Best racing tip or contact you ever had?

[rontheman1964]

What is the best tip on a horse or the best racing connection you ever had?

In the 90's my brother was a manager of a pizza place in Omaha. He notices an order with the last name of a pretty "big time" trainer at Ak-Sar-Ben at the time. He tells the kid in pick-up to come get him when the people come to get this pizza. Sure enough, one of the younger sons ,Donnie, is there for the pizza. My brother introduces himself and tells the guy he is a racing fan and the pizza in on the house that night. Donnie is very grateful and says, "Here's my phone number. Give me a call when you're going to the races and I'll tell you if I like anything."

Hmmm, how often do you take advantage of an offer like this?

Well, we called that weekend. Donnie gives us one of their horses and he wins as the favorite.

About a week later. My brother calls me at school and says Donnie gave him 2 of his horses that day. They are in the 1st and 2nd races. I leave early, bet some big doubles and some money on the horse in the 1st. He wins in a cakewalk at 5-1. I feel strangely confident with my daily double wager. The horse breaks on top and increases his margin until he coasts home the easiest of winners.

It all culminates when my brother calls where I am on rotation and they page me on the intercom. I get the call and he tells me Donnie gave him a horse in the feature race. The meet is about to end and we think the goose who lays the golden eggs will be out of our lives forever. I am supposed to be at me rotation site up to when I would miss the race. What to do??? I went to my supervisor and told him the truth. The page was my brother calling me with a tip on a horse from a trainer friend of ours. If I were to make the race I would have to leave early. The guy looks at me puzzled and says "I know this must be the truth because it sounds too goofy to be a lie. Sure go ahead." I offered to take a bet for him but he said these things never work out for him.
I stop by the bank and get some money for my last bet from "The Pizza Man". I get there and find my brother and our neighbor. I bet $500 on the nose on his horse (again the favorite.) The horse stumbles and goes down to his nose at the break. The jockey somehow stays in the saddle, gathers him up, and patiently works his way into contention. He goes about 4 wide on the turn and blitzes down the middle of the stretch all the while whipping the horse. (Apparently the barn must have backed this horse as well.) The horse wins in a very tight photo and we are ecstatic as we cash our tickets.

We had received a total of 8 horses from "The Pizza Man" - each from his or one of his family members barns - and 7 of them won. The other ran second.

Sorry for the long post. It was amazing what we received for the price of one pizza. Does anyone else have similar stories?

[Indian Charlie]

i had a tip on a horse named matty g. i had a relative that knew someone in the barn and was told that he was held back in his first start and couldn't lose 2nd time out.

sure enough, the horse got bet way down, to around 2/1, off a miserable debut performance and won.

i also got a tip on giacamo to win the derby, but the person who told me that was a buffoon.

[ALostTexan]

Sort of the same, but I was at Scioto Downs one evening with my little sister. I had the only program between us for the day, and we were watching and betting on some of the races at Scioto on their card.

The people at the table next to us got up and left, leaving behind their program with 2 races left on the card. My sister picked it up, and started looking through it. They had handicapped the entire card, and she started to realize that they were pretty good.

I wasn't really paying attention, until she finally said "If those people played all of their picks they were doing great." I compared their picks to the results, and realized they had done well.

So, there was only 1 race left on the card, and I blindly played their 3 picks in a Exacta/Trifecta box. Cost $12, but I was doing OK on the day. I went about playing some other tracks, and looked up when she said that our horses were coming in. Turns out, if I had looked at their picks closely, I would have never bet like a 50-1 in the pick, but he came in to win, and our Exacta paid around $550.

We were quite excited, and decided to split the money, since I made the bet and she figured it out, but neither had put the actual work into handicapping the race. We were both happy, and honestly hoped that the people that left the program actually bet on the race and made a little scratch, too...

ALostTexan

[Zaf]

Back in the day in NY , it was always harness racing, didn't matter if it was the Meadowlands or Yonkers, the exactas were always cold. Never got info like that on the T-Breds.

[dellinger63]

No Comment lol

[ThreeKings]

I was bartending at canterbury back in the early 90s and a backstrecher tells me a 50-1 quarter can't loose so I bet him on top of three horses and he wins at 55-1 and the exacta pays $550

[SentToStud]

1978. I was traveling from Detroit to Myrtle Beach. I stopped in Cinci at River Downs. It was pouring rain. A trainer I knew and who had a son I was friends with spotted me and called me over. He asked what I was doing and after a couple minutes he asked me how much money I had. I told him $200. He told me to take $20 and bet his horse in the first race. The horse was a first time starter named Royal Stearic. He went off at 6-1 and won by two lengths. Patrick B. Devereux was a good man. Pat, Jr., I hope you are doing well, wherever you are.

