Race Track Diary, Entry Number Forty-five – Billy Budd’s (Sep 5, 2026)
Introduction
This blog and some following blogs are sections from an informal diary of “visits to the race-track” at a particular time and place, by a person who has followed the races with varying levels of participation over a long period. These relate primarily to some visits to the track and/or off-track betting venues in the 2025 period and onward. They contain observations about the activity, both specific and general. Although these remarks are personal, they also reflect general cultural and historical trends, as they have impacted horse-racing, wagering and culture in general.
The setting is Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (population of about one million plus). However, I imagine that the observations would apply to many places in the world, as they are a reflection of how changing trends in technology, globalization and culture in general have affected this ancient and honourable activity of horse-racing.
For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.
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45 – Billy Budd’s (Sep 5, 2026)
This was another solo horseracing day, as we had some out-of-town visitors at my place. In the interests of domestic harmony, I decided to make it an abbreviated visit for betting, as well as a pizza run for my wife and her old university-era friend who was visiting. Given that, my brother decided to pass on the horses in favour of a Blue Jays baseball game on the tube.
By the time I got to the pub, the horseracing section only had a few people left in it. It was quite a difference to the previous weekend, when the pub was packed and the horseracing section was quite full, even into the evening races (harness and west-coast thoroughbreds mostly). It just goes to show the power of a payday weekend vs the weekend after paying all the bills.
There were a couple of ‘regular guys’ betting the thoroughbreds. They were chatty but not too excitable. Lots of “Come on 1. Come on 10”, but not seeming to be too concerned with the outcome. “This course is a cow pasture.” “Yeah.”
A few other people drifted in and out.
One guy sat behind me, then proceeded to talk to himself. That always seems sketchy, but I said good luck to him when I left anyway. He said he was just moving around to find a lucky spot, though I hadn’t actually said anything about that to him. I said “yeah, I know what you mean.” And it is true, I used to do that at the racetrack when I was a lot younger. Horseracing, like all sports and gambling, can be a very superstitious activity.
Anyway, off to the races at Woodbine/Mohawk:
I was a little to late for the first race. That was just as well; the #6 horse gave it up in the stretch to the #9. I doubt that I would have bet the #9, though I might have be the #2 for show, which paid $6.60, as one of my systems had him as second favourite. But that is mere conjecture.
Race #2 was a high-purse (#140,000) race for 3-year-olds. There were only five horses in the race, two of which were going off at even odds or less. I threw a few bucks at an exactor for the 5-1 combo, which proceeded to come in at 1-5, with the 5 relinquishing its lead in the deep stretch. Nothing paid much; even the 6 to 1 third place horse only paid $2.10 to show.
In the 3rd race, I bet a beer bet, the #6 to show. It won, but only paid $2.90 for that. For show it paid the spectacular price of $2.10. It did have a rather impressive late charge, so at least it was an interesting race to watch. Its odds dropped from 7/2 to 2/5, so some pretty big money must have been laid on it late. There was a huge group of people who got their picture taken with the winner, it kind of made you wonder what was up with that.
For Race #4, I bet the #6 horse to place. It looked like a decent bet when I bet it, not long before the race started, at 3 to 1, having dropped from 8 to 1 in the morning line. But again, a big pile of money was dropped on it during the final minute of betting, so it went off at just under even money, a huge odds drop. It came in second, so I won my bet, but it was bet down so low that all it paid was $2.10.
In the 5th, one of my systems liked the #7 horse, which was going off at huge odds, so I took a flyer on a show ticket on it. But it ended up well down the track, with another huge chalk horse coming in at 1 to 9 odds, paying $2.40 to win. This was another big purse race, $255,000. These big purses seemed to be drawing a lot of big money and low payouts. There was an inquiry on the race, but it didn’t amount to anything. On the plus side, the winning driver had his photo taken holding his baby, so at least there was another cute photo session after the race.
The 6th race changed things up, with the favourite #6 horse (just under even money) being caught at the wire by the #4 horse (a 15 to 1 horse). Unfortunately, I had the #6 to win. That was annoying. The race was $100,000 purse, for 2 year-olds.
In the 7th, my horse (#6 again) led for most of the race, but gave it up in the stretch, going from 1st to 3rd. I had bet win, so no money for me.
By the 8th I had decided to go, since I did promise the girls that I would bring pizza back for them. Besides, this wasn’t my day – all my horses were getting nipped in the stretch or having their odds drop drastically in the last few seconds of betting. But before leaving, I put some cash on the #3 horse, for show, as its odds seemed ok when I left, at 5 to 2. It did come in third, but paid a measly $2.20 to show. This race had a purse of $620,000 for 3 year-olds and up.
In the 9th, my systems like the #7 so I would have probably bet it. That said, everyone seemed to agree with that assessment, so it paid $3.30 to win. This race was worth $150,000 for 2-year-old fillies.
In the 10th, my system liked he #6 again, so I would likely have gone with it. It placed at $5.70, so that might have been profitable. This was a very big purse, at $705,000.
In the 11th, I would have probably gone with the #5. It finished way back.
Finally, in the 12th I would have likely gone with the #4. It also finished way back.
