Friday I went to a race track and saw the races. My mom went up to the girl where you bet and asked if there was a chance we could see the barn. Long story short, she told us where to find a trainer that might be willing to take us out. We got in conversation and I asked how I would get a job there. He said all I would do is call him up and he would get me a badge and put me with someone that would show me the ropes. I would start as a hot walker walking the race horses to the track and could move up to a groom or eventually a trainer. Now, I really just want other horse lovers opinions. Cause if I get this job I would have to move 3 hours away and get an apartment. I would also probably not go to college to be a vet tech(which I was debating to do before). So what’s your opinion on this job? Would you do it?
@ Starlight 1- you know nothing about me so why are you saying up not cut out for the job? You don’t know if I’m totally green and inexperienced. You think I don’t know about the risks and abuse? You are sadly mistaken. I’ve taken a lot more thought into this job than you might think.

If it’s what you love, and what you see yourself doing, then go for it! Its YOUR life! Live it the way you want!

Good luck!

If you would really enjoy this, go for it! It sounds like a good experience. You wouldn’t make as much as you would as a vet tech, but this might be more interesting and fun. Good luck!!:)

That sounds so amazing. But I agree about the dependability about it. Maybe you could try and go to school while you do the training stuff. I hope you figure it out. Im totally jealous of you, good luck girlie

If you want to, go for it.
But at the same time take classes (or even online courses) towards a degree in something. You can always go back to college.

My plan is to work, play with my horses, and take online courses towards business. Business can be useful in a lot of careers, just in case horse careers take an even worse turn. I’m also looking into the Equine Studies Institute online.. http://www.equinestudiesinstitute.com/

Always plan for a plan.
And a plan B.
And C.

It sounds like alot of fun, but I dont think it would be a good choice. As a hotwalker, you probably wont make enough to pay rent, utilities and food. As a groom, you might make enough, but it would be tight. Trainers only make good money if their horses win. Its a tough way of life. I suggest you go to college first then reconsider this if you’re still interested. At least you would have a degree to fall back on. Good luck!

Sounds like a great opportunity but, you have to think about the future & the economy
What if you loose this job & you don’t have a degree then its going to be difficult to find a new job.
At least if you have the vet tech degree you know you have education and have a better chance of finding jobs if something happens at another vets office (like going out of business).
With this job its on the job training & you don’t have anything to really show you know what your doing besides showing you’ve had a job on the race track before. If it were me I would consider doing it before going to college for awhile or wile I was in college if that were possible & not Making it a carrear just yet unless things work out & you know you dont need to go to college. For right now I would just try it.

Wow! Your very lucky to be able to do that. I think that is an awesome career. If that’s what you love and want to do, GO FOR IT!

Can someone answer this question please?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtPEluo6rif_kqToKcj0HIMM_dw4;_ylv=3?qid=20120513085022AAp9XQP

I would totally try and do both-but you might want to take into consideration getting a couple of roomates to help with rent. Having two career options is the best, I was going for vet tech but now I think im just going to go full out vet:) Remember that racehorses are hot blooded animals with lots of energy so if you dont have alot of experience with that kind of horse I would definately get some before accepting this job and then finding out you cant handle the horses.

I think as a summer job it would be great. You would get more hands on experience with horses and some extra cash. But as a career, not sure if you would find it suitable in the long run. Day after day you would just be running horses, and groom them….and if you make it to be a trainer, that’s a lot of hard work. It depends on what you really want to do with horses. Are you willing to be the bottom or work at the top? College is more of a secure option with maintaining a degree. I suggest it only as a summer job. Unless you are willing to put much more time into it to become a trainer or a groom, then feel free.

Keep in mind the race world is about money not horses. Many horses suffer there and get injured then dumped into slaughter or wherever. I could never work there as a person who loves horses and cherishes every moment with mine and the rescues I have helped. If you just enjoy the track, the excitement and the people there and the horses are just like fine tools to you, then go for it.

It is your life obviously, but you would not get very much money – barely a pittance and you would not be able to afford an apartment. It is rubbish hours and hard labour and you would not have time to get attached to horses, or if you did there is always the high chance that the horse could break down during or soon after a race and have to be euthanized – not time to say goodbye, but a bullet between the eyes to put it out of its misery.

