This month in racing history saw some legendary Quarter Horse racehorses create memorable moments on and off the track.

Goetta breaks her maiden on May 8, 1963, in her first start, going 350 yards at Los Alamitos. (Photo courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum)

1946
May 19 – Prissy, Miss Bank, Lucky and reigning world champion Queenie finish first through fourth in the El Paso Sheriff’s Posse Stakes at Rillito Park in Tucson.

1947
May 3 – In one of the most celebrated match races in history, Woven Web defeats Shue Fly by 1 1/2 lengths over the quarter mile at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds in Del Rio, Texas. Bred and owned by the King Ranch, Woven Web is a 4-year-old Thoroughbred by Bold Venture that competes as “Miss Princess” on the Quarter tracks. Charles and Elmer Hepler’s 10-year-old Cowboy mare Shue Fly is a three-time world champion, 1941-42, ‘42-43 and ‘43-44.

1951
May 2 – On her way to a co-world championship with Maddon’s Bright Eyes, Monita defeats Savannah Gray, Clabbertown G, Drifter, Leota W, Tonta Lad and Clabber’s Lady V in an allowance at Bay Meadows. Bred by J.F. Goodwin, Monita is a 4-year-old Joe Moore mare now racing for Lewis Blackwell of Amarillo, Texas.

1953
May 2, 9 & 23 – Racing at Los Alamitos, Miss Meyers defeats MT Pockets, Barjo and others in an allowance, and returns to outrun Barbara L, Rukin String, Gold Bar, Bardella, Monita, Robin Reed, Question’s Gold, Tonto Bars Gill and Black Easter Bunny in the California Championship. Bred and owned by O.C. Meyer of Staples, Minnesota, the 4-year-old mare by Leo then finishes seventh in Clabbertown G’s Peninsula Championship at Bay Meadows.

1954
May 8 & 15 – Scoring her seventh and eighth victories in what will be a record 14 consecutive wins, Josie’s Bar defeats Black Easter Bunny and Rukin String in the California Championship at Los Alamitos, and then defeats Bardella and Monita in a Bay Meadows allowance. The sophomore Three Bars (TB) filly races for her breeder, Oscar Cox of Lawton, Oklahoma.

Take a walk with The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal’s Richard Chamberlain as he profiles some of the fastest horses in history in AQHA’s Quarter Paths report.

1955
May 7 –Go Man Go beats Dolly’s Ace in the Juvenile Championship at Los Alamitos. J.B. Ferguson’s homebred colt by Top Deck (TB) is undefeated in six races. Bred by C.T. Guseman of Hereford, Texas, Dolly’s Ace is a daughter of Bob-Shade (TB) and would return in 1956 to be champion sophomore filly.

1956
May 5 – Starting his fourth race since becoming the first 2-year-old to win the world championship, Go Man Go finishes first but is disqualified to 10th for interference in the Los Alamitos Championship. Miss Myrna Bar moves up to first, with Bob’s Folly second. Bred and owned by Franklin Cox of Chandler, Arizona, the 5-year-old Three Bars (TB) mare Miss Myrna Bar was the sport’s champion freshman filly in 1953.

1957
May 1 – Fly Chick Fly defeats Mr Bar None by a length in the Juvenile Championship, with Burke’s Bars third. Starting his second race and finishing sixth is Segura Miguel. (A gelding by Be Sure Now (TB) out of the great sprinter Stella Moore, Segura Miguel on Labor Day at Ruidoso Downs will win the first running of the Southwestern Futurity, a forerunner of the Grade 1 All American Futurity.) Bred by C.R. Thompson of Devine, Texas, Fly Chick Fly is a colt by Red Chick W.

1958
May 3 – Vanetta Dee defeats reigning world champion Go Man Go by a nose in the Los Alamitos Championship. Vandy’s Flash finishes third. Bred by Dee Garrett of Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Vanetta Dee and Vandy’s Flash are full siblings, both by Vandy out of American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Garrett’s Miss Pawhuska, a daughter of Leo.

1959
May 2 – Miss Louton sets a :21.9 track record over the quarter mile while defeating Vandy’s Flash by 1 1/4 lengths in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship. The 3-year-old filly by Tonto Bars Gill races for Marion Seward of Wray, Colorado.

1960
May 7 & 21 – Vandy’s Flash wins the Los Alamitos Championship by 1 1/4 lengths over Triple Lady, with Aunt Judy third. The 6-year-old gelding by Vandy then goes to Ruidoso Downs, where he defeats First Call, Breeze Bar and Lena’s Bar (TB) in a 350-yard allowance. Vandy’s Flash races for John Askew of Belleview, Missouri.

1961
May 6 – Pap defeats Breeze Bar by a nose and Tonto Bars Hank by three parts of a side in the Los Alamitos Championship. Last year’s winner, world champion Vandy’s Flash, is eased and finishes last, receives no time and does not return to the races until September 1962. Racing for N.S. Krems and S. Lasher of Los Angeles, Pap is a 7-year-old Papitas gelding trained by Lloyd Walker. In the irons is up-and-coming rider Charley Smith, an Oklahoma native who is winning the first of his three Los Alamitos Championships and after retirement will be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.

1962
May 3 & 8 – Jet Deck defeats Romabar and Moolah Bar in a Los Alamitos allowance, and then scores over Tiny Charger, Flicka’s Request and Top Moon in the Juvenile Championship. Bred by William Carter of Caldwell, Idaho, the Moon Deck colt races for J.B. Chambers of Littleton, Colorado.

May 5 – Pokey Bar and Alamitos Bar run one-two in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship. Both colts are by Three Bars (TB) and race for their breeders, Pokey Bar for Hugh Huntley and Alamitos Bar for Frank Vessels’ Western Stables.

May 19 – Coming off a third in the Los Al Championship, No Butt defeats Fly Straw in the Mr Bar None Stakes at Ruidoso Downs. The 7-year-old mare by Joe Less is bred by Guy Corpe of Sacramento, California, and races for Guy Purinton of Tipton, California.

May 19 & 27 – Hustling Man breaks his maiden on his fifth career start, his first at Ruidoso Downs. J.B. Ferguson’s homebred colt by Go Man Go then returns to win a Ruidoso allowance.

1963
May 4 – Jet Deck wins the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship by 2 1/2 lengths over Straw Flight, with Silent Ariel third and Tiny Charger fourth.

May 8 – Goetta breaks her maiden in her first start, going 350 yards at Los Alamitos. Bred by E.L. Gosselin of Edmond, Oklahoma, the Go Man Go filly is owned by Hugh Huntley of Colfax, California.

1964
May 9 – Anna Dial, Tidy’s Pleasure and Scooper Chick lead the way in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship, while Goetta finishes seventh and last. Racing for Stanley and Judy Mickle’s Valley View Ranch at Weatherford, Texas, Anna Dial is a 4-year-old mare by champion Johnny Dial.

May 9 – Decketta finishes second to Nancy’s Gold in her first start, at Grabo Turf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma. The filly by Top Deck (TB) is bred, owned and trained by W.W. Wilson of Blanchard, Oklahoma.

In AQHA’s Quarter Paths report, read the colorful tales of Beduino, Dash For Cash, Easy Jet, First Down Dash, Go Man Go, Jet Deck, and Peter McCue.

1965
May 8 – Go Josie Go defeats Anna Dial and Bar Request in the Los Alamitos Invitational Championship. The 3-year-old product of world champions Go Man Go and Josie’s Bar races for A.O. Phillips of Dallas, Texas.

May 22 & 30 – Racing at La Mesa Park in Raton, New Mexico, Savannah Jr wins his trial by four lengths and the final of the Oklahoma Futurity by a length. The colt by Everett Jr. (TB) is a homebred racing for J.R. and Ray Cates of Oklahoma.

1966
May 7 & 15 – Top Ladybug wins her trial by half a length and the final of the Oklahoma Futurity by one length at La Mesa Park. Bred by Marvin and Lela Barnes of Ada, Oklahoma, the Top Deck (TB) filly is out of the Barnes’ blue hen mare and American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer FL Lady Bug, a 1945 daughter of Sergeant.

1968
May 23 – Bay Meadows racetrack at San Mateo opens the first Quarter Horse meet to be run at night under lights in California.

1969
May 11 & 18 – Easy Jet wins his trial and the final of the Lubbock Downs Futurity at Lubbock, Texas. The Jet Deck colt is bred, owned and trained by Walter Merrick of Sayre, Oklahoma.

1970
May 12 – Racing at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, California, the freshman filly Band Of Angels breaks her maiden on first asking. Charles Woodson’s Hadan Livestock Co., bred Band Of Angels and also world champion Kaweah Bar, both by Alamitos Bar.

1971
May 14 – Charger Bar wins a 350-yard allowance at Bay Meadows. Bred and trained by Wayne Charlton of Utah, the sophomore mare by Tiny Charger races for Dr. Kenneth Wright of California.

1972
May 20 – Mr Kid Charge, Duplicate Bid and Mr Jet Moore run 1-2-3 in their trial for the Ruidoso Derby. The colt by AQHA Supreme Champion Kid Meyers is owned by Will Whitehead, who ranches near San Angelo, Texas.

May 28 – Coming off his trial win, Some Kinda Man wins the Ruidoso Derby, with Alamitos Angel, Mr Jet Moore and Savannah Jet lighting the board and Mr Kid Charge finishing eighth. Bred by the King Ranch of Texas, Some Kinda Man races for B.F. Phillips Jr.

1973
May 4, 17 & 24 – Racing at Bay Meadows, Timeto Thinkrich finishes fifth and second in maiden events, and then seventh in the trials to the Bay Meadows Futurity. The Aforethought (TB) colt is bred by Frank Vessels Jr. and races for Vessels Stallion Farm, adjacent to Vessels’ racetrack at Los Alamitos, California.

May 6 – Starting the fifth race of what will be his world championship year, Truckle Feature wins the Sunland Park Championship. The 3-year-old Truly Truckle colt races for Gordon Howell of El Paso, Texas.

May 19 & 27 — Truckle Feature wins his trial and the final of the Ruidoso Derby, with Fly Laico Bird and Elan Again second and third in the final.

1974
May 9, 19 & 31 – The 2-year-old sensation Tiny’s Gay wins his trial and the final of the Bay Meadows Futurity. The undefeated colt by Tiny Watch then goes to Ruidoso Downs to win the first of his two trials to the Kansas Futurity. Bred by Paul Travis of Oklahoma, the Tiny Watch colt races for John Colville of California.

1975
May 4 – Dash For Cash defeats Watch A Native by three-fourths of a length in the Sun Country Futurity at Sunland Park. Chick Called Sue finishes fifth, with Bugs Alive In 75 ninth. The homebred Rocket Wrangler colt races for B.F. Phillips Jr. of Frisco, Texas.

May 4, 11 & 30 — Making her first start since losing by a nose to Heza Charger in the January 11 El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos, Easy Date wins her trial and the final of the Golden State Derby at Bay Meadows. Bred and owned by Walter Merrick, the sophomore filly by Easy Jet then wins her trial to the Los Alamitos Derby.

May 22 & 31 – Bugs Alive In 75 wins both of his trial races to the Kansas Futurity. The homebred colt by Top Moon races for Ralph Shebester of Wynnewood, Okahoma.

1976
May 2, 15 & 28 – Dash For Cash wins an allowance at Sunland Park and then his Kansas Derby trial by daylight at Ruidoso Downs. Failing to qualify for the final, B.F. Phillips Jr.’s 3-year-old Rocket Wrangler colt then goes to the West Coast, where he wins his trial by a nose over Charger Easy to qualify for the Los Alamitos Derby.

May 29 – Starting his 112th race, the 10-year-old Kaweah Bar scores his 38th and final victory, in an allowance test at Los Alamitos.

1977
May 1, 14 & 22 – My Easy Credit wins a Sunland Park allowance, and then goes to Ruidoso Downs to win his trial and the final of the Kansas Derby (G1). The Easy Jet colt is bred and owned by Harold Burford of Milton, Kansas.

May 14 & 28 – Miss Thermolark wins her first stakes, the Blue Ribbon Downs Spring Futurity at Sallisaw, Oklahoma. Bred and owned by Ronny Schliep of Grove, Oklahoma, the freshman filly by Thermos (TB) then goes to Eureka Downs to win her trial to the Northeast Kansas QHA Futurity.

1978
May 18 – Making his first start on an official track, Moon Lark wins his trial to the Kansas Futurity, qualifying to the consolation. The Top Moon colt is bred by Sam Howard of Grapevine, Texas, and is owned by Howard and his uncles Paul and James Howard.

