Memories from the track – and your gutless wonder
Lead Summary

By
Rory Ryan-hcpress@cinci.rr.com
For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed going to "the track." That's what we called it. Whether it was Latonia (now Turfway Park) in northern Kentucky or River Downs (now Belterra) in Cincinnati's California community, when someone asked my dad and me if we were going to "the track" on a particular summer day, we knew what it meant.
In the mid-1970s, our group at the track excursions included Dick Stevens, John Fife and Joe Pfeffer. I learned a lot about pari-mutuel wagering from all of them. (Pari-mutuel is a form of betting in which those backing the first three places in a horse race divide the losers' stakes – less the track's commission.)
After some passing of time, we welcomed our friends Clarence Brabson Jr. and his son – and my high school classmate, teammate and brother – Clarence Brabson III to our group at the track.
As I've gotten older, the trips to the track are less frequent but still enjoyable. Pam and I try to get to Belterra at least once a summer and maybe bring along other family members if their schedules permit.
Not too long ago on one of our track days between races, I was asked about how many long shots I'd hit over the years. In racing parlance, a long shot is any horse at 20-1 or more on the tote board. (For those of you who watched the 2022 Run for the Roses on May 7, you can imagine where this is going.)
So, to the best of my memory and in no particular order, here are just a few of the long shots that I've bet on and won.
• Circa 1979 – A horse named Team Leader at River Downs had the uncanny knack of glancing at the tote board and losing – unless his odds were high. My dad noticed this in the Racing Form and kept a close eye on Team Leader's odds. One summer day the odds were pretty high, and we all wagered on Team Leader – except one of us who shall remain unnamed. I think a $20 bet brought back close to $400. It was a good day.
• Circa early 1980s – A horse named Tribal Leader at either River Downs or Latonia had the same tendencies as Team Leader. Might have had the same ownership or jockey, too. Tribal Leader made us leave the track with smiling faces.
• Circa September 1980 – A horse named Speculatrix at Latonia was running in the second race on the card. The second race being the climax of the Daily Double. I cannot recall the horse that won the first race that night, but I'd picked it on my DD. Prior to betting the double, a very nice lady who was sitting nearby "suggested" that Speculatrix would win the second race. The horse was something like 25-1. As a UC college student low on cash, I figured what the heck, I bet a 4-8 (or maybe it was an 8-4) Daily Double. For $2, I won over $300. The nice lady sitting next to me handed me a few tickets to cash in for her that night.
I suspect horse racing is much like Rick's Café Americana casino in Casablanca – as honest as the day is long.
There have been a few other less-memorable long-shot wagers that I've cashed in over the years, but not a single one compares to what happened on the late afternoon of Saturday, May 7, Kentucky Derby Day in Louisville, Ky. – and across the world of equine excitement.
In an unbelievable upset, the longest of long shots, Rich "Lucky" Strike, goes off at 80-1, trails the entire race until midway through the stretch, then bumps into another horse, shakes his head, collects himself, and storms to the finish line just ahead of the favorite, Epicenter. Rich Strike won by just three-quarters of a length over Epicenter with a winning time of 2 minutes, 2.61 seconds.
The only bigger Derby upset was in 1913 when Donerail won at 91-1. Rich Strike spent most of Saturday at 99-1 in the wagering and was still at 91-1 less than two hours before the race.
That's where my wager, er, my son Colin's wager, er, my son-in-law Stephen Forsha's wager came into play.
Less than an hour before post time, I decided to email my son-in-law, Stephen, who is way more tech-savvy than I am. In other words, he knows how to place a Kentucky Derby wager with his cell phone.
Colin was headed out of the house just before the race. Before leaving, as an after-thought, he turned and said, "If you are placing any bets, put $10 on Rich Strike for me." With that, he left.
(I told him it reminded me of Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz telling his players to "save Jimmy Johnson's ass for me" when the Irish and Hurricanes collided in 1988.)
My initial wager that I was going to send to Stephen was as follows:
• $20 to win on Simplification (my horse), he ran 4th;
• $20 to win on Cyberknife (for Pam, without her input), finished 18th; and
• $20 to win on Rich Strike (Colin's horse), I thought, what the heck, I'll put $10 on an 80-1 shot, too.
When I actually emailed Stephen our respective wagers, I changed the last bet to $10 for Colin, thinking there was not a chance in Hades that Rich Strike would win.
Watching the race on May 7, and knowing full well of my dad's May 9 date of death, and also knowing that this is the close to his death that the Derby can ever run, I am convinced that he is laughing at me for changing my bet.