Racehorses are not like your average riding school ponies. They are highly charged and are very sensitive and can be temperamental about grooming and tacking up etc. Horses are treated as a commodity in the racing industry and are not given individual attention unless they are brilliant at the game. And when they do not make the grade they are sold on as OTTBs or dog food. They are broken in and raced hard waay to early and suffer injuries all the time, some of which can render them useless for anything else in their lives.

I think you should go to the college first, gain qualifications, and get some experience of that behind you before you think about going racing for a career. Most people do not get past being a groom.

weigh your options.. frankly, taking that job seems a bit sudden. now i don’t know the extent of the conversation you had with that trainer, but the way your story goes it seems a bit irresponsible on his part. i personally would go to school and get a more practical job.

it sounds like a wonderful opportunity but if i had the brains to be a vet then i would go vet not groom, cause u can always retrain as a groom at a later date and with the money a vet earns u could easily keep horses of your own or build a small stable yourself, its up to u it depends whether u want to spend all day with the horses and them be your work or work with animals as a whole and let horses be your play

If you move to work, could you work part time and go to university close to work? It would be ideal if you could – working with horses, getting a bit of income and getting a good degree.

If not, just go and work there for the summer holidays. Or try and see what you can do distance learning – I know it’s difficult as vet courses are very hands on, but here in the UK some veterinary nurses will train on the job and study part time – they will work 4 days a week and once a week they will go into the local university once a week. They get through the course a lot quicker and get to do what they are training for.

Have a look and see what the options are – maybe you can do a year of work with the horses, save some money up and then get your degree and then decide what you want to do. There’s a lot to think about.

Why on Earth would any race trainer who has even an OUNCE of common sense ever consider hiring a totally GREEN, inexperienced kid to work as a hotwalker? That’s asking for it- in a big way, might I add. This “job” might sound like a great idea, but hotwalkers barely even make minimum wage, pal. There’s no way you’d ever be able to afford a decent apartment, let alone be able to pay your other bills by doing that full time. You need to go to SCHOOL, get your degree, and get yourself established in a REAL JOB that carries benefits like insurance before you decide to try doing this. And by the way, hot walkers don’t walk horses on the track- they walk them after they get OFF the track following races or morning workouts. Walking horses on the track is a job for the escort riders, outriders, and exercise riders, and for the jockeys on race days. And the racetrack is no place for someone who isn’t familiar with the culture of the backstretch. The backstretch of most tracks is a place where a lot of sustance abuse happens, and there are problems there with domestic violence and other crimes. It’s no place for a kid, believe me. Just take a look at what happened on Derby day this year at Churchill in Kentucky. One of the grooms who worked for the brother of jockey Calvin Borel was MURDERED- his body was discovered in one of the barns on the morning after the Derby. He appeared to have been beaten to death, and coroner has ruled his death a homicide. Right now, the police have no suspects and no leads. If this happened at a track as famous and as well known as Churchill, it can happen at ANY TRACK, anywhere in the country- including to this place you’re thinking of moving 3 hours away to go work at. If I were in your mom’s shoes, I’d be scared out of my wits for you.You don’t belong in an environment like that. You have no experience and no idea what it’s like.

People who make their living that way lead hard lives, sweetie. Not only do they not make any money, they also usually have no insurance, and no one to cover for them if they get sick or hurt on the job- and let’s face it, Thoroughbred race horses are not like other horses. They’re hyper sensitive, and the ones at the track are often bad mannered. To make matters worse, most of the colts are never gelded, and as such, you have all the problems associated with handling stallions to deal with. You also are dealing with horses that spend 23 out of every 24 hours a day confined in stalls, and horses that typically are hypersensitive about being tacked or groomed. Since racehorses are never taught to stand tied, that adds yet another element of danger, because you have to be able to groom and saddle horses that are going to be moving around all the time or that have to be held by someone else, and you have to be alert every second of every day. As I said, this is no place for a beginner. If you want to do this as a summer job, then it might be okay for a while- but you really need to go to school and get your degree first before you make it a full time profession. And one other note: most trainers of racehorses DON’T start out as hotwalkers or grooms. They may start working on farms, or they may be jockeys for a while, but it’s rare that most of the top trainers start as grooms. Many if not most of the trainers at the top of the sport are college educated- some even have advanced degrees, in fact. Some are former competitors in other sports, including other horse sports outside of racing. ( Michael Matz, who trained Barbaro in 2006 and trains Union Rags now, is a two time Olympic silver medalist in the sport of show jumping.) And all of the top trainers have at least a few things in common: they started out small and worked their way up. That’s what you need to do.

