Indygo’s Girlfriend’, and the sweet filly came in 2nd for me.

I think I just about broke even for the day which I’m counting as a success. Next year, live horse racing and the biggest, tackiest hat I can find!

4 down; 26 to go