May 26 –Town Policy wins his Los Alamitos Derby trial by 2 1/2 lengths over Kingdom Key. The champion and American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame gelding by Reb’s Policy (TB) was recovered 10 weeks ago in a cornfield in Mexico after being stolen in October from his stall in Blane Schvaneveldt’s barn at Fresno, California.

May 26 — Resorts International opens in Atlantic City, where it becomes the United States’ first legal casino outside Nevada.

1979
May 12 & 25 — Moon Lark wins his trial but fails to qualify for the Kansas Derby at Ruidoso Downs. The Top Moon colt then goes to the West Coast to win his trial to the Los Alamitos Derby.

1980
May 4 — Lady Juno defeats Super Sound Charge by a half length in the Peninsula Championship at Bay Meadows. The 4-year-old mare by Master Hand (TB) is owned by Mike Huebsch of Madill, Oklahoma.

May 26 — Super Sound Charge goes to Los Alamitos, where he finishes fourth behind Mi Bay, Kita Pass and Lady Juno in the Shue Fly Handicap. The 4-year-old Roma Charge stallion is owned by Floyd Terrell’s Terrell Quarter Horses Inc. of Plano, Texas.

1981
May 14 & 31 – Special Effort wins his trial and the final of the Kansas Futurity at Ruidoso Downs. The Raise Your Glass (TB) colt was bred by Allen Moehrig of Seguin, Texas, who between the trials and final sold him to Dan and Jolene Urschel of Canadian, Texas.

May 22 & 30 – Sgt Pepper Feature wins his trial and the final of the Los Alamitos Derby. The gelding by Truckle Feature races for his breeder, Tom Neff of Andrews, Texas.

May 27 – Dashingly wins her first race, a maiden event at Los Alamitos. Bred by Muriel Hyland of Lake Hughes, California, the Dash For Cash filly races for Windi Grimes of Houston, Texas.

1982
May 14 & 29 – Mr Master Bug wins his trial and the final of the Kansas Futurity, with Call Caleb second in the final. By Master Hand (TB), Mr Master Bug races for his breeder, Marvin Barnes of Ada, Oklahoma.

May 26 – Sgt Pepper Feature finishes third to Arbeka Jet One and Mr Merry Chick in a Los Alamitos allowance.

1983
May 13 & 28 – On A High wins his trial to the Kansas Futurity (G1), but is scratched from the consolation won by On A Stormy Day, a homebred Rocket Wrangler filly racing for Larry Stephenson of Wichita, Kansas.

1984
May 5, 17 & 26 – Dashs Dream defeats Check The Charts in the Town Policy Handicap. Joe Kirk Fulton’s homebred filly by Dash For Cash then finishes second by a neck to Speed Galore in the trials to the Los Alamitos Derby (G1), but in the final scores by a head over Easy Conversation, Rise N High, Speed Galore, Tolltac and others.

May 20 — First Down Dash is foaled on the Stanley Ranch at Madill, Oklahoma. The colt by Dash For Cash out of the winning Gallant Jet mare First Prize Rose was bred by A.F. “Fred” Stanley Jr. and B.F. Phillips Jr.

1985
May 3 – Mr Trucka Jet breaks his maiden in his first start, at Delta Downs in Vinton, Louisiana. The Easy Jet colt is bred by Wade Navarre of Lafayette, Louisiana, and is owned by Navarre and the Miami Cattle Co. at Miami, Oklahoma.

May 3 & 18 – Cash Rate defeats Kingdom Jet in the Kaweah Bar Handicap (G3), and Man In The Money in the Shue Fly Handicap (G2). The 5-year-old Dash For Cash gelding races for B.F. Phillips Jr. and Minnie Rhea Wood of Frisco, Texas.

Download your copy of the Quarter Paths full-color, 12-page report today. You can print it immediately in full color, or save it on your computer for future reading.

1986
May 16 – Competing in the first of 24 trials over two days for the Kansas Futurity (G1), Miss Specialqua goes 350 yards in :18.05 to win the first Quarter Horse race over the new twin track at Ruidoso Downs. Comprising separate strips for Quarter Horse and Thoroughbreds, the twin track eliminates the gap and its infamous hump on the 550-yard chute for Quarter Horses. Winning the seventh trial, Shy Gringo clocks the :17.74 fastest qualifying time.

May 13 & 27 – Racing at Los Alamitos, First Down Dash wins his first race, a maiden event, and then his trial to the Kindergarten Futurity (G1). Bred by Fred Stanley Jr. and B.F. Phillips Jr., the Dash For Cash colt races for Millie Vessels’ showplace Vessels Stallion Farm, newly relocated from Los Alamitos to Bonsall, California.

1987
May 7, 16 & 30 – First Down Dash wins his trial and the final of the Los Alamitos Derby (G1), and then scores in the Laddie Handicap (G2).

May 15 & 31 – Elans Special wins her trial and the final of the Kansas Futurity (G1). Dr. Lindsey Burbank’s homebred filly by Special Effort finishes eighth in Shoot Yeah’s final, in which Dash For Speed is second.

1988
May 1 & 20 – Merganser defeats Rime and Okeydokey Baby by half of a length in the Sun Country Futurity (G1) at Sunland Park. Owned by Jerry Wells and Ron Shalz of Purcell, Oklahoma, the undefeated colt by Duck Dance (TB) then goes to Ruidoso Downs to win his trial to the Kansas Futurity (G1).

1989
May 19 – Strawberry Silk wins her trial to the Kansas Futurity (G1). Bred by Mike Thomas and Dr. Robert Kuhne’s T K Partnership of Mexia, Texas, the Beduino (TB) filly is owned by Jackie Spencer of Alto, New Mexico.

May 25 – Remington Park inaugurates pari-mutuel Quarter Horse racing in Oklahoma City, with a 49-day meet that draws 367,142 in attendance.

1990
May 20 – Refrigerator wins a Remington Park allowance by 1 1/4 lengths. Bred by Sonny Vaughn, a farrier at Wayne, Oklahoma, the 2-year-old Rare Jet gelding is owned by Delton Dean of Coleman, Oklahoma.

May 24 – The Woodlands racetrack in Kansas City opens its first Quarter Horse meet.

1991
May 9 & 26 – Royal Quick Dash finishes second in his trial to the Kansas Futurity (G1), and then fifth in Magic Dozen’s final. The colt by freshman sire First Down Dash is owned by David Morales of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

May 11 – Special Leader finishes fourth behind BCR Fast N Fancy, Ossetra and Super Sounds Easy in the Mr Jet Moore Stakes (G3) at Ruidoso Downs. The 4-year-old stallion by Special Effort races for his breeder, Joe Kirk Fulton of Lubbock, Texas.

1992
May 8 – Easy Jet dies. Bred and raced by Walter Merrick, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame son of Jet Deck was foaled in 1967 on Merrick’s leased ranch near Quanah, Texas, but spent most of his life on Merrick’s 14 Ranch at Sayre, Oklahoma. Easy Jet won the All American Futurity and 22 of 26 races to be world champion as a 2-year-old in 1969, and took five of 12 races to be champion stallion in 1970. The stallion became the first All American winner to sire an All American winner and the first sire of three winners of Quarter Horse racing’s classic event (Easy Date in 1974, Pie In The Sky in ’79 and Mr Trucka Jet in’85). Altogether, Easy Jet sired 1,382 winners from 2,019 starters, including 145 stakes winners, 9 champions and the earners of $26,237,832.

May 8 & 24 – Racing at Ruidoso Downs, Dash Thru Traffic breaks his maiden on first asking, in the trials to the Kansas Futurity (G1). Bred by Vessels Stallion Farm and owned by Charlie and Deborah Therwanger’s TNT Racing at Lubbock, Texas, the colt by First Down Dash then finishes fourth behind Deceptively, Loose Lips and Mr Eye Opener in the final. Deceptively is a homebred Runaway Winner filly owned by Roger Knight Jr. of Madisonville, Texas.

May 29 – Canterbury Downs closes in bankruptcy in Shakopee, Minnesota, while Utah’s pari-mutuel drive fails in a statewide vote. The first Texas Lottery tickets go on sale.

1993
May 16 & 30 — A Classic Dash wins his trial but finishes second to Jumping Tac Flash in the final of the California Sires Cup Futurity (RG3). Jumping Tac Flash is a Tolltac filly owned by David Payne of Salt Lake City. A colt by First Down Dash, A Classic Dash is owned by Abigail Kawananakoa of Honolulu.

1994
May 15 — Mr Jess Perry wins the Louisiana Breeders’ Laddie Futurity (RG3) at Delta Downs. The Streakin La Jolla colt is owned by Cheryl Brasseaux of Vinton, Louisiana.

1995
May 12 & 28 – Winalota Cash wins his trial but finishes second to Real Six Time in the final of the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). Bred by O.S. Carlton III of Richmond, Texas, the gelding by Light On Cash is owned by Andra Meridyth of Odessa, Texas.

1996
May 20 – Suffering from EPM, Dash For Cash is euthanized at Four Sixes Ranch in Guthrie, Texas. The two-time world champion and American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer from 25 career races scored 21 victories, including nine in stakes, and earned $507,689. Dash For Cash’s first foals were born the year after he retired and they went to the track in 1980, when the stallion was the leading freshman sire. Dash For Cash sired 827 winners from 1,155 starters in 19 crops, including 145 stakes winners (to tie Easy Jet’s record), 16 champions and the earners of a record $39,990,245.

May 20 — Oklahoma approves full-card simulcasting.

May 31 – Starting the sixth race of her career and the third of the year, Dashing Folly wins the Town Policy Handicap (G3) at Los Alamitos. The sophomore First Down Dash filly is owned by Arthur McArthur’s Jaramar Ltd. of Houston.

1997
May 11 – SLM Big Daddy defeats former world champion Winalota Cash by a neck in the Remington Gold Cup (G2). The 5-year-old Daddy Hold On gelding is owned by his breeders, Steve and Lindsey Mitchell of Athens, Texas.

1998
May 9 – Racing at Los Alamitos, A Ransom breaks his maiden on first asking. The First Down Dash gelding is bred by Vessels Stallion Farm and John and Kathie Bobenrieth, and is raced by the Bobenrieths, who live in Costa Mesa, California.

May 10 & 31 – World champion SLM Big Daddy defeats Dashing Perfection by a nose in the Remington Gold Cup (G1). The 6-year-old gelding by Daddy Hold On then is beaten a nose by Deposit Cash in the Remington Park Championship (G1). Deposit Cash is a 4-year-old Victory Dash gelding racing for his breeders, Buddy and Patty Newsome of Dade City, Florida.

May 15 & 30 – Falling In Loveagain wins her trial to the Heritage Place Futurity (G1), but finishes sixth in Gol’s final. Falling In Loveagain is a First Down Dash filly owned by David and Susan Mackie of Houston. Gol is a Jody O Toole colt owned by Alberto Omar Solis of Adkins, Texas.

1999
May 15 –  Champion Kool Kue Baby defeats Tailor Fit by a head in the MBNA America Oklahoma Challenge (G2) at Remington Park, with Dashin Is Easy third and SLM Big Daddy fourth. Owned by Ramiro Lopez of Houston, the 7-year-old mare by Gone To The Man, is scoring a Quarter Horse record 24th stakes victory.

May 29 – Tailor Fit, Betty Jane Burlin’s 4-year-old gelding by Strawfly Special, defeats Miss De Great by a nose in the MBNA America East Challenge (G2) at Delta Downs.

May 28 – Going to post at odds of 19-1, A Ransom scores his first stakes victory with a head decision over Drop Your Sox in the Town Policy Handicap (G3).

2000
May 5 – Starting his first race since finishing second to champion Corona Kool in the December 18 Los Alamitos Million Futurity (G1), champion Separatist defeats champion Artesias Super Chic in the Jet Deck Handicap at Los Alamitos. The Chicks Beduino colt is owned by Rod and Jackie MacPherson of La Junta, Colorado.

May 27 – In the first start of his career, Whosleavingwho breaks his maiden in the trials of the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). Bred by Gordon Haslam of Essex Junction, Vermont, the Chicks Beduino gelding is owned by Jim Geiler of Prescott, Arizona, and Kim Kessinger of Akron, Colorado.

2001
May 3 & 13 — Former world champion Tailor Fit, now 6, finishes second by a half length to Dashingly Cleat in the trials to the MBNA America Oklahoma Challenge (G1). In the final, the Strawfly Special gelding scores by three parts of a side over Mr Moon Streaker, with Dashingly Cleat sixth.

