Race Track Diary, Entry Number Forty-nine – Billy Budd’s (Oct 12, 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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49 – Billy Budd’s (Oct 12, 2026)
This was one of those Monday trips to watch/bet the races at Woodbine/Mohawk. The weather report had said that Saturday would be iffy at best, so we decided to (literally) take a rain-check (possible a snow-check).
As it turned out, Saturday wasn’t that bad, but Monday was definitely nicer. It was Canadian Thanksgiving Day, which meant that Budd’s was not very busy, whether that be the racing section of the pub in general. I guess people were having their turkey dinners at home.
Craig noted that his wife had done the holiday meal on Sunday (that is fairly common) and my wife is still recuperating from her accident, so my Thanksgiving dinner turned out to be a plate of eggs, hash-browns and sausages at Budd’s.
For the record, I did visit my wife in the rehab hospital on both days. My son joined me in that and then we then went to an indoor golf place to hit a few buckets. A bucket of golf balls one day, and a bunch of bucket-pullers the next. For some of us, that is a well-spent weekend.
Given the sparse crowd, there wasn’t much in the way of interesting observations from that sector. There was one guy, however, who seemed quite knowledgeable about the local racing scene. From what I could make of it, he thought that there was going to be substantial money going to horse-barns and similar infrastructure at the local track, The Century Mile. That could be interesting, though I don’t care for the drive out to the track, which is near the International Airport.
Since we arrived quite early, we had time to kill, so I purchased a Santa Anita program (thoroughbreds).
I picked up a couple of wins there, for Race # 2 and #3. The former paid a decent price of $7.50, while the latter paid $3.20. Both winners showed a fairly significant odds drop from morning line to race time.
I skipped Race #4 as there was no big odds drop and there was no horse at decent odds with really good times.
I was shut out from betting Race #5. My preferred horse didn’t win, so that was ok.
I managed to place a bet of Race #6. At that point I called it a day for Santa Anita, as the bucket-pullers were soon to be starting.
I generally don’t count these forays into thoroughbreds, since my analysis has to be very sketchy, since my systems are nnot set up for them. With small betting, so there was not much money gained, but technically I did score a 78% return on investment. So, there’s that.
Brother Craig also picked up an decent paying Superfecta, so that was good too.
Now, the harness races at Woodbine/Mohawk.
As it turned out, there was a glitch in the broadcast from that track which froze the screen for quite some time. It went dead with 22 minutes to go before the first race and we finally gave up about the time that the second race went off.
So, I advance bet the 10 races, using my ROI system. I had a hunch that one was due and the other system (Wpct) was not. So, I bet the former and skipped the latter. The ROI system is therefore the account of record, while the Wpct system is hypothetical for this day. I will reconstruct things as best I can from the results posted on the web.
In Race 1, my ROI system picked the #5 horse. It ran a decent race, but couldn’t catch the front runner, finishing second, so nothing there. The other system was not even close, coming in sixth, off by nearly a second.
In Race 2 my ROI system hit an all-time home run, picking the #1 horse to win, which did just that and paid $29.30 in the bargain (i.e. that’s nearly 14 to 1 odds). Normally, I don’t like betting on horses coming out of the first post, but there you go. The other system had picked the favourite, which was nosed out by the longshot.
In Race 3, my pick (#2 horse) came in third. The other system’s choice (#8 horse) was scratched, but its next favoured horse came in to win, though paying only $2.90.
In Race 4 both systems selected the #8 horse, which came in way back, finishing in fifth place. It ran near the front for most of the race, but ran out of gas in the stretch.
In Race 5, my ROI pick (#4 horse) came in dead last. That’s not too surprising as it went off at 70 to 1. The other system’s pick, the #10 horse, came in second by a tick.
Race 6 saw my ROI pick (#5) come in fourth. Again, the WinPct system’s pick just missed, placing second with a low payoff for place.
In Race 7 neither systems pick came in the money.
Race 8 was similar, with both systems picking the #5 horse which came in dead last. However, it was disqualified in such a way that bettor’s get a refund on their tickets, so it wasn’t actually a loss.
Race 9 had the ROI system’s horse (#6) come in third, while the WinPct system’s horse (#2) came in second.
In Race 10, my ROI #5 horse came in second, while the WinPct’s #6 horse did win.
In summary, it was a decent day, with my ROI picks hitting only 1 out of 9 bet races, with one race getting a refund. But the winner paid nearly 30 buck so that was a profit of about 35% rate. I wasn’t actually betting the WPct system, which was a good thing, as it only hit on 2 of 9 races (it also gets are refund on one race). As for the thoroughbreds, I got two winners out of three bet races, which was ok. Having said all that, it was the ROI system that I was using for evaluative purposes.
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
Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0DCMJP47G
Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0DCMJP47G
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.
Basically, Enrico Fermi argued (quite convincingly, to many observers), that there had been ample time for an alien intelligence to colonize the galaxy since its formation, so where are they? The Zoo Hypotheses says that they are out there, but have cordoned off the Earth from contact, until we are sufficiently evolved or culturally advanced to handle the impact of alien contact.
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
Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B076RR1PGD
Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B076RR1PGD
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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