Race Track Diary, Entry Number Thirty - Kentucky Derby Day

 

Race Track Diary, Entry Number Thirty

 - Kentucky Derby Day

This is a bit out of sequence, but I thought it would be a good idea to get out an entry on the blog about the Kentucky Derby. It was quite interesting, even when one was not actually at Churchill Downs.

• 30 – Kentucky Derby Day at Billy Budd’s (May 2, 2026)

  • It was another pleasant Saturday afternoon, so as usual people were out and about. But, for horseracing enthusiasts, this was a special day. It was the day of the Kentucky Derby and related high-priced stakes races.

    
    
     

  • Although we were at a modest off-track facility in a far-away city, the magnetic draw of the Kentucky Derby still drew people in. Many of those were casual racing fans, at best, but that was fine by me. There is a certain interest to be had in watching the crowd’s behaviours and interactions, and for filling up space in a blog.

  • My brother Craig, on the other hand, was none-too-thrilled about the presence of so many amateurs, as they crowded the betting machines and took up the best seats. Thus, we arrived earlier than usual. As he suspected, the best seats in the house were taken, but we found some tables that had a passable view of the screens.

  • The wait staff was being very attentive on this day. No doubt, it was a good day for tips. The English lass serving our table was being quite considerate; we had been pretty good tippers in the past, which always helps.

  • Also, on our last visit she had forgotten to pick up our money for the tab, which we had left on the table. I had notified the bartender/horseracing attendant of that, and the English lass then came to get the cash (it was cash, not electronic). She seemed slightly surprised that we didn’t just walk out. I think that may have also helped matters.

  • I then picked up some programs and profiles from the printer. Unfortunately it got slightly jammed part way through printing the Churchill Downs program. Curiously, that happened just as it started on Race 12, the Kentucky Derby. Was that an omen?

  • I notified the staff of this and one of them came to unjam the printer shortly thereafter. Luckily it was a minor jam, so she soon got it going.

  • I then retired to my seat and started to examine the form. It was strangely difficult to make out some of the small numbers. I wondered about that, then noticed that I had taken the wrong reading glasses to the ‘track’. Another omen? Well, I thought, we must press on anyway.

  • As I noted earlier, it was a more varied crowd than usual. There was a significantly greater proportion of women and of younger people, than is normally the case. Some people were obviously newbies – I had to walk one fellow through the use of the printer, though he said he was quite familiar with the betting machines.

  • As the time for the Kentucky Derby to be run neared, many varied people began drifting to the betting machines. There were lineups, though generally it was possible to get through in time for the race (I did).

  • Here are some random observations about the crowd, in and around that time:

    • There was a young guy with a goatee and suspenders. It was an interesting look, though it made him look a bit like a farmer, in the city for the day, maybe even a Hutterite from one of the nearby colonies. That said, it was probably just a style choice, by some city guy.

    • Then there was another young guy with a very long beard, though not a grey beard. Often the long beards are grey, but not this time. It seemed likely that this fellow won his bet on the Derby, as he lined up after the race at the bar, to cash in his betting slip for actual cash. Interestingly, he had a sort of portable folding scooter under his arm while doing so.

    • Same thing for a tall older black gentleman. He also appeared to be lining up to cash in a ticket, once the race was over. No scooter, though.

    • The Chinese fellow who had tipped me off to the horse Renegade seemed to be present. The horse was the favorite, though it came in second. For me, that was alright, as I had put show money on it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to talk to the fellow and thank him for his information. Of course, he might have assumed that I would have bet Win, and would therefore be angry with him. So it goes, at the track.

    • There was a blonde lady in a ‘shift’ (I think that is what they are called). My first impression is that she was a newbie, since she spent a lot of time at the betting machine. She also drifted around from one machine to another. But as time went on, I wondered whether she wasn’t making bets for someone else, maybe a number of someone elses.

    • The same was true of another lady, this one in one of those big Kentucky Derby hats. She was middle-aged, but still something of a looker. She also seemed to spend quite a long time at the betting machines, going from one to another.

    • There was a young woman in a short dress and top, a pony-tail, and multiple tattoos, quite a striking contrast. She might have been part of the wait staff, though I think she was probably a patron on the other side of the pub.

    • It was a funny crowd, from my point of view. One fellow looked a lot like someone I had worked with, though somewhat older. The same was true for another man, who also looked like an ex-colleague at the University. At times I thought he really was the same man, but was avoiding me, since this was a booze and gambling joint.