2002
May 26 – Starting her first race, AB What A Runner breaks her maiden by 4 3/4 lengths at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho. Bred by the Allred Bros. of Mesa, Arizona, the Royal Quick Dash filly races for Dennie and Kris Hill of Blackfoot, Idaho.

2003
May 4 – Oak Tree Special runs second by half of a length to Frostys Money Man in the Heritage Place Derby (G1) at Blue Ribbon Downs. Owned by Raul Rubalcava of Wylie, Texas, Oak Tree Special is a stallion by Special Task. Frostys Money Man is a Jody O Toole gelding racing for Jeff Strange of Greenville, Texas.

2004
May 28 – Making his first career start, DM Shicago finishes third to Tell Em Im Gone and Going Separate Ways in the trials to the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). The Separatist gelding is bred by Don Moler of Cheyenne, Oklahoma, who races him in partnership with Fredda Draper.

AQHA’s Quarter Paths report gives the reader background on the influential sires of today’s racing American Quarter Horse.

2005
May 5 – Making his first start, the Corona Cartel colt Teller Cartel finishes second to Sonando in a maiden race at Ruidoso Downs.

2006
May 13 – Starting his second race, the First Down Dash colt No Secrets Here breaks his maiden by 1 1/2 lengths at Los Alamitos.

May 19 – Making her first start, Lucky Seven Ranch’s homebred Corona Cartel filly Blues Girl Too blows away eight rivals in a maiden event at Los Alamitos, winning by 2 1/4 lengths under a hand ride.

2007
May 25 – At Remington Park, Heath Taylor becomes the 24th American Quarter Horse trainer to saddle the winners of 1,000 races.

2008
May 10 – Stolis Winner takes his Heritage Place Futurity (G1) trial by a nose over Sixy Royal King, with both qualifying to the June 1 final at Remington Park. Ridden by G.R. Carter Jr. to the fourth-fastest qualifying time, the Stoli gelding is trained by Heath Taylor for owner/breeder Jerry Windham of College Station, Texas.

2009
May 10 – Apollitical Jess finishes seventh and last in his first career race, a maiden event for 2-year-olds at Los Alamitos.

May 22 – Runnning Brook Gal breaks her maiden on first asking, in a trial to the June 7 Ruidoso Futurity (G1). Kenny Muntz is riding the Brookstone Bay filly for trainer Paul Jones and owner A & C Racing And Roping.

May 22 – Stray Cat is foaled, becoming the first Quarter Horse foal by the Thoroughbred stallion Storm Cat. Bred and owned by Vessels Stallion Farm and Grammy-winning musician Lyle Lovett, the colt is out of the champion First Down Dash mare Your First Moon.

May 30 – Freaky qualifies to the June 19 Vessels Maturity (G1) with a daylight win in the trials. Bred by Los Alamitos owner Ed Allred, the 4-year-old TR Dasher gelding clocks a track-record :19.170 over 400 yards. Rubio Francisco is in the irons for trainer Adan Farias and owner Armando Aguirre.

2010
May 28 – Going 350 yards on a sloppy track, eventual All American Futurity (G1) winner Mr Piloto finishes ninth and last in his first career race, a trial for the Ruidoso Futurity (G1).

2011
May 8 – Starting his first race since winning the Southwest Juvenile Championship (G1) on November 28 at Zia Park, Cold Cash 123 opens his world champion campaign at Remington Park, where he finishes ninth in his trial and fails to qualify for the Heritage Place Derby (G2).

May 8 – Going 440 yards in :21.699 under Jacky Martin, former world champion Stolis Winner takes the Bank of America Oklahoma Challenge Championship (G2) to extend his all-time record earnings to $2,221,911. Bred and owned by AQHA Past President Jerry Windham of College Station, Texas, the 5-year-old gelding by champion Stoli is trained by Heath Taylor.

May 27 – Breaking his maiden on first asking, Ochoa defeats Separate Cartel by a neck in their trial to the Ruidoso Futurity (G1). With Jacky Martin in the saddle for C. Dwayne “Sleepy” Gilbreath, the gelding by Tres Seis out of the Stoli mare Stolis Fortune races for Johnny T.L. and Brenda Jones’ J Bar 7 Ranch at Quanah, Texas, in partnership with Monte and Katsy Cluck, and Doug and Sharon Benson.

If you witnessed or know of an historic event whose anniversary is next month, please contact the Journal’s Richard Chamberlain at richc@aqha.org.

Pick a spot at your favorite racetrack where you can find comfort, solace and a better mindset.

American Quarter Horses race at Hialeah Park.

By C. Reid McLellan

Are you already behind on your resolutions for this year? I am. I can catch up by posting three blogs this month or two this month and two next month. Traveling around the country, I have many interesting experiences and generally learn something new on each trip. On my flight home from a recent trip to Iowa (I started this blog at Chicago O’Hare airport), I became aware of how much I can allow another person to affect my immediate bearing and outlook on my day. My experience also reminded me of how my attitude, tone of voice, words and outlook on life might affect others.

After getting up at 3:30 a.m. to shower and pack up the last of my items, leaving at 4:15 a.m. and driving to the Des Moines airport for the 5:30 boarding of the first leg of my flight home, I first encountered an obstinate, gray-faced, unsmiling check-in terminal that did not care that I was a senior techie and had my boarding pass on my Android cell phone. That computer terminal was not upgraded and couldn’t read from my cell phone. It didn’t like my credit card swipe either. Its human counterparts stood around talking to each other, unaware of my snarling at an inanimate machine that was not going to be moved by anything I did or said.

Finally, after getting some friendly help from a United agent who interrupted her conversation to help me, I was on my way to security. No problems other than my irritation over a major stand-around (passengers and a plethora of “can’t move from this square yard of floor” TSA agents) in three of four lines. We waited for the only TSA agent who could check a bag. That agent meandered slowly toward the waiting black bag, smiling and chatting with an agent two lines over. She was oblivious to the burgeoning angst in the three stacking-up lines affected by her meander. (Aside: Best way to avoid such angst is to be in line at least 30 minutes before boarding time of your flight.)

As much as I travel, I had confidence I was going to make my flight. Most of those in line in Des Moines that morning gave me the impression that they were not frequent fliers. Some of them had probably started fretting when they got up that morning. Those passengers’ feelings are not my responsibility but I empathize. Some simple horse-handling techniques applied by TSA agents could assuage a lot of that angst. (But that is an entirely different blog.)

Without too much consternation, I found seat 17C and settled in for a short flight to O’Hare airport. I started my pre-flight checklist of checking email for any late-breaking news, sending my wife an “on board” message and pulling out my Samsung Tablet and typing a to-do list (this blog was item 1A!). Suddenly, an irritating male voice crackled out of the speaker above my head. Sounding part hungover (he wasn’t), part indifferent (he was) and part angry (I don’t think he was) he droned the familiar words about putting up carry-on luggage and turning off cell phones. He was also the “Flight Assistant” (he did not use the word “attendant”) who gave the “fasten your seat belt this way” spiel. As I put an index finger over each ear, I thought of how upset racehorses would be if they had to listen to that squawk each morning before going out for exercise.

As mentioned at least twice before, I travel a lot, and the attitudes I observed on this day were not atypical. Some times (early in the morning, especially), I am more annoyed than others. Once airborne, I was offered a beverage. When I asked for orange juice and coffee, he mumbled something and turned to fetch my drink. This “flight assistant” brought only the coffee. There were only 20 passengers on this 66-passenger jet, so I’m confident they were not going to run out of OJ.

I thought about telling this young flight attendant, “Son, you work eight segments a day, three or four days a week, assisting an average of 40 passengers per segment. You potentially influence the comfort, confidence and outlook of 1,000 people a week – more than 50,000 a year.” But, alas, I didn’t, and to his other 300-plus passengers that day, I apologize.

How the heck does that fit with a horse-racing blog?

While that flight attendant’s attitude was a muse that started me writing this long-overdue tome, rereading (and editing) those words as I resume typing (two weeks later) reminded me of how much I allowed that negativity to compromise my day. At the racetrack, our own attitude, as well as the attitude of others, can affect our success.

I remember some of my most successful days of playing the horse-racing game. I was excited about going to the track. I arrived early, found my favorite seat and took out my marked-up racing form. I was prepared, having identified horses that were running that I wanted to look at in the paddock and post parade. I looked for worthy long-shot plays or heavy favorites who might be giving an indication that today was not going to be their day. I also remember some major losing days when I was angry or upset when I arrived at the track. One thing that upset me on those days was that I had not taken time to properly review that day’s races, identify interesting selections and make decisions about possible plays before arriving at the track.

In my early years, I was a singles player, meaning that I did not sit with a group of other players and discuss strategy. I learned that some days, my attitude was not conducive to serious horseplaying. During my training days, I was going to be at the track regardless, and on those days when my attitude sucked, I spent more of my time enjoying the esoteric elements of horse racing.

Some days, I spent my time at the paddock rail, I made notes about each horse as it walked past – demeanor, appearance, body condition, feet condition and equipment. My favorite paddock was Remington Park – it was close to the trainers’ lounge where I spent a lot of time.

Some days, I walked to the infield and sat on a bench watching young racing fans and seeing the races from a different perspective. My favorite infield was Oaklawn Park in April. I remember how relaxed I felt as the day seemed to slow down.

Whether you are a long-time American Quarter Horse racing enthusiast or are just beginning to get involved in this multi-million dollar sport, AQHA’s Quarter Paths ebook is chock-full of racing history that you’ll love. Download your copy today!

Watching races from the clubhouse end of the veranda at Canterbury Park on a summer’s eve was my favorite outdoor seating. I could hear the sounds of hoofbeats as the field of a route race approached from the gate, scrambled for position around the turn, faded down the backstretch and then crescendoed again as they stretched for the finish line and home.

When I wanted to celebrate, I enjoyed dinner in the Sky Club at Louisiana Downs. Its delicious repast was unsurpassed, though the expansive boiled jumbo shrimp around the ice sculpture at Sam Houston Race Park’s Winners’ Circle Restaurant deserves honorable mention.

Typing those memories, I forgot what I wrote at the beginning of this blog. I’m going to talk more about attitude and wagering in upcoming contributions. In the meantime, where at your favorite racetrack do you find comfort,  solace or a winning attitude?  If you don’t have such a place yet, this time of year is a great time to start making those memories.

Next: Characters (and their attitudes) who can influence us at the racetrack.

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here.

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

This month in racing history saw some legendary Quarter Horse racehorses create memorable moments on and off the track.

Racing at Rillito Park n April 1950, Maddon's Bright Eyes scores consecutive wins in the Cele Peterson Handicap, Speed Stakes and Rillito World Championship. (Photo courtesy of the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum)

Every month, Richard Chamberlain, The American Quarter Horse Journal’s senior writer, recalls racing history on aqha.com/racing. Enjoy this month’s history with legends such as Peter McCue, Dash For Cash and recent American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame inductee Indigo Illusion.

1897
April 27 – Peter McCue wins his first start by four lengths. Bred and owned by Sam Watkins of the Little Grove Stock Farm at Petersburg, Illinois, the 2-year-old colt by Dan Tucker goes 3 1/2 furlongs in :42 flat at Forsyth, Indiana (or Illinois; the official record probably is off by a state).

1946
April 7 & 14 – Racing at Rillito Park in Tucson, club-footed Queenie defeats Prissy and Tonta Gal in her first start of the month and Prissy in her second. Bred by Richard Martin of Rayne, Louisiana, and owned by George Orr of Pineville, the 8-year-old mare was last year’s world champion. Queenie is by Flying Bob out of the Old DJ mare Little Sis.

1948
April 30 – Clocking a world-record :22 flat over the quarter mile, the King Ranch Thoroughbred Woven Web (who races as “Miss Princess” on the Quarter tracks) defeats Stella Moore and Lightfoot Dun at Val Verde Downs in Del Rio, Texas. A 5-year-old mare by Bold Venture, Woven Web is out of the Livery mare Bruja, who to the cover of Depth Charge this season foaled the Thoroughbred filly Encantadora.

1950
April – Consolidating the recent mergers with the American Quarter Racing Association and National Quarter Horse Breeders’ Association, the AQHA Racing Division holds its first meeting in Tucson, Arizona. In attendance are representatives of several state racing commissions, track operators and members of AQHA’s executive and racing committees. Rules and regulations are adopted along the lines of the now-defunct AQRA, including provisions for drug testing and electrical timing. AQHA agrees to fund half of the Racing Division budget, with the remaining coming from tracks and sales of The Quarter Running Horse Chart Book.