i need help with i have to deconstruct the poem mulga bills bicycle by banjo patterson
‘Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that caught the cycling craze;
He turned away the good old horse that served him many days;
He dressed himself in cycling clothes, resplendent to be seen;
He hurried off to town and bought a shining new machine;
And as he wheeled it through the door, with air of lordly pride,
The grinning shop assistant said, "Excuse me, can you ride?"

"See here, young man," said Mulga Bill, "from Walgett to the sea,
From Conroy’s Gap to Castlereagh, there’s none can ride like me.
I’m good all round at everything as everybody knows,
Although I’m not the one to talk – I hate a man that blows.
But riding is my special gift, my chiefest, sole delight;
Just ask a wild duck can it swim, a wildcat can it fight.
There’s nothing clothed in hair or hide, or built of flesh or steel,
There’s nothing walks or jumps, or runs, on axle, hoof, or wheel,
But what I’ll sit, while hide will hold and girths and straps are tight:
I’ll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight."

‘Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that sought his own abode,
That perched above Dead Man’s Creek, beside the mountain road.
He turned the cycle down the hill and mounted for the fray,
But ‘ere he’d gone a dozen yards it bolted clean away.
It left the track, and through the trees, just like a silver steak,
It whistled down the awful slope towards the Dead Man’s Creek.

It shaved a stump by half an inch, it dodged a big white-box:
The very wallaroos in fright went scrambling up the rocks,
The wombats hiding in their caves dug deeper underground,
As Mulga Bill, as white as chalk, sat tight to every bound.
It struck a stone and gave a spring that cleared a fallen tree,
It raced beside a precipice as close as close could be;
And then as Mulga Bill let out one last despairing shriek
It made a leap of twenty feet into the Dean Man’s Creek.

‘Twas Mulga Bill, from Eaglehawk, that slowly swam ashore:
He said, "I’ve had some narrer shaves and lively rides before;
I’ve rode a wild bull round a yard to win a five-pound bet,
But this was the most awful ride that I’ve encountered yet.
I’ll give that two-wheeled outlaw best; it’s shaken all my nerve
To feel it whistle through the air and plunge and buck and swerve.
It’s safe at rest in Dead Man’s Creek, we’ll leave it lying still;
A horse’s back is good enough henceforth for Mulga Bill."

please help

If your teacher asked you to deconstruct this poem, she doesn’t know what deconstruct means.

To meaningfully deconstruct any poem by Banjo Paterson you would need to be a postgraduate level history student, you would need access to at least one academic library, and it would probably take several years.

The poem is just a silly story – first published in 1896 – by Banjo Paterson about a fictional Mulga Bill who buys himself a bicycle, and then finds it much more difficult to ride than one of the horses he is used to.

There was an intense craze for bicycles from around the 1850′s (the development of vulcanisation in 1843 had made pneumatic tyres possible, and bicycles suddenly became much more comfortable and much safer) until the early years of the twentieth century (when rising traffic levels began to make cycling in urban areas more dangerous).

Banjo Paterson and his readers would have disapproved of cycling, because cycling was available to people with ordinary incomes (owning and maintaining a horse was very expensive).

In this poem Banjo Paterson tries to poke fun at the new craze of cycling by showing how a traditional Australian (Mulga Bill) may have advanced skills at horsemanship, but cannot ride a bicycle.

Most of Banjo Paterson’s poems are really about educated upper-class white Australians laughing at people less privileged than themselves (as this one is).

But this isn’t a deconstruction of this poem. Just a critique of it.

We can sell gasoline to our regular customers in advance, offering to let them pay the current price today and get their gas whenever they need it.
If the price goes down we make money more money.