    • Then there was also a lady who was a ringer for my sister-in-law. That wouldn’t have been all that surprising, as she was quite a fan of the horses, as was her husband (one of my brothers). My brother Craig, who was with me, also noted the resemblance.

    • Sometimes I think there are just so many faces in the world, so occasionally you see these near doppelgangers.

  • Enough about the crowd, what about the races?

    • I had picked up a Churchill Downs program, as well as Santa Anita and the harnies at Woodbine-Mohawk. However, it soon became obvious that it would be pointless to try to follow multiple tracks at the same time. Thus, Churchill Dows took centre-stage for me.

    • Race 9 was about to go off there, which I quickly handicapped, using an abbreviated version of my usual method. I threw some money on a horse, but it did nothing, even though it had good numbers.

    • Same thing in Race 10. My system picked out the favorite, so I put a little money on it. It led for a while, then faded and died in the stretch. I believe Craig picked up a nice show ticket, though.

    • I skipped Race 11, which was smart, as the horse my system picked did nothing.

    • Now it was Race 12, the Kentucky Derby.

      • It took a long time before they got to running the race. The Kentucky Derby is a big TV event, so they were milking it for all it was worth. Lots of interviews, lots of touts. Plenty of ads, natch.

      • Throughout all this time, the odds for the horses didn’t seem to budge by much. It seemed pretty locked-in to me.

      • There were 20 horses in the race, so it took quite some time to prepare, then load the gate.

      • While this was going on, the crowd sang "My Old Kentucky Home". That’s a tradition of the race and the crowd was quite pumped to sing it. It is a song with a complicated history, which I won’t go into here. These are the lyrics – though I think they have been altered over the years, to fit the temper of the times. (Note: I am running out of indents).

        • Oh, the sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
          'Tis summer, the people are gay
          The corn tops rise and the meadows all in bloom
          While the birds make sweet music all the day
          The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
          All merry and happy and bright
          By and by hard times come a-knockin' at the door
          To my old Kentucky home, goodnight

        • Weep no more, my lady
          Oh, weep no more today
          We will sing one song for my old Kentucky home
          For my old Kentucky home far away

      • Finally, they were off. The crowded field surged out and many horses competed for the lead. With 20 horses it was difficult to make much sense of the race as it proceeded.

      • The early speed looked good for quite a while, but it eventually got clobbered in the cavalry charge in the stretch.

      • The favorite, Renegade looked good closing in the stretch but was overtaken by a longshot near the wire, who closed even better.

      • The result was that a 23 to 1 horse won, the 5 to 1 favorite came in second and a 70 to 1 horse came in third. Renegade did not get the roses. So much for the theory that the chalk wins the big races.

      • As for myself, I had bet a show ticket on the favorite, Renegade, so I was rather happy with the result, as the show ticket paid $5.46 on a $2 ticket. I had stepped up my bet, so I more than made up my losses on the 9^th and 10^th race.

      • I should note that Renegade’s numbers on my figuring were not all that great, but I had a hunch it would be in the money.

      • It turns out that the winner will not be entered in the Preakness, so no chance for a Triple Crown winner this year.

    • There were two more races at Churchill Downs, but I skipped them, as my system didn’t seem to be working very well at this track. As it turned out, the 14^th race did run true to my numbers, with the winner paying nearly $16 on a $2 bet. So it goes.

  • It was now time, as usual, to turn my attention to the bucke-pullers (harness-races) at Woodbine/Mohawk.

  • A lot of people cleared out, once the Kentucky Derby was done, so we could now got up to the arc-bench, where the light was improved and the viewing of the screens was better. There were maybe about 8 or 10 hardy harness-racing fans left.

    • The races at Churchill Downs had cut into the Woodbine time, so the first bettable race was the 5^th. I bet the number 6 horse, though it didn’t have a lot of great indicators. However, the 2 horse had been bet down to 2 to 5, so that didn’t seem worth a bet. I had a hunch that the 6 was due and the odds were very good. It did turn out to win, paying off handsomely at about 8 to 1. So, I could relax and play with the track’s money for a while.

    • I skipped the 6^th race, as far as handicapping was concerned. Craig hit a Triactor, though not for a great deal of money.

    • Race 7 was also a loss, both for my bet and for our exotic (a Pick-3).

    • In Race 8, the #6 horse looked good, having several positive indicators. It went off at nice odds, so I put place money on it. It did indeed place, though the price was lower than I expected (about 3 to 1).

    • For Race 9, the #2 horse was bet down to just below even money. I figured it was worth a shot to win, as it was a small field and the #2 really should win. But it came in second, paying a whopping 2.10 to place, on a 2.00 bet (i.e. a cool dime).