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April 2, 16 & 23 – Racing at Rillito Park, Maddon’s Bright Eyes scores consecutive wins in the Cele Peterson Handicap, Speed Stakes and Rillito World Championship. Bred by Warren Shoemaker of New Mexico, the 4-year-old mare by Gold Mount out of the King Plaudit (TB) mare Plaudette is owned and trained by C.L. Maddon of Albuquerque.

April 28 & 30 – Racing at Val Verde Downs, Blob Jr breaks his maiden on his first start, but returns to finish sixth and last to Stella Moore and Leota W. Never started in official races at 2, the 3-year-old colt by Blob (TB) out of the Doc Horn mare Nora is bred by Earl Barrett of Dry Creek, Louisiana.

1951
April 10 – Monita beats Savannah Gray and a field including Clabber’s Lady V, Grey Question, Hy Myrt and Clabbertown G at Bay Meadows racetrack near San Francisco, California. Bred by J.F. Goodwin of George West, Texas, the 4-year-old Joe Moore mare races for Lewis Blackwell of Amarillo.

April 22 – Gold Bar becomes the first American Quarter Horse stakes winner by Three Bars (TB) via the disqualification of Parker’s Trouble in the Baby Stakes at Rillito Park in Tucson, Arizona. Gold Bar finishes second, but Parker’s Trouble is disqualified for a positive test when penicillin (which had been administered for a cough) is detected in the urine of the Ed Echols colt. Gold Bar races for her breeder, Sid Vail of Tucson, who also owns Three Bars.

1952
April 13 – Coming off a win over champion Rukin String in the March 30 Southwestern Futurity, Bardella scores her sixth consecutive in the Baby Stakes. Both races are at Rillito Park. A homebred racing for Art Pollard of Sonoita, Arizona, Bardella is a Three Bars (TB) filly out of the great Doc Horn (TB) match-racing mare Della P.

1953
April 25 – Making her third start of what will be a world championship season, Miss Meyers finishes second to champion Robin Reed in a 385-yard allowance test at Los Alamitos. Racing for her breeder, O.C. Meyer of Minnesota, Miss Meyers is a Leo filly out of Star’s Lou by Oklahoma Star.

1954
April 9, 17 & 24 — Scoring the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-consecutive victories in what will be a record 14-win streak, world champion Josie’s Bar wins the Shue Fly Stakes, an allowance and the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby at Los Alamitos. Bred and owned by Oscar Cox of Lawton, Oklahoma, the Three Bars filly is out of the Raffles (TB) mare Josephine R.

April 20 –Scoop Bam wins her first official start. Already a national celebrity, the 2-year-old War Bam (TB) filly gained fame as a 7-month-old suckling when she was featured in a December 1952 Life magazine for winning the first Milk Runs competition at Los Alamitos Race Course. Bred and owned by Frank Vessels Jr., who with his father also owns the sire, Scoop Bam is out of the Clabber mare Clabber’s Lucky V.

1955
April 15, 22 & 27 – Go Man Go wins the first three races of his career, a maiden and two allowance events at Los Alamitos. Bred and owned by J.B. Ferguson of Wharton, Texas, Go Man Go is by Top Deck (TB) out of the Cajun match-racing mare Lightfoot Sis by Very Wise (TB).

1956
April 14, 21 & 28 – World champion Go Man Go wins his trial but finishes fifth behind champions Vannevar, Dolly’s Ace and Arizonan, and the track-record-holding Sure Now, in the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby. Go Man Go then returns to score in the Barbra B Handicap.

1957
April 17 – Mr Bar None finishes second to Eagle Top in a Los Alamitos allowance. Bred and owned by June and Zelma Jeffers of Wagoner, Oklahoma, the colt by Three Bars is out of Murl L by Moco Burnett, and is a half brother to the Leo mare Miss Adelita, who defeated champions Bobbie Leo and Palleo Pete in the 1954 Oklahoma Futurity.

1958
April 12 & 19 – Go Man Go finishes second to Roan Man in the Shue Fly Stakes at Los Alamitos and then dead-heats for third with champion Vanetta Dee in the Miss Princess Invitational Handicap, behind champions Clabber’s Win and Double Bid.

1959
April 10, 18, 25 & 29 – Miss Louton runs second to champion Missle Bar in the Inaugural Handicap at Los Alamitos. Racing for Marion Seward of Wray, Colorado, the filly by Tonto Bars Gill then finishes third to champions Triple Lady and Pana Bar in the trials to the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby and eighth to Tidy Too in the final, but goes out a winner in her final start of the month, defeating Pap and Cute Trick in the St. Mary’s Hospital Guild Stakes.

1960
April 12 & 23 – Starting the first two races of what will be a world championship season, Vandy’s Flash defeats Miss Louton, Pap and Tidy Too in the Shue Fly Stakes, but then runs seventh and last behind Miss Louton and Pap in the Barbra B Handicap. By Vandy out of American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Garrett’s Miss Pawhuska, Vandy’s Flash is owned by John Askew of Belleview, Missouri.

1961
April 10 & 22 – Pap wins the Shue Fly Stakes and Barbra B Handicap at Los Alamitos. Bred by C.E. Fauntleroy of Tucson, the 7-year-old gelding by Papitas out of the Trim Comic (TB) mare Maudine Davis races for N.S. Krems and S. Lasher of Los Angeles.

April 22 – In a test of champions, Rebel Cause beats Tonto Bars Hank by a neck in the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby. By Top Deck (TB), Rebel Cause is bred and owned by Chet and Dale Robertson’s Haymaker Farms at Yukon, Oklahoma.

Tonto Bars Hank earns $5,738 for finishing second, which pushes his earnings to $101,048 and makes the colt by champion Tonto Bars Gill the first American Quarter Horse with a six-figure bankroll.

1962
April 9, 14, 21 & 28 – No Butt finishes second and reigning world champion Pap third to Alamitos Bar in the Shue Fly Stakes, but then defeats Pap and champion Fly Straw in the Miss Princess Handicap. Fly Straw returns to win the Barbra B Handicap, with No Butt fourth, and the Chicado V ‘Cap, with No Butt second. Racing to a world championship, No Butt, a 7-year-old mare by Joe Less, is bred by Guy Corpe of Sacramento, California, and races for Guy Purinton of Hollister.

1963
April 9, 13 & 20 – Jet Deck finishes eighth and last in champion Caprideck’s Shue Fly Stakes, but then wins his trial and the final of the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby. Bred by William Carter of Idaho, the Moon Deck colt is owned by J.B. Chambers of Littleton, Colorado.

1964
April 11, 18 & 25 – Goetta wins the Shue Fly Stakes, her trial and the final of the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby. Bred by E.L. Gosselin of Edmond, Oklahoma, the Go Man Go filly races for Hugh Huntley of Gilroy, California.

1965
April 9, 17 & 24 – Go Josie Go wins the Inaugural Handicap, her trial and the final of the Pacific Coast QHRA Derby. Bred by Frank Vessels, the Go Man Go filly out of world champion Josie’s Bar is owned by A.O. Phillips of Dallas.

1966
April 2 & 9 – Coming off a win in the February 5 Magic Empire Winter Futurity, Top Ladybug wins her trial and the final of the Magic Empire Spring Futurity at Midway Downs in Stroud, Oklahoma. The Top Deck (TB) filly out of the blue hen Sergeant mare FL Lady Bug is bred and owned by Marvin and Lela Barnes of Ada, Oklahoma, and is trained by Marvin Barnes.

April 21 – Joe Pat Badger, Static Charge and Yankee Lass win in a triple dead heat at Los Alamitos.

1967
April 2 & 9 – Laico Bird wins her trial and the final of the Texas Futurity at La Bahia Downs in Goliad, Texas. Barne’s Ladybug finishes second in the final, with Turf’s Best fourth. A filly by Good Bird (TB), Laico Bird races for Floyd Jones Jr. of Norman, Oklahoma.

April 16 – Mark T Bars breaks his maiden on first asking at Sonoita, Arizona. Bred by George Holland and racing for American Quarter Horse Hall of Famers Harvey, Jerry and Dale Allred (who partner as the Allred Bros.), the gelding by Saint Mark will win 64 of 115 races before retiring in September 1978 at age 13 as the all-time winningest American Quarter Horse.

1968
April 7 – Three Oh’s finishes fourth to Miss Sports Bar in the Texas Futurity at La Bahia Downs in Goliad, Texas. By Three Chicks out of Oh My Oh by Spotted Bull (TB), Three Oh’s races for Dr. Don Strole of Abilene, Texas.

April 5 – Three Bars (TB) dies of a heart attack, just two days shy of his 28th birthday, on Walter Merrick’s 14 Ranch at Sayre, Oklahoma. The all-time leading sire of racing American Quarter Horses, Three Bars is the sire of 64 stakes winners and the earners of $3,274,732.

1969
April 6 – Easy Jet finishes second by half of a length to Mighty Moon in the Texas Futurity at La Bahia Downs in Goliad, Texas. Jet Master is third, with Hell’s To Betsy fourth. By Jet Deck out of the Three Bars (TB) mare Lena’s Bar (TB), Easy Jet is bred, owned and trained by Walter Merrick.

1970
April 5 & 25 – Howdy Jones wins the South Texas Derby at La Bahia Downs in Goliad and the Los Dos Laredo Derby at L.I.F.E. Downs, on the grounds of the Laredo International Fair & Exposition at Laredo, Texas. The colt by Red Jones (TB) races for his breeder, Jean Dillard of Ringling, Oklahoma.

1971
April 10 & 24 – Mr Kid Charge finishes third in his trials to the Laredo International Futurity at L.I.F.E. Downs in Laredo and the West Texas Futurity at Sonora Park in Sonora, Texas. Owned by Will Whitehead of San Angelo, Texas, the colt by AQHA Supreme Champion Kid Meyers fails to qualify for either.

Enjoy the speed and glory of racing greats such as Beduino, Dash For Cash, Easy Jet, First Down Dash, Go Man Go, Jet Deck and Peter McCue in Quarter Paths.

1972
April 1, 9, 22 – Walter Merrick’s homebred Good Bird (TB) filly Byou Bird wins her trial and the final of the West Texas Futurity at Sunland Park and her trial to the Sun Country Futurity, also at Sunland.

April 22 & 30 – Callmemyoh wins her trial and the final of the Sun Country Futurity, with Fly Laico Bird second, Summer Of Seventy third and Byou Bird fourth. A Go Man Go filly racing for Dr. Don Strole, Callmemyoh is trained by C.W. “Bubba” Cascio and ridden by Jerry Nicodemus.

1973
April 1 – Truckle Feature finishes third behind Fly Laico Bird and Jet Creek in the West Texas Derby at Sunland Park, but is moved to second when Fly Laico Bird is disqualified to eighth for interference. By Truly Truckle (TB) out of Sunland Derby winner Feature That by That’s For Sure, Truckle Feature is owned by Gordon Howell of El Paso, Texas. He is trained by Bill Drawe and ridden by Willie Lovell.

April 17 – Dash For Cash is foaled on breeder B.F. Phillips Jr.’s Phillips Ranch at Frisco, Texas. The sorrel colt is by champion and All American Futurity winner Rocket Wrangler out of Find A Buyer, a Thoroughbred daughter of To Market.

April 27 – Truckle Feature wins his trial to the West Texas Championship at Sunland Park.

1975
April 6 – Racing at Sunland Park, Bugs Alive In 75 scores in the West Texas Futurity. The colt by Top Moon out of Ralph’s Lady Bug by Jack’s Jet (TB) is a homebred racing for Ralph Shebester of Wynnewood, Oklahoma. He is trained by J.B. Montgomery and ridden by Jerry Burgess.

April 26 – Bugs Alive In 75 and Dash For Cash both win their trials to the Sun Country Futurity.

1976
April 4 – Smooth Johny wins the Texas Futurity at Goliad, with Topless Dancer second, Megahertz third and Lord Winsalot fourth. Smooth Johny, a colt by Mon Go, is owned by Charles Mitchell of Semmes, Alabama.

April 26 – Racing for $4,000 tags, Bid Who, Big Royal Bob and Time And Again finish winners in a triple dead heat at Bay Meadows.