In summary, a pretty bad day, with only 3 paying bets out of 7, and all of them paid very poor prices. Three of my four losers just missed, having been caught in the stretch. Mama said there’d be days like this.
And here’s an account of some road trips in south-western Alberta:
A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around
Southwest Alberta
There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.
This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as a road trip on scenic Highway 22. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the show-jumping at Spruce Meadows. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.
Southwest 1 – A Road Trip on Scenic Highway 22
Southwest 2 – The Equestrian Competitions at Spruce Meadows (Calgary)
Southwest 3 – The Bar U Ranch, south of Long View
Southwest 4 – Kananaskis Country
Southwest 5 – Blackfoot Crossing
Southwest 6 – Back-roads, from the Prairies to the Foothills: Brazeau Dam Trip
Southwest 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Hinton and the Forestry Trunk Roads
The reader may wonder “what about the Ice-fields Parkway?” or “where is a visit to Banff?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.
I should note that the other three quadrants of Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but those are material for some other books which will be published in due time.
Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCMJP47G
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Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCMJP47G
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Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCMJP47G
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The Zoo Hypothesis
We
present a story giving a possible scenario for the so-called Zoo
Hypothesis, an explanation known in Star Trek lore as the Prime
Directive. It’s an explanation sometimes given to account for a
mystery in the Search for Intelligent Life, known as The Great
Silence, or Fermi’s Paradox.
This story takes a humorous tongue in cheek approach to that explanation. It also features dogs and sly references to Star Trek. Talk about man’s Best Friend.
It is only 99 cents U.S., equivalent price in other currencies. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is sometimes on a free promotion.
Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B076RR1PGD
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Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B076RR1PGD
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Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B076RR1PGD
A Selection of Back-Road Trips Around Southeast Alberta
There are two main aspects to a road trip: the journey and the destination. Sometimes the trip is all about the journey, sometimes it’s all about the destination. Usually it is a little of both.
This collection of back-roads journeys feature a little bit of both of these aspects. Some accounts are more about the ‘journey’, such as Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta. Others are more about the ‘destination’, such as the Viking Ribstones. The collection even includes a train trip, on the historic Alberta Prairie Railroad, which strictly speaking isn't a back-road trip but rather a back rail-road trip. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these accounts and maybe give them a spin for yourself.
Southeast 1 – Stettler Train Trip – Living History on the Alberta Prairie Railway
Southeast 2 – Viking Rib Stones – Indigenous Heritage and Tradition
Southeast 3 – Drumheller, via the Backroads of Central Alberta
Southeast 4 – Cypress Hills – An Island on the Prairie that Escaped the Ice Age
Southeast 5 – On the Road with Bronco Billy, A Trucking Journal – Southern Alberta Section
Southeast 6 – A Back-road Trip to Bittern Lake and Lake Miquelon Provincial Park
Southeast 7 – A Back-roads Trip to Rochon Sands, Buffalo Lake Provincial Park
The reader may wonder “what about the Tyrell Dinosaur Fossil Museum?” or “where is a visit to the Calgary Stampede?” I would answer, that these famous destinations are covered very nicely by other books. This account is meant to focus on some less travelled areas, thus the “back-roads” descriptor.
I should note that Southwest and Northern Alberta also have a lot of interesting back-roads journeys, but that is material for some other books. The southwest collection is available now on Amazon, the northern excursions will be published in due course.
Just $1.99 on Amazon, or free if you have Kindle Unlimited. It is also periodically on free promotion.
Amazon U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon U.K: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCWCCTKC
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A Dark Horse
In “A Dark Horse”, a gambler’s desire to hit a big win seems to lead him to make a Faustian bargain with a supernatural evil. Or is it all just a string of unnaturally good luck?
The story is just $0.99 U.S. (equivalent in other currencies) and about 8000 words. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is occasionally on free promotion.
U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MDMY2BR
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01M9BS3Y5
Here’s an interesting review from Goodreads
(BTW, the writer has never met the reviewer and was not even aware of the review until very recently – You can look up the review on Goodreads, if you like)
A Dark Horse
Every gambler is
bound to run out of luck eventually, right?
By far my
favourite type of horror is psychological horror. I was quite pleased
with how Mr. Olausen frightened his audience without spilling a
single drop of blood or so much as hinting at anything gory. He knew
exactly what hints to drop for us that made us deliciously dread the
next scene simply by throwing out hints about who or what the dark
horse might actually represent. This is the kind of stuff I love
getting scared by, especially as Halloween approaches.
It
would have been helpful to have more character development in this
short story. While I certainly wouldn’t expect to see as much time
spent on this as I would for a full-length novel, I did have trouble
connecting to the main characters due to how little I knew about them
and how much their personalities seemed to remain the same no matter
what happened to them. If not for this issue, I would have felt
comfortable choosing a much higher rating as the plot itself was well
done.
I must admit to not knowing much about gambling at
all, so I appreciated the brief explanations the narrator shared
about how placing bets works and why some people have so much trouble
walking away from a bet. While I will leave it up to experts on these
topics to say how accurate everything was, I did enjoy learning more
about the main character’s addiction and what he hoped to gain from
betting on just one more game or race. It gave me a stronger sense of
empathy for folks in his position.
A Dark Horse – A
Gothic Tale was a deliciously chilling story for the Halloween season
and beyond.
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