But we would have to hedge against the possiblility of gas prices going up so here’s the plan.

I am a good at picking horses so I will bet the money on horse races. I keep the profits from the "hedge".

If the price of gas goes up and I make a mistake at the horse track. WTF. We just close up shop and leave. Nothing can be done if we call it a "hedge" and not a bet. Its legal.

My name is James Diamond.

James Diamond, you sound like a dumbass.
i really hope that you’re only like 13 or something.
idiot

That is exactly what the investors are doing.
The risk goes both ways.

JPM is just too large. Much like your nation’s government.

Great idea, but if you lose money just raise prices on everything else. A convenience store is good for money laundering.

nice plan

sounds like the stock market

I think someone already stole your business plan…

Wow, did Chase close? Who knew?

The sports betting odds for the second jewel in horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, are favoring a horse that is incredibly fast in terms of speed, but he fell short at the Kentucky Derby, which isn’t as long as the Preakness and that could be the key as he maintains his status as the favorite in Baltimore.

What: Horse Betting
When: Saturday, May 19th
Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD

The Favorites

Bodemeister (+140) has emerged as the favorite at the Preakness after a second-place run in the Kentucky Derby, but his handlers will be gutted that he didn’t come away with the victory after leading for most of the race. Only fatigue could defeat Bodemeister, or at least hold him back until I’ll Have Another (+400) stole in to take the victory, but that could be one more positive in Bodemeister’s direction when it comes to the Preakness, which is the shortest of the Triple Crown races and clocks in at a half-furlong shorter than the Derby. That means Bodemeister’s pure speed could be enough to land him the victory here after he tired and allowed I’ll Have Another to catch him.

Of course, that isn’t taking anything away from I’ll Have Another, who had to put himself in position to win the race and take advantage of Bodemeister’s fatigue. The win at Churchill Downs may have surprised all but knowledgeable horse betting sharps and I’ll Have Another’s handlers as he had won two straight races and three of five overall before lining up at the Kentucky Derby, and now he has a genuine shot to go on and win the Preakness if he can get off to a better start, or at least say close to Bodemeister.

Went The Day Well (+800) may have surprised a few with his fourth-place run at the Derby, and it was only a surprise because he hadn’t run that many races in his career, three to be exact. These may be the most dangerous horses, the ones you don’t hear much about, and Went The Day Well is now in the top tier of horses because Dullahan, who finished third at Churchill Downs, will skip the Preakness.

The Second Tier

This is where it gets interesting as there are a handful of horses with the chops to compete with the top tier. Creative Cause (+1000), Hansen (+1200) and Liaison (+1500) are all as good as the top horses and they should be a strong consideration of horse betting players. Creative Cause has a ton of experience and the start in the Kentucky Derby was the ninth of his career, but a fifth-place finish in the Derby was the worst of his career after running in the top three for the eight previous races. Creative Cause has run against a number of the best horses in the United States and held his own as all of his races except for his maiden has been a Grade-1  and Grade-2 race, so he knows how to step up to the competition and should have a much better run at the Preakness.

Hansen also struggled at Churchill Downs en route to a ninth-place finish after many thought he was going to contend for a victory, and the Derby has a funny way of humbling both a horse and his handlers. He had never finished lower than second in his first six starts, and Hansen was never able to get things going as he could never catch up to the pace of the race. He’ll need a better start at the Preakness thanks to the shorter distance and the smaller field (there are 14 horses in the Preakness field as opposed to 20 for the Kentucky Derby), but the speed is there for Hansen, as is Liaison, which finished sixth at the Derby, but he wasn’t thought to be a serious challenger anyway and he could sneak into the mix at Pimlico. He also shares trainers with Bodemeister: Bob Baffert certainly knows how to train a horse for the Preakness, which he has done five times.