1977
April 4 & 10 – Champion and All American Futurity winner Real Wind wins her trial and the final of the West Texas Derby at Sunland Park. By Go With The Wind, the filly races for Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Kitchens, both of whom are retired school teachers in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Trained by Walter Merrick, Real Wind is ridden by Gary Sumpter.

1978
April 9 & 16 – Vespero wins his trial and the final of the G. Rollie White Downs Spring Futurity in Brady, Texas. Bred by Patricia Ann Crone, the St Bar gelding races for Crone’s parents, Gordon and Juanita, of Lakin, Kansas.

1979
April 8 – Sizzle Te, Kiptys Charger and Black Sable finish 1-2-3 in the Golden State Derby at Bay Meadows. By Azure Te (TB), Sizzle Te is owned by Rulon Goodman of Oracle, Arizona. Sizzle Te is trained by Wayne Charlton and ridden by John Ward.

April 29 – Starting her third race, Easy Angel breaks her maiden at Val Verde Downs in Del Rio, Texas. The Easy Jet filly is a homebred racing for Mr. and Mrs. Myron Palermo of Lake Charles, Louisiana.

1980
April 6 – Super Sound Charge runs second to Charro’s Rocket in the Alameda Handicap at Bay Meadows. Charro’s Rocket is a 6-year-old El Charro Rocket gelding owned by James and Levine Weatherill of Long Beach, California.

April 18 & 30 – Easily Smashed wins his trial and the final of the Sun Country Futurity. The Easy Jet colt races for Sue May, Bill Leach and Carol Child of Fort Stockton, Texas. Trained by Leach, Easily Smashed is ridden by Jacky Martin.

April 19 & 26 – Racing in an 870-yard allowance and at the same distance in the Northwest Endurance Handicap, both at Portland Meadows, Destiny Drummer scores the first two of what will be a record-tying string of 14 consecutive victories. The 5-year-old Tet Bare stallion races for his breeder, Dorothy Jones of Vancouver, Washington.

April 20 & 27 – Dash For Cash is represented by his first stakes winner, Baby Hold On, when the filly scores in her trial and the final of the Alamo QHBA Futurity at Val Verde Downs in Del Rio, Texas. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Blue of Carpinteria, California, Baby Hold On is out of the winning St Bar mare Country Mama.

1981
April 2 & 12 – Sgt Pepper Feature, a homebred Truckle Feature gelding racing for Tom Neff of Colorado City, Texas, wins his trial and the final of the Golden State Derby at Bay Meadows. Sgt Pepper Feature is trained by Mike Robbins and ridden by Kenny Clerisse.

1982
April 3, 9 & 25 – Dynago Victory breaks his maiden and then wins his trial to the Sun Country Futurity, but in the Sun Country final runs second to Glo Billy Sims. Dynago Victory is a homebred Victory Stride (TB) gelding racing for Clarence Scharbauer Jr. Trained by Shirley Montgomery and ridden by Larry Byers, Glo Billy Sims is a Little Glo (TB) gelding owned by R.L. Sharp.

1983
April 7 & 21 – Tolltac, a Beduino (TB) colt racing for David Payne of Salt Lake City, wins his trial and the final of the Bay Meadows Futurity (G1). John Ward rides Tolltac for trainer Denny Ekins.

April 23 – Making her first start, Dashs Dream breaks her maiden at Lubbock Downs. The Dash For Cash filly races for her breeder, Joe Kirk Fulton of Lubbock, Texas.

April 23 & 30 – Starting her first race, Indigo Illusion finishes seventh at Val Verde Downs, but then goes to Manor Downs, where in her second start she breaks her maiden. The Beduino (TB) filly is owned by Jerry Windham of College Station, Texas.

1984
April 14 – Dashs Dream wins an allowance at Lubbock Downs. The filly by Dash For Cash is starting her first race since finishing third to Indigo Illusion and Rise N High in the August 13 Faberge Special Effort Futurity at Los Alamitos.

April 19 29 – Eastex wins his trial and the final of the Bay Meadows Futurity (G1). Trained by James McArthur and ridden by Bruce Pilkenton, the Texas Dancer (TB) gelding is bred and owned by Mr. and Mrs. H.D. Hall of Ada, Oklahoma.

1985
April 13 & 21 – Cash Rate wins the Woodside Handicap at Bay Meadows but returns to finish eighth in Miss Jordash’s Peninsula Championship (G1).  The 5-year-old Dash For Cash gelding races for B.F. Phillips and Minnie Rhea Wood of Texas.

April 14 – Juana Mystica scores in the $325,936 Busch Graham Farms Futurity at Val Verde Downs. Owned and trained by Jeff Chambers, with Tim Wortman up, the Mystic Eye filly is winning the richest nonpari-mutuel race ever in Texas.

April 18 & 28 – Blue Ribbon Futurity (G2) winner Gold Coast Express runs second in his trial and dead heats for sixth in the final of Keep On Turning’s Bay Meadows Futurity (G1). Both homebreds, Gold Coast Express is a Moon Lark gelding racing for Bill and Louella Mitchell of California, while Keep On Turning is a Mr Big Wheel colt owned by Brooks Bros. of Oklahoma. John Creager rides Keep On Turning for trainer Monty Brooks.

1986
April 5 & 26 – Gold Coast Express wins a Bay Meadows allowance and then scores in the Town Policy Handicap at Los Alamitos. John Ward rides Gold Coast Express for trainer Lee Gladd.

1987
April 10 & 26 – Shoot Yeah wins his trial and the final of the Sun Country Futurity (G1). Trained by Jack Brooks and ridden by Jacky Martin, the Easy Jet colt is owned by Liese Gulliksen of Oklahoma.

1988
April 15 – Merganser wins his trial to the Sun Country Futurity (G1). Jack Brooks trains the Duck Dance (TB) colt for Jerry Wells and Ronald Shalz of Oklahoma.

April 21 & 30 – Jean Dillard’s homebred On A High filly See Me Do It wins her trial and the final of the Oklahoma Futurity-Spring Division (G3) at Blue Ribbon Downs. Vernon Cogburn rides See Me Do It for trainer Bobby Cox.

1989
April 5, 14 & 30 – Strawberry Silk breaks her maiden on first asking and then scores in her trial and the final of the Sun Country Futurity (G1). Trained by Jack Brooks and ridden by Jacky Martin, the Beduino (TB) filly is owned by Jacqueline Spencer of Alto, New Mexico.

1990
April 14 – Felipe Tiscareno’s Takin On The Cash wins the Bay Meadows Futurity (G1). The Dash For Cash colt is trained by Caesar Dominguez and is ridden by Danny Cardoza.

1991
April 4 & 21 – Royal Quick Dash wins his trial but finishes eighth in Steppin For The Moon’s Sun Country Futurity (G1). Owned by David Morales, Royal Quick Dash is by freshmen sire First Down Dash. Trained by Jack Brooks and ridden by Jacky Martin, the Moon Lark colt Steppin For The Moon is bred by Jerry Wells and owned by Wells and Joan Crews Hoyt.

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April 20 – Griswold is defeated a neck by Valiant Pete (TB) in a special match race at Santa Anita. The three-time distance champion, a 5-year-old gelding by Merridoc owned by Pete Parella’s Legacy Ranch, is the first American Quarter Horse to race at the sprawling art-deco track in Arcadia, California. Kip Didericksen rides Griswold for trainer Dan Francisco.

1992
April 4 & 11 – Femmes Frolic wins his trial but finishes fourth in the final of Easily An Episode’s Graham Farm Derby (G2) at Bandera Downs. Femmes Frolic is a homebred Beduino (TB) filly owned by Roger Knight Jr. of Madisonville, Texas. Trained by Robert Madrigal and ridden by Raul Ramirez Jr., the Bold Episode colt Easily An Episode races for Raul Del Toro of Dundee, Illinois.

1993
April 2 & 18 – Treacherously wins his trial and the final of the Sun Country Futurity (G1). By Runaway Winner, the gelding is owned by Wayne Dallas of Farmington, New Mexico. Treacherously is trained by Sam Sandoval and ridden by Nancy Summers.

April 30 – A Classic Dash breaks his maiden on first asking at Los Alamitos. The First Down Dash colt is owned by Abigail Kawananakoa of Honolulu.

1994
April 29 – Mr Jess Perry wins his trial to the Louisiana Breeders’ Laddie Futurity (RG3) at Delta Downs. The Streakin La Jolla colt is owned by Cheryl Brasseaux of Vinton, Louisiana.

1995
April 15 – Winalota Cash runs second to Rare Jet Extremes in the West Texas/Sun Country Futurity Consolation. The Light On Cash gelding is owned by Andra Meridyth of Odessa, Texas. Trained by Gregg Sanders, Winalota Cash is ridden by Salvador Estrada.

April 27 – Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino opens in Iowa.

1996
April 11 & 27 – Streakin Flyer wins his trial but finishes second to Pies Lil Dasher in the Oklahoma Futurity (G1) at Blue Ribbon Downs. Streakin Flyer is a Strawfly Special gelding owned by Mike and Janelle Green’s Southern Rose Ranch at Pelzer, South Carolina. A filly by One Slick One, Pies Lil Dasher is owned by Robert Hart of Stella, Missouri. Pies Lil Dasher is trained by Robert Dunkle and ridden by Larry Payne.

1997
April 19 – SLM Big Daddy defeats Heza Ramblin Man and Kool Kue Baby in the Eastex Handicap (G2) at Remington Park. Trained by Don Mourning and ridden by Jacky Martin, the homebred 5-year-old Daddy Hold On gelding races for Steve and Lindsey Mitchell of Brownwood, Texas.

April 20 – Winalota Cash defeats Ducky Fred, Kuhi Kuhi, Treacherously and others in the MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G2) at Sunland Park. Trained by David Meridyth, the 4-year-old gelding is ridden by Oscar Ortega.

1998
April 4 – Special Impac, Hadtobeclever and Major Link score allowance wins in a triple dead heat at Manor Downs.

April 10 – Dash For Rainbow breaks her maiden at Manor Downs, becoming the first winner from Dash For Cash’s last crop. The filly races for her breeder, Ginger Graham of Gardendale, Texas.

April 18 – Starting his first race since being named world champion, SLM Big Daddy defeats Heza Ramblin Man and Blues Dash in the Eastex ‘Cap (G2) at Remington Park. Trained by Don Mourning and ridden by Jacky Martin, SLM Big Daddy is a homebred racing for Steve and Lindsey Mitchell of Brownwood, Texas.

1999
April 17 – Separatist breaks his maiden on his first start at Los Alamitos. The Chicks Beduino colt is owned by Jackie and Rod MacPherson of Perris, California. Separatist is trained by John Cooper and ridden by Eddie Garcia.

2000
April 14 & 29 – Eyesa Special wins his trial to the Remington Park Futurity (G1) but is scratched from Celeb’s final. Trained by Jack Brooks and ridden by Dennis Means, the Mr Eye Opener colt is owned by Terry Bell, Jim Pitts and Homer “Bud” Hill of Burkburnett, Texas.
Celeb is a Chicks Beduino colt racing for Benito Tello of Houston. Celeb is trained by Manuel Gonzalez and is ridden by Jacky Martin.

2001
April 8 – With Juan Vazquez in the irons for Tony Sedillo, Southern Beduino sprints the quarter mile in :20.978 in the MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G2) at Sunland Park. Owned by Sedillo, Leroy Martinez and Henry “Butch” Southway’s SMS Racing, the 4-year-old gelding by Chicks Beduino earns a $100,000 bonus for completing a triple including the Grade 3 Sunland Express Handicap and West Texas Maturity in the same year.

2002
April 7 – In the first race in which the top two finishers sprint sub-21-second quarter miles, Kendall Jackson clocks a world-record :20.733 in the MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G1) at Sunland Park, while Dash For A Fortune clocks :20.965. A 4-year-old Dash Ta Fame gelding owned by Mac and Janis Spencer Murry’s MJ Farms at Veguita, New Mexico, Kendall Jackson is trained by Mike Joiner and is ridden by Kenny Hart. Ridden by Juan Vazquez, the 4-year-old First Down Dash gelding Dash For A Fortune races for a partnership headed by trainer John Stinebaugh of Sunland Park, New Mexico.

April 7 – Eye Opening Episode wins the West Texas Futurity (G1). The Mr Eye Opener gelding races for his breeder, Sandy Erwin of Dallas. He is trained by James Lackey and ridden by Freddie Martinez.

2003
April 6 – Kendall Jackson becomes the first horse to repeat a sub-21-second quarter mile when he clocks :20.976 in the MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G1) at Sunland Park. Still trained by Mike Joiner, MJ Farms’ 5-year-old Dash Ta Fame gelding is ridden by G.R. Carter Jr.