[GPK]

my best inside info used to hang around these parts...







































Man, I miss PG1985

[SentToStud]

Your boy Scav will have to fill those shoes.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

i also got a tip on giacamo to win the derby, but the person who told me that was a buffoon.

Perhaps.....but, I hear he's quite pretty.

[Storm Cadet]

Best tip was from my high school baseball coach about a FIXED race at Atlantic City...he even wrote me a pass to miss school to place his bets there. Made $$$

Worst tip was 2 years later while I was in college. Same coach calls me about a fixed race at Yonkers. 5 horse field. 3 crooked drivers (Herve Fillion & Carmine Abbatello aboard HY Bernadette) try to wire the field on long shots and block the 2 remaining guys from winning. Good guys smelled the fix and they wired the field. They were whipping each others horses the whole race and the Yonkers stewards knew something was up...no replay ever showed to crowd...no finish photo. Thats the race the fans lit garbage cans on fire and tossed them on the track. Lost THOUSANDS and stayed away from horse racing for over 30 years.

In hindsight, maybe that worst tip was a good tip,because I didn't rejoin racing until I became an owner, never gambled for over 25-30 years on racing.

[TheSpyder]

1970, I was a 15 year old and use to hitch to Thistledown more often than I'll admit. I always worked but always threw my money away at the ponies.

I was down to my last two dollors and liked the seven horse. Since I had plenty of time between races I wondered down to the paddock to look at my last chance.

As the seven came out towards the track I looked at him and the jockey. The jockey was staring at the guy next to me as he passed and his hands moved to the side of the saddle and stuck out his fingers as he looked at the guy signifying..."five" and he smiled. I looked at the guy next to me who also smiled and was obviously his twin brother.

I figured if my jockey liked the five I ought to as well.

The five won by open lengths at a really good price, like 5-6/1.

NICE!

[Thunder Gulch]

I got so drunk at the 1993 Derby that I talked to God and he told me to bet it all on the Sea Hero/ Prarie Bayou exacta straight...I was going to key SH over 6 horses.

[SentToStud]

Originally Posted by TheSpyder

1970, I was a 15 year old and use to hitch to Thistledown more often than I'll admit. I always worked but always threw my money away at the ponies.

I was down to my last two dollors and liked the seven horse. Since I had plenty of time between races I wondered down to the paddock to look at my last chance.

As the seven came out towards the track I looked at him and the jockey. The jockey was staring at the guy next to me as he passed and his hands moved to the side of the saddle and stuck out his fingers as he looked at the guy signifying..."five" and he smiled. I looked at the guy next to me who also smiled and was obviously his twin brother.

I figured if my jockey liked the five I ought to as well.

The five won by open lengths at a really good price, like 5-6/1.

NICE!

Good thing they didn't like the #12 horse!

[2Hot4TV]

Originally Posted by Thunder Gulch

I got so drunk at the 1993 Derby that I talked to God and he told me to bet it all on the Sea Hero/ Prarie Bayou exacta straight...I was going to key SH over 6 horses.

Oh you're killin me. LOL

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

Perhaps.....but, I hear he's quite pretty.

yeah, i hear that alot too.

[Slewbopper]

Started playing in '78. was told to always bet a Stage Door Johnny first time turf. Nailed a horse named Cape Playhouse in a NW1, first time turf with $50 to win at 10/1. That was a huge bet for me back then

[PPerfectfan]

From a family friend, Breeders Cup 2003!!! Hit the Juvy exacta cold!! Also hit the tri in that race with Action/Eric 2 in the 1st/2nd spot and 3 horses for 3rd. Hit the Turf race. And crushed PP in the Classic. Had him$100 Win(biggest single bet of my life)Hit the exacta/tri and super with him singled in the top spot on all tickets!!!! <see screename> I love the big guy. Took my best friend with me to the OTB for her first experience with betting, umm yeah she is hooked now. She asked me on the way home if we could play the BC next weekend.hehe The regulars at the OTB started off feeling sorry for us dumb girls, trying to make us see the error of our betting ways to one drunk man cussing us out <"hello security!!> after the Juvy! And to top it all off after TVG had talked smack about the Mandella horses works on "The Works", they apoligized for being wrong. Greatest betting day of my life and I understand I will never top it.....unless the BC comes back to Santa Anita,,,,,,umm wait, where is the BC next year???

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

around the q at toga..many good ones...julian in the 10th ...rained all day..he rolled paying 26.80........a tip from steveo if i recall

[pba1817]

Class on the turf, turf earnings...