The Darkhorses

Optimizer (+2500) has had an up-and-down career and hasn’t finished higher than sixth in four of his last five starts, which includes an 11th-place run in the Derby. He didn’t have great odds there and he shouldn’t move up the list too much for the Preakness. Cozzetti (+3000) and Hierro (+3000) both sat out the Kentucky Derby, although Hierro did finish first in a Derby trial at Churchill Downs, but neither has done much to be a real contender in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

The Outlook

Don’t expect much movement in these horse betting odds leading up to the Preakness Stakes, unless there is a major injury of some sort. Bodemeister was running away with the Derby before he tired, but much like Shackleford last year, he is extremely fast when it comes to pure speed and the shorter distance of the Preakness favors him, which is why he’ll be at the top of the online betting list until post time.

In terms of sports betting, you won’t find many single-day events as big as the Kentucky Derby, and the 138th edition goes off this Saturday at venerable Churchill Downs. In one of the more wide-open fields in recent memory, a relative youngster to the horse racing scene will steal the show.

What: Horse Betting
When: Saturday, May 5th, 6:00 PM ET
Where: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
Pick: Bodemeister

The Favorites

Union Rags (+350) has been at or near the top of the list for most of the Kentucky Derby trail, and even a third-place finish in the Grade-1 Florida Derby hasn’t derailed him. It was his worst finish in six races as Union Rags had won four of his first and finished second in November’s Breeders Cup Juvenile, which also took place at Churchill Downs, and he didn’t get a lot of luck in the Florida Derby as he was stuck on the rail. If Union Rags can get a favorite post position, the field could be in trouble.

But he may have to hold off Bodemeister (+450), who romped to a 9.5-length win at the Grade-1 Arkansas Derby in what may have been the most impressive performance on the Derby prep trail. Bodemeister doesn’t have a lot of experience with just four career races and he never raced as a two-year-old, but that may have saved his legs and when Bodemeister gets out in front, good luck trying to catch up to him. The major worry is that he’ll burn himself out early, and that could be the only hope for the field.

The Second Tier

Creative Cause (+900), Dullahan (+900) and Gemologist (+900) lead the next group of horse betting candidates for the 138th edition of the “Run For The Roses”, and you could throw a blanket over this trio, that’s how close they are. Gemologist is unbeaten in all five career starts, but only two have been graded-stakes races. Dullahan definitely has the edge in experience with eight races, five have been graded-stakes races and he showed that he could hang with the big boys by holding off Hansen in the Grade-1 Blue Grass.

However, Creative Cause has them both beat in terms of experience as he has also raced eight times, but seven have been graded-stakes races and all have been either a Grade-1 or Grade-2 event, so Creative Cause should have no issues with the level of competition. Creative Cause is always going to be a factor as he never gives up and may be the most balanced horse in the field in terms of speed and stamina. If you’re looking for a little value outside of the favorites, Creative Cause is probably the horse you’re going to lean towards because it’ll be a major surprise if he finishes outside of the top three.

The Longshots

Hansen (+1100), I’ll Have Another (+1100) and Alpha (+1400) kick off the horse betting longshots, even though their odds aren’t that long at all, and it’s a little surprising to see Hansen in this group after he won the Breeders Cup Juvenile, but he did finish second to Dullahan in the Blue Grass Stakes. The issue with Hansen is that he may not be able to handle the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby and some fear he’ll gas down the stretch. I’ll Have Another defeated Creative Cause at the Santa Anita Derby and has won both races with Mario Gutierrez in the saddle in 2012, but he has also had back problems in the past.

Alpha is the tricky option here as he finished 11th at the Breeders Cup Juvenile, but has since bounced back with two wins in three starts in 2012 and he finished second to Gemologist at the Wood Memorial. However, you have to confirm his entry into the Derby as Alpha suffered cuts on his leg in that race and he doesn’t have a jockey yet, so he may not make it to the post at Churchill Downs.

How It Will Play Out

Longshots usually have a place in the Kentucky Derby, but this year’s field seems to be very top-heavy and it would take a major mistake for one of the favorites to fall out of the running. Any number of horses could wind up with a bouquet of roses around their neck at the end of the race, but really, it should be narrowed down to seven: Union Rags, Hansen, Bodemeister, Gemologist,  Dullahan, Creative Cause and Alpha.

Lean towards Bodemeister, whose lack of experience may help him as he just gets out of the gate and runs as fast as he can, and even though there is some concern of him wearing himself out before the race, once he gets into the gate, he becomes a machine and after his performance at the Arkansas Derby, it’s tough to look past Bodemeister as your online betting pick.