April 10 – Making his first start, Be A Bono breaks his maiden at Los Alamitos. Trained by Dan Francisco and ridden by Alex Bautista, the homebred Bono Jazz gelding races for American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Spencer Childers of Fresno, California.

April 13 – Oak Tree Special wins his trial to the Heritage Place Derby (G1) at Blue Ribbon Downs. The Special Task colt is owned by Raul Rubalcava of Wylie, Texas.

2004
April 17 – Ocean Runaway finishes eighth in his first start at Los Alamitos. The First Down Dash colt is owned by Gary Muller’s Muller Racing LLC of Kansas City.

2005
April 3 – In the first race in which the top three finishers clock sub-21-second quarter miles, A Long Goodbye clocks a world-record :20.686 in the MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G1) at Sunland Park, with second finisher Special Task Force clocking :20.850 and third-placed Viva La Vicky at :20.952. A Long Goodbye is a 5-year-old Pure D Dash gelding owned by Julian DeVargas of Laguna, New Mexico.

April 3 – Leading Spirit scores in the West Texas Futurity (G1). Trained by Blane Wood and ridden by James J. “JJ” Gonzales, the Special Leader gelding is bred and owned by Barry Thompson of West, Texas.

April 30 – Making his first start, Wave Carver breaks his maiden in a trial to the Kindergarten Futurity (G1). Racing for a syndicate, Wave Carver is by First Down Dash out of Runaway Wave by Runaway Winner, and is a full brother to champion Ocean Ruanway.

2006
April 2 – A Long Goodbye ran his win streak to three with a 1 1/2-length victory in the $111,150 MBNA America New Mexico Challenge (G1) at Sunland Park. The 6-year-old gelding by Pure D Dash covered 440 yards in :20.845, about 16/100ths off his own stakes and world record established in last year’s New Mexico Challenge.

April 14 – Volcom’s victory in the El Primero Del Ano Derby (G1) is the 93rd Grade 1 stakes win by an offspring of First Down Dash, pushing the 22-year-old stallion past his sire, Dash For Cash, as American Quarter Horse racing’s all-time leading sire of both Grade 1 winners and Grade 1 wins. First Down Dash’s 93 Grade 1 stakes wins were accomplished by 55 of his foals, while Dash For Cash’s 92 stakes wins were posted by 42 of his foals. Bred by John Andreini of San Mateo, California, Volcom races for P.K. Thomas of Weatherford, Texas. He is trained by Paul Jones and ridden by Cody Jensen.

April 14 – Facing the starter for the first time, No Secrets Here finishes third to Pritzis Honor and Red Hot Hawk in a maiden race at Los Alamitos. A colt by First Down Dash out of $203,666 earner Dicey Secret by Raise A Secret, No Secrets Here races for the partnership of his breeder, Vessels Stallion Farm of California, and Benny Rosset of Brazil.

2007
April 13 – Freaky starts his first race. Scot Willoughby sends out Raul Ramirez Jr. on the Dr. Ed Allred’s homebred TR Dasher gelding to run third in a maiden event at Los Alamitos.

2008
April 19 – Starting the second race of his career, Stolis Winner sustains the only defeat in what will be his world championship campaign. Going 330 yards in allowance company at Manor Downs, Jerry Windham’s homebred colt by champion Stoli is bumped at the start but recovers to make a late bid and come in second, a nose behind Rolando Alaniz’s RK Flyin Prospect. Tommy Zarate trains Stolis Winner, who was ridden by Rodrigo Vallejo.

2009
April 12 – First Moonflash sets a quarter-mile world record in the Bank of America New Mexico Championship Challenge (G1). With Alejan Medellin in the irons for Jose Gonzalez, the 5-year-old stallion sprints 440 yards in :20.274. From the only crop by champion First To Flash, First Moonflash is owned by Leslie and Pierre Amestoy and M. Gonzalez of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

April 25 – Starting his first stakes race since being purchased by Armando Aguirre of Surprise, Arizona, Freaky finishes third to A Mere Chocolate in the Kaweah Bar Handicap (G3). The 4-year-old TR Dasher gelding is trained by Adan Farias and is ridden by Rodrigo Aceves.

If you witnessed or know of an historic event whose anniversary is next month, please contact the Journal’s Richard Chamberlain at richc@aqha.org.

If your horse-racing resolution comes with a memorable reminder, like truck tires, fires or lipstick, you’re less likely to forget about it.

This year, set realistic goals, and use a trick from Reid McLellan to help you remember them all year long.

By C. Reid McLellan

What are we going to do this year?

New Year’s resolutions are talked about a lot in December and early January each year. It seems to me that people have gradually begun to disregard this time-honored tradition.

I remember a New Year’s youth party at my home church way back when I was a teenager. We roasted marshmallows and wieners and enjoyed a good time like teenagers will do. Around 11:30 p.m., we gathered around the fire for a devotional from our youth leader. He had us write down something we did the past year that we were not proud of – more than one would be OK, but no more than three.

We folded the paper and wrote NPO (“not proud of”) on the outside. We were the only ones who were going to see those NPO notes, so “be honest with yourself,” the leader advised. He then asked us to write on another piece of paper one main goal we would accomplish in the new year. At 11:55 p.m., we observed a quiet time, a time of silent prayer, reflection or even a brief nap for those who didn’t want to participate.

We were asked to think about what we put on our NPO page. What were the circumstances? What will you do differently next time? At 11:59 p.m., we put that NPO page in the campfire. As we watched the papers go up in smoke, we were told to let it go. At midnight, we shared Happy New Year greetings, somewhat subdued compared to most celebrations, but with smiles, tears and what appeared to be relief on some faces. We were told that “Auld Lang Syne” was about remembering old friends and good times, not NPO events.

Then, as we sang those familiar lyrics, we put our goal page into the fire.

“Giving up on my goals already?” I wondered.

No, I learned that whenever I saw smoke — from a trash fire, a chimney or even a grill — I was reminded of that one goal.

I still remember what I wrote on those slips of paper, yet I can’t remember what goals I set last year.

Yes, this is still a racing blog! The take-home message for 2012 is that each of us can make resolutions, not keep any of them and do it all over again in December. Or, we can reflect on our wagering or other actions we were not proud of in 2011, and resolve to do things differently in 2012.

I encourage you to write down one, two or no more than three things you were not proud of in 2011. Write down each NPO event and below it write a positive, declarative sentence that starts with “In 2012, I will …”

For example:

NPO: Changed wager because a friend gave me inside information about another horse.

STATEMENT: In 2012, I will follow my own handicapping to make wagering decisions. If I choose to use inside information, I will make that as an additional  wager.

After spending quiet time considering your NPO list, destroy it in a way meaningful to you. Most importantly, do not keep your NPO list! Turn it loose and let it go! Write down one major goal that is specific and attainable. “Make a profit every time I go to the race track” is too general. “Make an average profit of $100 per visit to the race track” is more specific and attainable. This will be our playing goal for this blog and, in addition to some training and horse talk, I will blog about wagering plans that can help us attain that goal in 2012. Do something creative so that you will have a daily reminder. You can do the fire and smoke reminder or something that works for you. Some life coaches have clients write down goals on sticky notes and stick them on their bathroom mirror. Some like to place notes on the fridge with a magnet. To be different, write your goal in lipstick. Then when you see a lipstick commercial, an ad in a magazine or pass a lipstick display at a store, you will be reminded of your goal.

Speaking of goals, R.D. Hubbard set — and achieved — countless business goals in the horse-racing industry. Get the FREE Hubbard: Success in Business report today, and learn the secrets to his success.

So, what did I write on my blog goal piece of paper for 2012?

“Submit one blog for each month in 2012.” How will I remember? I rolled over my piece of paper with my truck and put a big tire print on it. Keep track of how many months this blog appears to judge the success of this reminder!

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

When you go to a track for a day at the races, be thankful for the fact that you get to enjoy another day at the track.

Thankful for another opportunity to go to the horse races.

By C. Reid McLellan

“Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!”

And thus another winning horseplayer expresses appreciation for a winning wager. Is that horseplayer actually saying a prayer of thanksgiving to God (or any other divine being), or just expressing excitement and happiness? Possibly 30 seconds prior to that utterance, that same player may have been prayerfully pleading, “PLEASE! One Time! PLEASE let me win JUST ONE TIME!!”

One reason horseplayers like to play the ponies is the excitement of unknown consequences – reward or loss?

Gratitude is not one of the “seven virtues,” but there are entire self-help programs based on encouraging an attitude of gratitude. We just celebrated a holiday based on Thanksgiving. Writing thank-you notes was a common courtesy taught in elementary school back in the day. My mother taught her six kids to write thank-you notes for all gifts we received. So, being thankful for a winning wager is a part of our culture.

Are you a fan of the races? Follow AQHA horse racing with AQHA’s Q-Racing Journal, a FREE digital publication. View the latest issue today!

But what does thanking God for our winning wagers say about his role when we lose? What if another player is also praying as the field turns for home, and that player is pulling for a different runner? Only one of us will win. How did God choose? What about an unbeliever? Or, what about a player who is praying for the jockey to “ride one home in front ONE TIME!”

Answers to these questions can be theological and will definitely be biased by personal opinion and belief. And, since I write this blog, this is my opinion.

When you go to a track for a day at the races, be thankful for the fact that you get to enjoy another day at the track – a beautiful day you can spend outside or sheltered from less-desirable elements. Appreciate that you will be able to observe magnificent animals demonstrating their innate ability to run. Be thankful for your mental ability and senses that help you decide which runners to bet and which bets to place. With this attitude of gratitude at the races, money you lose is investment in your well-being much as a round of golf would be for a duffer, and profit earned will be lagniappe.

Thank you, investors who put up money to build and operate facilities.

Thank you, horse trainers, veterinarians, grooms and others who take care of our racehorses each day.

Thank you, mutuel clerks and technicians who keep Screen-Activated Machines working.

Thank you, concession workers and maintenance crews.

Yes! Thank you, Lord, for all of it!

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

2007 Galbreath Award winner R. D. Hubbard discusses his successes in the horse industry and beyond.

R.D. Hubbard has contributed much to the Quarter Horse racing world, and now you can learn about his success. His career as an entrepreneur, both within the equine industry and in other industries, has been remarkable for its achievements.

During the 2008 Bank of America Challenge Championships in Lafayette, Louisiana, Rich Wilcke, director of University of Louisiana’s Equine Industry Program, spoke with Dee Hubbard about his perspectives on entrepreneurship and his own career.

The Hubbard: Success in Business, Horses and Horse Racing report summarizes the conversation between Rich and Dee.

Dee attributes much of his success to three main factors: the people in his life, his willingness to take risks and incentive.

No matter what business you are in, you have to deal, and get along, with people – as customers, as suppliers, as competitors, as investors, as partners or as employees, Dee said. “I learned the value of surrounding myself with the best people, many of whom knew how to deal with crucial things that I didn’t know very much about.”

When Dee talks about taking risks, he doesn’t necessarily mean gambling. To him, there is a big difference between a gambler and a risk-taker. In business, you get the facts, weigh the options, and take the risk in the belief that the odds are in your favor. A gambler tends to shoot it all in hopes of winning.

The final key to his success was his incentive. When Dee first started working in the business world, he was married and had a family. He had the incentive to become a hard-working employee, and that landed him the job of managing a small business. The owner of that business became Dee’s mentor and taught him about the business.

It was through his mentors and a little luck that Dee was able to become the entrepreneur he is today.

You can read about his experiences by downloading the FREE Hubbard: Success in Business, Horses and Horse Racing report. You’ll learn more about Dee’s history, role in the development of Safelite and AFG Industries, real estate and horses.

Some of the famous horses Dee has owned or co-owned include: Straw Flight, Moolah Bar and Diamond Charge.

In 1961, Straw Flights total earnings were $46,202. That would be more than $333,000 today. Similarly, Moolah Bar and Diamond Charge were also stakes winners and money makers.

Learn more about Dee’s success by downloading our FREE Hubbard: Success in Business, Horses and Horse Racing report.

One exotic bettor used paper analysis to determine the best daily double strategies and learned when to wheel or part wheel at the racetrack.

Download Reid McLellan's evaluation of different betting strategies at two major horse races.

By C. Reid McLellan

What is your favorite “play?”

