How's Your Halo

The end of the day was near, and the Chalk Eating Weasel knew it. Playing 3 tracks in one day was not his usual habit, but the racing secretary at Calder Race Course had forced him to it. Imagine filling a card with Maiden Claiming and Claiming for non-winners of 2 for three year olds and up. A card full of races filled with slow horses whose names will never be mentioned in the same breath as the greats. The Weasel wouldn't call them chronic losers. He has too much respect for even the lowliest of the breed to hang such a denigrating appellation upon them, but they were slow.

So the Weasel was playing Churchill and Fairgrounds in addition to the playable races at Calder. He thought about playing Aqueduct, but decided, being a Southern man, that he wanted no part of that damn Yankee track. He'd keep it in the south. The Fair Grounds is definitely in the south. CRC at qualifies geographically if not in state of mind. Churchill, residing in the northern reaches of a border state qualified, barely.

Things started off poorly for the Weasel, getting headed in the 2nd race at CRC and watching Leparoux ride the Weasel's underlaid top choice pass his actual investing selection in the 1st at Churchill. Things weren't getting any better as he watched the logical choice, Democratic Taxes (Leparoux again), while his betting selection in this race was leading at the 3/4 pole but faded badly in that long CD stretch.

As the day wore on it got worse as the Weasel's contenders weren't even winning at Churchill. Luckily, the Fair Grounds had kicked in giving the Weasel a couple of winners to stay in the game with, but still he was down and doubt was gnawing at him.

By now the feature race at Calder was up next. The Weasel liked, in order, Golden Spikes (Trained by Marty Wolfson) at anything greater than 9-2, but he didn't expect to get that on a Wolfson trainee that was 4 for 5 at CRC. Paradise Dancer who had yet to win in 3 races in 2008, but had run some hot Beyer's in 2007. Still at 8 years of age, using 20/20 hindsight, perhaps Paradise Dancer's best days are behind him. Ikigai, another Wolfson trainee and a speedball who with the withdrawl of Machismo had the possibility of stealing the race on the front end. Finally, How's Your Halo was his 4th choice. How's Your Halo is a nice enough 5 year old that managed to finish a drafting 2nd to Benny the Bull in July. No shame there, but How's Your Halo had only managed to win 1 race in 2007 and all of 2008.

When the tote board posted the first odds for the race the Weasel was dismayed. The only overlay on the board was How's Your Halo at around 20-1. Normally, that would make the Weasel ecstatic, but his confidence was shaken. Too many times on this day he had dutifully played his overlays only to watch a horse he liked better beat him at the wire, or even worse, a horse he didn't even consider to be a contender win while his chosen decided to lollygag towards the rear of the herd. "Please, please" he pleaded with the tote board, "Give me another horse to play."

It has been written,"Be careful what you wish for. You just may get it." The Gods of racing granted the Weasel's plea. How's Your Halo drifted down to an unplayable 6 to 1 while Paradise Dancer drifted up to what the Weasel felt to be a much more comfortable 4 to 1.

Well lo and behold, How's Your Halo was first under the wire being chased futilely by the favored Golden Spikes. Paradise Dancer finished a non-threatening...last.

Now he was at the end of the day. His bankroll as diminished as his spirits. One more race, the feature stakes at the Fair Grounds. C Karma, Breeder's Cup juvenile turf participant and only Graded stakes winner in the field seemed the logical choice to the Weasel. The Weasel wasn't concerned about Karma's lackluster Cup performance. Many good horses had bad days that weekend. Of more concern was the fact that this would be Karma's first time running in anger on real dirt. For that reason he made her 3 to 1 rather than 2 to 1 and required 9-2 to bet her.

Steve Asmussen had a couple of entries in this race that the Weasel thought had a chance: Tiffany Royal and A Day For Dancing. They were his 2nd and 3rd selections. He also thought Kays and Jays trained by Bill Mott had a chance.

Imagine the Weasel's glee as the odds opened with C Karma at 6 to 1. He couldn't believe his good fortune as he had a really strong feeling about this race. If only the odds would hold he would finally be able to play his top choice. Tiffany Royal was the public top choice with Kays and Jays the 2nd choice. A Day For Dancing seemed to be getting over looked, but that was OK, because his top choice was alive! The clocked ticked down. By 1o minutes to post C Karma was at 5 to 1. Still OK, he really didn't expect 6 to 1 on such an obvious choice. At 5 minutes to post C Karma was at 9 to 2. "Please, oh please," pleaded the Weasel to the Racing Gods once again. "Blind the crowd's eyes to the merits of this horse." However, this time the Gods turned a deaf ear to the Weasel's pleas at Karma drifted as low as 7 to 2. What was the Weasel to do?

Well the Weasel remembered what had happened at CRC with How's Your Halo and dutifully laid his money on his only overlay, A Day For Dancing. When the horses broke from the gate, both C Karma and A Day For Dancing seemed to lag the rest. Oh cruel Gods! But wait coming down the backstretch, A Day For Dancing is passing horses! As they come around the turn for home, A Day For Dancing is forging ahead. As they move down the stretch, A Day For Dancing is drifting out in the stretch, obviously tiring. Oh hold on Dancing, hold on. The horses behind Dancing are a looming threat but they cannot pass. C'mon Dancing. Then a streak appears on the outside, its C Karma. C Karma has all the momentum. Keep moving Dancing don't quit! And Dancing didn't quit. However Dancing was not able to hold off the speeding C Karma. But even as Dancing was being inevitably passed, Weasel kept yelling,"Hold on Dancing!"

The race was over, but the Weasel was still smiling. He had remained true to his principles and his method. The Weasel had certainly got his money's worth from Dancing who gave her all in finishing 2nd. The Weasel also had a $2.00 exacta ticket worth $66.60 that not only brought him all the way back, but actually put him a little ahead for the day. Because, you have probably figured out that the Weasel not only played Dancing to win, he also took the C Karma/Dancing exacta.

What a great sport that enables us lucky enough to follow it to experience such depths and heights of emotion. Truly it was a day for dancing.

Addendum: No damn yankees were harmed in the writing of this blog, but I wanted to.