Kentucky Derby Betting Pick: Bodemeister

I use a lot of sites daily

argos (to buy things)
littlewoods (to pay off the things I brought on it)
tesco (to do grocery shopping)
ebay (buy things)
amazon (buy things)
national lottery (to buy lottery tickets)
gala bingo (to play bingo)
ladbrokes (to bet on sports or horse racing)
hsbc (to do my banking)
netflix (to watch movies)
itunes (to buy apps for my iPad2 or iPhone)
pizza hut (to order pizza)
youtube (to watch videos)
facebook (to talk to family)
yahoo email (to check my email)
yahoo answers (to ask/answer questions)
msn (to check emails)
google (for research)
wonga (to borrow small loans or repay them)
livestrong (to learn about health)

I know, I use a lot of sites!!!

syumbleupon

your moms FB page.

facebook, youtube, gmail, hotmail, etc

facebook and yahoo

facebook
yahoo
youtube

Yahoo Answers.
Gaia Online.
Google.
Youtube.
Xbox.
Meebo.

Webehigh.com
Sexocean.com
Pedos4life.com

Hotmail (to check my email)
Youtube (to watch videos)
Y! Answers(to answer questions and to ask my own)
Sidereel (to watch tv)
Google (to google stuf)

Google – to look up things
Twitter – social network
Facebook – social network
Novelstars – school work
Yahoo – email account
IMVU – 3D virtual world
Youtube – music and videos
– thats about it

Facebook
Youtube
Yahoo

usually in that order too lol

Wikipedia.
iTunes.
My bank.
Yahoo answers.
Yahoo mail.
AOL mail.
Hotmail.
Google / Yahoo.
Oddee.com
Epicfail.com
Sadanduseless.com
failblog.org
Youtube.
Vevo.
Facebook.
Netflix.
LOTS OF PORN!!!
Sites to watch movies.

youtube 24/7

facebook
google
youtube
yahoo answers

amazon – they have some great deals
christianbook.com – I order there all the time (they have some awesome deals)
eBay – I buy and sell there
facebook – I like using facebook as a place post links to sites and videos that are important to me
google – but pretty much everyone uses google
hotmail – to check email
imdb – great movie database and I like to post there
scotiabank (for my online banking)
yahoo answers – ask and answer questions of course
youtube – watch videos of course and update my 2 youtube channels

youtube
facebook
google
yahoo

Amazon
eBay
Wikipedia
Yahoo / Yahoo Answers

Just wonder if they would accept your wager via some other form since it is a bit difficult to be carrying around $100k. Also, what are taxing implications for California residents? Are we taxed by Fed., state of Nevada and state of California? Thanks.

You will have a difficult time finding a book that will take your action. I’ve been cut down to $500 at times at large, well funded casinos. You may have to take $2K to 50 different casinos. If you break it up into smaller plays, there will be no paper trail. Technically, you are required to claim your winnings on your taxes. Both in California and Federal, but this is best discussed with an accountant. If you do not have to fill out any tax forms, then it is on you to claim the amount.

Sports betting sharps watched Bodemeister dominate the Kentucky Derby until the very end of the race, when he gave up the victory due to fatigue. Don’t expect that to happen when he takes to Pimlico Race Course for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.

What: Horse Betting
When: Saturday, May 19th (confirm post time)
Where: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
Pick: Bodemeister

The Favorites

Even though I’ll Have Another stormed to the win at the Kentucky Derby, there aren’t many horse betting experts who think he’ll have enough to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. His odds to win the Triple Crown are the longest of any Kentucky Derby winner since Assault in 1946, but Assault actually went on to complete the Crown, and I’ll Have Another wasn’t even a favorite at Churchill Downs; instead, he had to track down Bodemeister, who is going to be a popular pick in Baltimore after leading most of the Derby.