Tom liked the “all” button on the Screen-Activated Machine (like a self-serve kiosk), and he would wheel the favorite (or at least his top pick) in the first leg of a daily double with all of the horses in the second leg. He then would do a back wheel of all the horses in the first leg with his top pick in the second leg. With an average of 10 horses in each race, Tom was betting $36 on each pair of races in which daily double betting was offered.

When he started playing the game, most tracks offered daily double wagering on the first two races. Some offered a late double on the final two races of a race card. Now many tracks offer daily double wagering on every pair of races, or nine daily doubles on a 10-race card.

As Tom continued to wheel every daily double, he was hurting his wagering bankroll’s bottom line. An astute horse player, Tom had a strike rate of 37 percent (meaning his top pick was correct nearly four of 10 times).

Once we sat down and put the numbers on paper, Tom changed his wagering strategy and improved his already-impressive record of making a net profit from his horse playing.

Tom never paid much attention to the daily double  probables until after he had made his wagers. He knew which horses would make him a profit (the daily double would pay more than the $36 he wagered), and, even though he bragged about hitting the double three out of four times, he did not take that fact into account when he made his wagers.

To make the math easier for our discussion, we’ll use 80 percent as his success rate, something very few casual fans can expect to accomplish.

While Tom used $36 as his break-even number, he was not taking into account his non-winning rate. Even with the heady 80-percent strike rate, Tom needed nearly $45 to break even on his daily double play. To enjoy a 20 percent profit, he would need payoffs near $55. When we put the numbers down on paper, Tom changed his betting strategy.

Order AQHA’s Winner’s Guide to Wagering at the Racetrack and learn insightful information about speed indexes, types of races, how to look at past performances and much more. Perfect for beginners and experts alike!

To see how the theory works, let’s look at the daily double payoff at Ruidoso Downs on All American Weekend, at Los Alamitos the weekend of September 9-11 and at Remington Park September 28-October 1. Download the chart to follow along.

If Tom successfully hit the double 80 percent of the time, he could make a profit. Except for AA weekend, the other two weekends were picked at random. All three tracks have the traditional daily double and a late double on the final two races. The table shows the number of horses in each leg of the double, win payoff for each leg and the corresponding daily double payoff.  DD stands for the early double and LD the late double each day. DD net is the daily double payoff minus the total cost of betting a $2 wheel and backwheel in each leg. The final two columns show what the return would have been if the same amount of money as the cost of the wheels had been bet on the respective winning horse to win.

As I told Tom, a wheel is a win bet on that horse. Note that at Ruidoso and Los Alamitos, only five times out of 22 did the net profit from the daily double pay more than a straight win bet. And, in only two of those five times was the difference more than $25. On only one daily double (early double on September 5) was the payoff better than a win bet on either of the two winning horses.

An interesting late daily double occurred on September 29 at Remington Park. The winner of the ninth race paid $120.40 to win. An even-money favorite won the first leg. With 12 runners in the first leg and 13 in the second, I expected that double to pay $480 or $500, and it only returned $275. The other exotic payoffs were in line with the odds, but this lower double suggested that the ninth race winner was being played in the double and not in the straight pool, or that a number of people were wheeling the heavy favorite. Playing the late double on September 29 would have made us a profit (over a straight win bet) if we had only played the front wheel. Note that if you had picked that 60-1 runner and wheeled that horse in the double (a $24 bet in this case), you would have left more than $1,200 on the table (regardless of whether you played that horse in the straight pools or not).

Of course, this is an after-the-fact discussion, but you can do your own paper analysis by selecting a horse in each leg and placing a paper wager. When Tom and I did this on paper, we came up with some tenents to follow to give Tom a better profit potential.

Seven Daily-Double Tenents:

1. Only play daily double when there is a minimum of 20 runners in the two races.
2. Daily double is playable when you have confidence in your top pick in one of the legs.
3. If your top pick is a heavy favorite, part-wheel your top pick with the three longest odds horses in the other leg.
4. If your top pick is a 10-1 or more longshot, part-wheel your selection with three top picks in the other leg.
5. Bet the remainder of the cost of a full wheel on your top pick to win.
6. Don’t chase the double. If you don’t play a double and your selections hit for a big payoff, don’t just automatically bet the next double and the one after that, etc.
7. Keep track of your daily double wagers separately from your other wagers.

Our discussion shows what would happen if you picked the right horse in at least one of the legs of the daily doubles in our chart. Obviously, very few of us will ever pick one of the winners in each of 17 daily doubles. So, discipline, patience and money management are all tools we can use to improve our bottom line and have an exotic good time.

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

Look at your profit or loss on each bet, rather than at the end of the day, and you might find an improvement in your handicapping.

By C. Reid McLellan

Keep track of your individual wagers, not just your overall bankroll, to see an improvement in your handicapping.

Remember Joe? Like many horseplayers, Joe only considered profit or loss at the end of the day as a measure of his handicapping. Once he began to look at profit or loss on each play, instead of the end of the day, he became a more productive player and had money left over in his vacation bankroll, as we call it, at the end of the year, and actually took a long weekend vacation one Labor Day and went to Ruidoso Downs for the All American Futurity.

Joe liked to play the top three choices in each of the first two races in daily double part wheels.  Since Joe played three horses in each race, his total investment was $18.00. Over the course of a long meeting, meaning over 80 days, Joe’s strike rate was an average of four daily doubles a week and he was losing money on his daily double bets.

Joe was perplexed when I wrote that out for him on a napkin. Joe did not keep track of individual wagers – he only kept track of his overall bankroll. He started each racing season with a $2,000 bankroll, managed to buy himself lunch in the Silks clubhouse restaurant and occasionally take his buds out for steak and all the trimmings after a really good day.

With AQHA’s “Winners Guide to Wagering at the Racetrack” DVD, you’ll learn all about American Quarter Horse racing and how to wager. Order your copy today!

By the final weekend of that race meeting, Joe’s wagering bankroll was either gone on down to less than $200. And, if the latter was the case, he generally bet it all on the final day looking for a big payoff to get even.

Joe figured, “I’d spend that much on an exotic vacation and have nothing but a bunch of pictures to show for it.”  Knowing Joe, he probably would not be very many of those to show either.

Once Joe looked at some figures, he changed the way he played the double and even the way he played some of his other exotic bets. Playing the early and late doubles (Joe’s home track only offered daily double wagering on first two and final two races) meant that Joe was investing $36.00 in his system each day. Considering a five-day race week, Joe made 10 daily double bets at a total investment of $180.00. He averaged hitting four of those 10 wagers, so he needed payoffs of at least $45.00 just to break even.

Joe realized that when one of the top two choices in each daily double race won, the payoff rarely, if ever, netted him his $45.00. Joe saw that he made money when the longest shot of the three won one of the two races. So Joe decided to only part wheel the highest priced of the top three selections with the other three in each race. He also realized that by doing a bit of handicapping on the second leg, he could make an informed decision regarding which of the final race horses might be the biggest price.

Joe went from losing $400-500 on his daily double wagers to breaking even and even making a profit on that wager over the course of a 120-day meeting.

AQHA’s “Winners Guide to Wagering at the Racetrack” DVD is an excellent tool for beginning handicappers and experts alike.

Today, many tracks offer daily double wagering on each pair of races. Indiscriminate part wheeling program selections can be a quick way to lose money.  Some tracks have in-house handicappers that make selections and broadcast them over the in house feed. Account wagering television enables us to wager from home and they have personalities that make selections. If you don’t want to make your own selections, find a personality that you like and use his or her selections to help you make your choices.

One other element that Joe added to his wagering style was the word “pass.”  Watching daily double payoffs, Joe realized that when a race has less than six horses, it’s rare that the daily double will pay over $45.00 unless a big longshot won the other race. Joe began passing a lot of late doubles and added that $12 to his exacta play.

Manage your exotic wagers at the race track.

By C. Reid McLellan

Exotic bets offer players an opportunity for large payoffs with minimal investment. Journal photo.

Any wager requiring a player to correctly select the finish position of more than one horse is considered an exotic bet. From the daily double, our original exotic bet, racing’s exotic menu now includes wagers in which a player must pick the winners of three, four, five or six races in a row. In addition to picking a horse that finishes first, also known as a win bet; at least second, a place bet; or at least third, a show bet; we now have races where we can bet that we will correctly select the order of finish of two, three, four or five horses in the same race.

Remember, regardless of which exotic you choose, in order to be successful you must select the horse that wins the race in question. While the win bet is the most consistent profit-producing bet at a racetrack, exotic bets offer players an opportunity for large payoffs with minimal investment.

When you go to a racetrack, will you be thinking, “If I wager $100 and walk out with $120, I will have made a 20 percent return on my investment in one day?” Will you even think that you had a successful day? For most casual to regular players, the answer to that question is most likely, “No!” One allure of gambling is a possibly of turning $1 into $100, or even $1 million. That is one of the main reasons people pull handles on slot machines and buy lottery tickets. At the Kentucky Derby, a player picking the right four numbers in the correct order on a $1 superfecta ticket turned that $1 investment into $24,063. Obviously, that was not easy to do. If it had been easy, that payoff would have been closer to $24 than $24,000.

AQHA’s “Winner’s Guide to Wagering at the Racetrack” is an excellent tool for beginners and experts alike. Order your copy  today and learn how to properly handicap horse racing!

When you go to the track, remember to divide your bankroll into a straight bet amount and an exotic bet amount. Exacta boxes are a common exotic bet, but there are several other exotic plays out there. In addition to boxes, you can use wheels, part wheels and varying amount wagers.

To help you with your wagering, here are a few definitions:

• When we wheel an exotic bet we take a key horse and it play in one position of a bet, then use all available horses in subsequent positions. A daily double wheel would be “$2 daily double 2 with all” or “$2 daily double all with 4.”  In the first case, if our key horse in the first leg wins, then we are guaranteed that we will have a winning ticket once the second leg is finished.  It does not, however, guarantee that we will have made a profit from our wager. Our second example is called a back wheel.  In a back wheel, we will be alive after the first leg regardless of which horse wins that race.  Our key horse must win the second leg in order for us to share in the daily double winnings.
• A part wheel is using a key horse in one position with a partial number of horses for subsequent positions.  In the daily double, this would be “$2 daily double part wheel 4 with 1,3,5,7,9.”  This ticket would cost $10. This means that if the 4 horse wins the first leg and if any one of our five wheel horses wins the second leg, we will have a winning ticket.

Today’s mutual machines enable players to do several wheels or part wheels at the same time.

Here are a few examples:

• $2 daily double 2,4 with all — each wheel would cost $24 if the second leg has a 12-horse field, so the total cost of the wager would be $48.
• $2 daily double 1,2,3 with 1,2,3 — a part wheel is using some, but not all, of the horses in one or both legs of our play.  With this example, three part wheels are used (1 with 1,2,3; 2 with 1,2,3 and 3 with 1,2,3), each costing $6, so the total cost of that wager is $18.

Now that we are speaking the same language, let’s go have some fun!

Putting It to Practice

When I first started going to the races, I had a couple of buddies, Joe and Tom, who considered making it to Louisiana Downs in time for the first race so they could play the daily double, a clear matter of urgency – in the late 1970s Louisiana Downs only offered daily double wagering on races 1 and 2.

Joe played a part wheel strategy. He took the top three program selections in the first race and played a daily double part wheel to the top three selections in the second race.  Joe generally played a $2 minimum wager, so his ticket cost $18.  Occasionally he would hit the double, and his winnings would be $15 to $50.

I followed Joe’s plan for an entire Louisiana Downs meeting, checking the results in the newspaper each morning.  If Joe had gone to the races 100 days that year (of a 120-day meeting), he would’ve lost more than $600 on just his daily double wagering.  At one point, about a third of the way through the year, Joe was actually showing a profit of just more than $200.

Wagering on the top three program selections over a long period of time is generally a losing proposition. The top three program selections are going to get most of the wagering from the public, and therefore, Joe was unlikely to hit any payoffs large enough to account for the days he lost money.

Order AQHA’s Winner’s Guide to Wagering at the Racetrack and learn insightful information about speed indexes, types of races, how to look at past performances and much more. Perfect for beginners and experts alike!

Tom did his own handicapping and would wheel his top pick in the first race over all of the horses in the second race and then do a back wheel of all the horses in the first race with his top pick in the second race. Tom usually had a bankroll of $500 to $1,000, and he was betting $48 of it on the daily double.

