Long time lurker on this and several other gambling related forums. Enjoy reading everyone's posts and thought I would share my story.
About 15 years ago on a family vacation to New Mexico, we stopped at Riudoso Downs for a day of quarter horse racing. I'll never forget the first horse I bet on, Tequilamockingbird, probably because I had just read the book To Kill A Mockingbird in middle school. The horse went off at 6 or 7-1 and I walked up to the window with my mom to make a $2 win bet. Of course, the horse wins, and the rest is history. I remember holding that $14-16 bucks in my hand and thinking I was on top of the world.
Flash forward to about 5 years ago, I had about an hour long break at my job every morning. An old retired truck driver would stop by every day during our break and bring his Dallas Morning News with him, so we could pick out our ponies at Lone Star Park for the day while we ate breakfast. Whoever picked the least correct from the day before had to buy breakfast the next day for the other 3 guys. After I bought breakfast for about a month straight, I started to get my hands on everything I could horse-related. Started going to the track with the old truck driver (Louisiana Downs) and fell in love with the sport. Actually got halfway decent at it and stopped buying breakfast for the other guys too. Sad to say the old truck driver whom I had befriended found out he had kidney cancer, went through chemo, beat the cancer and then died in a car wreck one day coming home from dialysis. Going to the track reminds me of him and all the good times we shared and kind of makes me feel like I'm carrying out his legacy, because I know he loved to be there.
I choose horse racing as my primary gambling choice because of the skill involved. I love a challenge, and it seems every race I handicap creates a new one.
Like I said, I thoroughly enjoy reading everyones opinions/posts and would like to thank you Steve for the excellent site you have to bring so many people together that enjoy the same thing.
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