My son also is laughing. It was my $10 that won him $818. I think he owes his brother-in-law a finder's fee, but I'll leave that up to them.
Meanwhile, I am listening to Frank Sinatra sing "That's Life."
See you at the track. No guts, no glory.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.
In the mid-1970s, our group at the track excursions included Dick Stevens, John Fife and Joe Pfeffer. I learned a lot about pari-mutuel wagering from all of them. (Pari-mutuel is a form of betting in which those backing the first three places in a horse race divide the losers' stakes – less the track's commission.)
After some passing of time, we welcomed our friends Clarence Brabson Jr. and his son – and my high school classmate, teammate and brother – Clarence Brabson III to our group at the track.
As I've gotten older, the trips to the track are less frequent but still enjoyable. Pam and I try to get to Belterra at least once a summer and maybe bring along other family members if their schedules permit.
Not too long ago on one of our track days between races, I was asked about how many long shots I'd hit over the years. In racing parlance, a long shot is any horse at 20-1 or more on the tote board. (For those of you who watched the 2022 Run for the Roses on May 7, you can imagine where this is going.)
So, to the best of my memory and in no particular order, here are just a few of the long shots that I've bet on and won.
• Circa 1979 – A horse named Team Leader at River Downs had the uncanny knack of glancing at the tote board and losing – unless his odds were high. My dad noticed this in the Racing Form and kept a close eye on Team Leader's odds. One summer day the odds were pretty high, and we all wagered on Team Leader – except one of us who shall remain unnamed. I think a $20 bet brought back close to $400. It was a good day.
• Circa early 1980s – A horse named Tribal Leader at either River Downs or Latonia had the same tendencies as Team Leader. Might have had the same ownership or jockey, too. Tribal Leader made us leave the track with smiling faces.
• Circa September 1980 – A horse named Speculatrix at Latonia was running in the second race on the card. The second race being the climax of the Daily Double. I cannot recall the horse that won the first race that night, but I'd picked it on my DD. Prior to betting the double, a very nice lady who was sitting nearby "suggested" that Speculatrix would win the second race. The horse was something like 25-1. As a UC college student low on cash, I figured what the heck, I bet a 4-8 (or maybe it was an 8-4) Daily Double. For $2, I won over $300. The nice lady sitting next to me handed me a few tickets to cash in for her that night.
I suspect horse racing is much like Rick's Café Americana casino in Casablanca – as honest as the day is long.
There have been a few other less-memorable long-shot wagers that I've cashed in over the years, but not a single one compares to what happened on the late afternoon of Saturday, May 7, Kentucky Derby Day in Louisville, Ky. – and across the world of equine excitement.
In an unbelievable upset, the longest of long shots, Rich "Lucky" Strike, goes off at 80-1, trails the entire race until midway through the stretch, then bumps into another horse, shakes his head, collects himself, and storms to the finish line just ahead of the favorite, Epicenter. Rich Strike won by just three-quarters of a length over Epicenter with a winning time of 2 minutes, 2.61 seconds.
The only bigger Derby upset was in 1913 when Donerail won at 91-1. Rich Strike spent most of Saturday at 99-1 in the wagering and was still at 91-1 less than two hours before the race.
That's where my wager, er, my son Colin's wager, er, my son-in-law Stephen Forsha's wager came into play.
Less than an hour before post time, I decided to email my son-in-law, Stephen, who is way more tech-savvy than I am. In other words, he knows how to place a Kentucky Derby wager with his cell phone.
Colin was headed out of the house just before the race. Before leaving, as an after-thought, he turned and said, "If you are placing any bets, put $10 on Rich Strike for me." With that, he left.
(I told him it reminded me of Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz telling his players to "save Jimmy Johnson's ass for me" when the Irish and Hurricanes collided in 1988.)
My initial wager that I was going to send to Stephen was as follows:
• $20 to win on Simplification (my horse), he ran 4th;
• $20 to win on Cyberknife (for Pam, without her input), finished 18th; and
• $20 to win on Rich Strike (Colin's horse), I thought, what the heck, I'll put $10 on an 80-1 shot, too.
When I actually emailed Stephen our respective wagers, I changed the last bet to $10 for Colin, thinking there was not a chance in Hades that Rich Strike would win.
Watching the race on May 7, and knowing full well of my dad's May 9 date of death, and also knowing that this is the close to his death that the Derby can ever run, I am convinced that he is laughing at me for changing my bet.
My son also is laughing. It was my $10 that won him $818. I think he owes his brother-in-law a finder's fee, but I'll leave that up to them.
Meanwhile, I am listening to Frank Sinatra sing "That's Life."
See you at the track. No guts, no glory.
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.