Tom was a reasonably good handicapper, and he would hit the daily double at least once a week.  Since he was playing a $2 bet, his winnings ranged from $20 to $300.  Once, when his top pick was a 9-to-1 choice in the second race and a 20-to-1 long shot won the first race, he collected more than $1,200 for his daily double ticket. Once again, about mid-season, this daily double play showed a profit of more than $800.  But by the end of the 120-day meeting, his daily double play had lost him more than $2,000.

Neither friend was very happy with me when we sat down one Saturday morning with pencil and paper and they learned how much they were losing on their daily double bets. Joe pointed out that he cashed daily double tickets about twice a week. He said he would prefer to let the professional handicappers do the selecting and he would do the betting. He wanted to know if there was a way that he might be able to make money using the top three selections.

Tom kept a decent daily log of his wagers. He remembered his big $1,200 daily double hit (he still brags about it 30 years later), and he was a good enough handicapper that he actually showed a modest profit from his overall wagering activities from year to year. He did not, however, separate his wagers into win bets, daily double bets and other exotic bets – he just wrote down total wagered and total won or lost at the end of the day. Tom made some changes in the way he played his daily double and improved his bottom line profit potential.

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

Continue learning about handicapping at Quarter Horse races and learn how to make a wagering plan.

By C. Reid McLellan

January always has been a “bright” month on my calendar.  Just like the start of a new race meeting, changing to a “new” year enables us to have a feeling of a “fresh start.”

One element over which we have control in our wagering plans is the ability to decide we are going to start over.

If you have been on a losing streak, or just haven’t been playing for a while because of family, business or other (Holiday?) reasons, you can decide that the beginning of the Remington Park Quarter Horse meeting will be a do over.  (Now that my good friend and Groom Elite board member Dan Fick is Racing Secretary at Remington Park we could use the golf term “mulligan.”)

If you are new to this blog, go back and read some of the guidelines for money management and mental approaches we discussed.  Now let’s consider a wagering action plan in which we will consider exactas along with our straight wagers.

Using our $100 bankroll let’s allocate $60 to exacta plays and $40 to our straight wagers. To keep is simple we will consider a $1 exacta box of our top three selections and a $4 straight bet in each race. Like we did with our straight wagers we are going to have a goal for the day.  In this case we’ll stretch our goal from doubling our money (1-1) to tripling our bankroll (2-1).

In other words, we’re going in with $100 with a goal to walk out with $300.  Using the average handicappers success rate we are going to expect to hit 20 percent of our exacta wagers and 30 percent of our selections will win (straight bets).

With our 60-40 distribution of funds we will allocate $120 of our $200 profit to our exacta play and the other $80 to our straight bets.  If we figure we will hit 2 of our exactas then each exacta must return $90 for our $1 investment.

That means $2 exacta payoff amount must be $180.  In a subsequent article, we can discuss how to include a favorite in our exacta play, but for this exercise we are going to box three horses.  To give ourselves a chance for that $90 payoff without stressing over watching the probable board we will only bet exacta boxes with a field size of at least 8 and include in our 3-horse box horses whose odds total 15-1.  In other words, if our top pick is 3-1 and our second choice is 4-1, our third choice needs to be 8-1.  Remember, if we pass a race we can then do a $2 exacta box in the next race and our “winner” only has to pay $30 for a $1 exacta.

At the same time we are going to wager $4 to win on the horse of our top three selections that is closest to 8-1.  If we win three of those we get back close to the profit we need to make our goal.  Remember, if we pass a race, we can bet $8 to win on a horse that is 4-1 and accomplish the same goal.

For this blog I handicapped the a Tuesday race card at Louisiana Downs.  I did not know the results prior to my handicapping this card and did not change any play after I learned the results.  (In handicapping circles what I am about to do is called “red-boarding,” bragging about big scores after the race is official, or whining about “near misses.”  My intent here was to show this money action plan in principle and did not know the results until after my handicapping.  Hereafter are the hits and misses!)

Louisiana Downs – Tuesday January 25, 2011

Simplified betting rules: Bankroll – $100 (Stop Loss $100).
Bankroll Distribution: $60 to be bet in exacta boxes. Today all exacta boxes will be $1 units with three horses (total of $6.00); $40 to straight bets ($4.00 per race).
Goal: Net profit of $200.

Action Plan: Bet exacta boxes only in races with at least 8 runners and where odds on any 3 of top 4 picks total 15 or more.  Will not include runners going off at less than 2-1.

Bet $4 win bets on the one of my top three picks that is closest to 8-1 (or $2 win on each of any two top picks 8-1 or more.)

Adding our additional profit of $120.30 to the $233.50 profit we have a total profit of $353.80.  Our goal was $200, so you can now consider increasing the daily “stop loss” by adding $100 for a $200 daily bankroll.  $120 allocated to exacta play means we can bet $2 three horse boxes or play a 4-horse box for $1.  We would only play a 4-horse box if  field size at least 10, two horses are at least 10-1 and no horse in box is less than 9-2.  We would also have $80 in our straight pool so we can bet $8.00 WIN bets or multiples thereof.  But that is another day.  Remember, we can lose ALL of our bankroll every day if our handicapping is not “in tune”.  But if we develop an “action plan” and stick to it, we increase the likelihood that we will have more profit making days.  For now we’re going to use our profit and take our “significant other” out for a great dinner and enjoy the “Time of our Life”.

(Dr. McLellan offers this example for those that choose to use their discretionary income to wager on horse races.  There are no guarantees that these principles will work for everyone.  It is intended as a guide to help those that want to play to understand the game.  If you feel you have a problem with gambling, call AQHA for contact information of professionals that can help you with your problem.)

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

Having a good wagering plan can make a difference during the holiday season.

By C. Reid McLellan

Christmas time brings money management into sharp focus in many aspects of our lives. We shop for presents for loved ones and acquaintances. Some find such shopping stressful. They worry about what to get each person on their list for different reasons:

• Gift receiver will think the gift is cheap.
• Giver does not have enough money to buy a gift they know a loved one really wants.
• Receiver already “has everything.”
• Giver can’t afford to take off work and thus does not have time to shop for that extra-special gift.

Notice that each of those reasons has something to do with money. We talk about “it’s the thought that counts.” Many mature receivers appreciate any gift they receive, but their appreciation doesn’t alleviate stress for many people.

This is also the time of year when financial institutions and professional money advisors include notes in Christmas cards and e-mails along the lines of: “Now is the time to make decisions that can affect the amount of income taxes you pay for this year.” Some people simply wonder if they will have enough to pay a large heat bill they know is coming due to unprecedented cold weather in their region.

Most of those reading this can probably relate to one or more of these money management stressors. A one-word antidote to such stress is “plan.” We are told from the time we are in elementary school about planning. A famous sign has the words “Plan Ahead” on it with the “A” and “D” crowded onto the sign, indicating a failure to do exactly what the sign suggested. If we would just put $50 into a Christmas club account each month starting in January, we would have $600 with which to buy Christmas gifts – enough to ensure stress-free shopping for many parents or grandparents. We declare our good intentions, but we don’t follow through. Some of that is human nature – instant gratification (advertisements tell us we deserve to have what we want right now!); laziness that leads to procrastination (we’ll do it next week); and sometimes an emergency interferes with best-laid plans.

Last month, we discussed a money management plan for wagering. A money management plan can help reduce the stresses of wagering. And stress-free wagering can make more profit that wagering under duress.  Ever heard the phrase, scared money is afraid to win?

Money management cannot make up for bad handicapping, but it can help you have funds available so that when your selection wins, you have funds left with which you can wager, and you wager enough on that horse that you are able to achieve your wagering goal. One of the saddest laments I hear at a racetrack is, “I had that 20-1 shot that won picked in my top three, but only used him in an exacta (or trifecta, etc.), and the other horses did not cooperate.”  (That of course is a paraphrase. I’m sure you can insert your own words to complete that sad mantra.) Another is, “I played that 20-1 shot second in exacta with favorite, but didn’t reverse it.”

Folks, if you like a 20-1 longshot, and that horse finishes in top three, you should cash some kind of ticket. How do we do that? Money management can help. Let’s use our $100 a month allotment from last month and look at one daily wagering action plan.

We’ll divide our $100 into two categories – straight wagers and exotic wagers – then decide on a percentage for each category. For this example, we will establish a goal of  $100 profit for each $100 wagered. With that in mind, we will look at a 100 percent straight bet wagering plan.

If you are an “average” handicapper you will pick one winner out of every three selections.  (If you always throw out the favorite and “try to beat it” you will pick fewer than one in three, since favorites tend to win about 30 to 33 percent of the time.)  If I decide I want to bet all 10 races, I could wager $10 on each race. With this action plan, I will use the following guidelines to decide how to invest that $10.  Once I have done my handicapping, I will watch the horses in the post parade if possible and make my final decision about my top three selections.

If my selection is 3-1 or less, I will bet my $10 to win. If selection is between 7-2 and 8-1, I will bet $5 win and $5 place. If my selection is over 8-1, I will bet $4 win and $6 show, or all $10 to show provided that the field size is eight or more and there is no prohibitive favorite in the race. If I have no idea as to which horse might win a race, I will pass. Remember, if you pass a race, you will have that $10 to wager in a subsequent race – so maybe you have two $15 win bets or a $20 win bet later on the card.

If I am picking the correct horse in one of three races and wish to double my money ($100 in straight bets and walk out with $200 total) my win bets need to be on horses that are 5-1 or more. Look at your top three selections and bet $10 to win on the runner that is closest to 5-1 in each race. Pass on races in which you are convinced that an 8-5 (or 3-5 or whatever low-odds heavy favorite) is going to win.  Or, bet half of your straight bet bankroll on that heavy favorite to win. (Remember, if you bet $50 to win on a 2-1 shot that wins, you will get back $150 and thus walk out with $200.)  Those passed races can help you have that $50 available for a big win bet.

Next time: For New Year’s, we will divide our bankroll into $36 straight bets and $64 exotic bets and plan for larger take-home pay in 2011. When it comes to wagering, few people realize a money management plan can help them have the “time of their life.”

As executive director of The Elite Program, C. Reid McLellan organizes and teaches Groom, Owner and Trainer Elite classes around the country. Find out about the next available class here!

As owner and agent of Purple Power Equine Services, Reid helps people buy and sell race and show prospects and provides guidance and assistance with training, breeding and other equine services.

Having a money management plan and a winning attitude can make all the difference.

A business plan is an important document that helps owners get financing for a new (or ongoing) business. A business plan may be long and drawn out or short and to the point. If it is a personal business plan and no shareholders are involved, then the simpler the better.

Last month, we talked about reviewing our history and establishing a wagering log and budget to help us develop a winning attitude. This month, we will talk about money management plans that might help you have the time of your life. 

Budget

Let’s start with a quick review of last month’s budget discussion. How much money will be allocated to the wagering budget? Depending on your level of action, this can be yearly, monthly, weekly or daily.

A budget, with an allocation to “wagering” (a sub-category of “Entertainment”) includes the “discretionary funds” you have available to wager each month (or your budgetary period). Your money management plan will include a “stop-loss” statement. This states that when you have lost your “stop-loss” amount, you will wait until the next budgetary period. 

Action Plan

How much you will wager each day (or month) is the beginning of your money management plan. Let’s look at a simple money management plan for a horse player who goes to the track one day a month. Don’t worry about understanding the details, but use this example to start your thinking about allocating your resources. 

After doing a history analysis and a family budget, Horse Player 1 will allocate $100 a month to wagering, with a stop loss of $100 in any one month. HP1 will take 50 percent of net winnings out at the end of any month in which there is a profit. The other half of the winnings will be added to the monthly allocation.

Note that in a month when there is a profit, no new deposit needs to be made. Half of the net profit is added to the allocation already in the account. For example, with $100 start-up, HP1 made a profit of $150 on Month 1, so the account now has $250. Withdrawing $75 (half of the profits) leaves $175 with which to wager in Month 2. With a $100 “stop-loss,” HP1 will stop when losses total $100 in any one month.

This may sound complicated, but notice that over the course of this year HP1 had $1,600 available to wager but only had $425 at risk.  In this scenario, HP1 cannot lose more than $1,200 in one year.  Since this $1,200 was allocated to the “entertainment” budget, the family can take a special vacation trip (maybe to the MBNA Challenge Championships in New Orleans, etc.) or the allocation for the following year can be upped to $200 per month if the same budget is used.

Example:  Allocation in bold is money deposited to wagering account
  Net returns in bold represent net profit for that month. 

A next step in a money management plan is to decide how to distribute the available allocation among different bets. Next time, we’ll discuss a daily wagering action plan to help us have the time of our lives.