Bodemeister tired down the stretch at the Kentucky Derby, but at 1 3/16 miles, the Preakness Stakes is the shortest of the Triple Crown races and that would allow Bodemeister’s frontrunning speed to shine through. The next three horses that finished in the Derby, Dullahan, Went The Day Well and Creative Cause, should be considered at Pimlico if their handlers decide to throw their names into the ring, although it isn’t likely that Dullahan will make it to the Preakness because of his schedule; if he comes out at Pimlico, it’ll be Dullahan’s third race in just over five weeks, so we could see him next at the Belmont Stakes.

The Second Tier

Optimizer may earn a look from horse betting sharps after a decent 11th-place run at Churchill Downs, along with Liaison, who finished sixth in the Derby. These two were both huge longshots to win the Derby and managed to bring home respectable finishes, so they could come away with a win, depending on the field. They came into Churchill Downs with nothing to lose and saw their profiles raise, but how would Optimizer and Liaison do with expectations on their back? You’ll have to wait and see if their handlers will bring them to Baltimore.

Union Rags was one of the pre-Derby favorites along with Bodemeister, but could only muster a seventh-place finish and even though his handlers say that Union Rags will be held out until the Belmont, don’t be surprised if he gets back onto the track in Baltimore. Right now, it is looking very unlikely, but Union Rags didn’t give a proper representation of his skills and didn’t seem right from the very start of the race. Like many horses, Union Rags has to show he is recovered from the “Run for the Roses” before he can be eligible for the Preakness, which is known as the “Run for the Black-Eyed Susans”.

The Longshots

There are a number of longshots that horse betting players are going to look for as I’ll Have Another came in at +1200 to win the Derby and five of the first eight finishers were no better than that, including two at +5000. The Preakness may even be the best chance for a darkhorse to win because of the short length.

Keep an eye out for these potential starters at the Preakness: Zetterholm, Pretension, Isn’t He Clever, Tiger Walk, The Lumber Guy and Cozetti, among others. None of these horses lined up at Churchill Downs and won’t have a lot of time to show sharps and experts that they can handle the big boys of thoroughbred horse racing, so be sure to check their resumes thoroughly to make your decision.

How It Will Play Out

Last year at the Preakness, another horse that was rated at +1200, Shackleford, held off favorite Animal Kingdom to come away with the win and you can run a horse as fast as you want at the Preakness due to the distance. Shackleford got out to a fast start before tiring at the Derby, but the distance at Pimlico helped him out in that regard.

Bodemeister is similar to Shackleford in terms of pure speed, but he couldn’t hold on at Churchill Downs. That will chance at Pimlico as the horse that didn’t race as a two-year-old will get the win that he probably deserved at the Kentucky Derby. He’ll also be led by a trainer in Bob Baffert who has won the Preakness States five times, so he knows how to get horses ready to whip around Pimlico. Consider the odds carefully, but lean towards Bodemeister for the Preakness in your online betting picks.

Preakness Stakes Betting Pick: Bodemeister

I know that horse race betting is not going to make you rich. But, lately been reading a lot by people that say Handicap races are the ones to avoid. Why is this?

Because they will weight a fast horse down with lead in the saddle (handicapped). So they should all have a fair chance. It may be that a jockey could hold a horse back in previous races, so he will be lighter in a big paying race.. Only a possibility. I would not think for a minute that sort of thing would happen.

Have a look at www.gamblingnetworkuk.com. It’s a forum for gambling fans. Post a question on there and lots of gambling experts and tipsters will be there to help you out.

I want to do some betting on the Churchill Downs horse races on 2012 Kentucky Derby day, but I don’t want to fight the crowd at the track. I think I saw online betting sites that are legal in the Daily Racing Form last time I went to the track. What are some of these online gambling sites with legal 2012 Kentucky Derby wagering online?

Twinspires.com

This is the official one so its gotta be legal.

The best option is Twin Spires. That’s where I play the horses and it’s where I’m going to bet the Kentucky Derby this year.

I love that they are owned by Churchill Downs, the track that is holding the race. I love that they’re licensed and legal so I know my money is safe, unlike the online sports betting sites offshore.

They offer entries, odds, statistics and much more, plus they have signup bonuses for new players. Here’s the link to sign up at Twin Spires:

http://partners.twinspiresaffiliates.com/processing/clickthrgh.asp?btag=a_654b_3