    • In Race 10, the 5 looked like a long-shot with a decent chance. But, no dice, as it came in fifth.

    • Race 11 and 12 were the same; threw some money on long-shots with a chance, but they actually had no chance.

    • So that was it – one very good win ticket and one fairly good place ticket paid out. So that meant a pretty good profit at the the bucket-pullers of Woodbine/Mohawk to go along with a decent profit on the Kentucky Derby.

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And here are a couple of short books you might like.

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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And here is an account of a summer job on the railroad, during my undergraduate years.

One Summer Working on the Railroad

What follows is anaccount of a few weeks one long-ago summer, when I was 19 and was working for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) on a railroad construction gang, in the wilds of north-central British Columbia, Canada.

The journal is in the form of a letter, that was never sent. Decades later, I think it has an interesting historical resonance. At times I come off like a callow youth – I plead guilty as charged. I swore a lot more in those days than I do now, but in places the writing is surprisingly good, at least in my humble opinion. And the story has a compelling narrative arc.

There were a lot of interesting and dramatic events that occurred – a number of industrial accidents being the most serious. There were also some colorful characters on the crew, which resulted in some dramatic and at times amusing conflicts and altercations. I perhaps flatter myself by including myself in that number. Or perhaps I condemn myself – I’m not sure.

So, if you want to be reminded of one of those summer jobs that was kind of life-changing, read on. My story may just kick-start some memories of your own.

The memoir/journal is about 9,000 words, a length that can usually be read in an hour or so. It is priced at 99 cents U.S. (equivalent in other currencies) and is free on Kindle Unlimited. Periodically, it will be offered as a free promotion.

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN661P8Z

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CN661P8Z

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0CN661P8Z

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 24 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 21, 2026)

 

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 

 Twenty-Four

24 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 21, 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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• 24 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 21, 2026)

  • It was another Saturday crowd at Budd’s, fairly crowded and fairly busy. The usual older male crowd was there, but it was supplemented with some older women and middle-aged guys. Nonetheless, we found a spot with good views of the screens in the long arc-shaped bench and settled in for some horse-racing action.

  • As usual, I concentrated on the action at Santa Anita.

    • We were too late to bet the first race, but that turned out to be a good thing, as the horse that my system picked came in fourth and the system’s second pick came in third. They were 3 year-olds, with plenty of shippers, so it was a difficult race to judge. However it was a $70000 purse, so decent quality horses. In addition, it was on the turf, and I have come to realize that turf races don’t play nice, when using speed-type handicapping. I recall Andy Beyers saying the same thing in one of his books.

    • The second race also had a lot of horses up from Del Mar and other locations. It was a way cheaper race, only $5000 claiming (that seems awfully low for Santa Anita). In this case, it was on the dirt, so my system did better, picking out the win, place and show horses. The second favoured horse had nice odds, so I went on that, but it got beaten out in the stretch, coming in second. Unfortunately, I had bet it to win, not place.

    • The third was another turf race. Once more, speed was not much of a predictor, as my pick led much of the way, then died in the stretch to come in fourth.

    • The fourth race was a maiden race for 4 and 5 year-olds, on the dirt. Again, my pick led most of the way, then faded in the stretch for show. The winner was picked second by my system and paid a good price, so I guess that’s something of a moral victory.

    • The fifth was another turf race, with a 12 horse field, so not an easy race to pick. And so it was, with none of my top three picks even finishing in the money. The place horse (the 5) was a huge long-shot and nearly won the race, before being nipped by the 3. Even for place, it paid $25.60. For what it is worth, the 3 was a grey. "Always bet the grey", it is said. I guess this race supported the ancient superstition that they are lucky horses. However, I don’t think the saying is supported by the overall evidence.

    • The sixth race was a mile on the dirt. It finally gave me a winner, though at not-quite-even odds. Its numbers were quite superior and it did win in a nice wire-to-wire effort. When challenged, it dug in nicely, which is always a pleasure to watch, at least when it’s your horse. Normally I am quite loathe to bet horses under even money, but sometimes you just need a win. Luckily enough, I got mine on this race.

    • The seventh race was on the turf again. Having been let down on the turf a couple of times, I decided to skip the race. That turned out to be a good decision, as the best that I can say about my system’s picks, was that they didn’t do very well. The system did pick out the winner as its third favorite, but that was about it.

    • The eighth race was a maiden race for 3-year-old fillies, so most of the horses had little or no racing history to go on, often just workouts. Having no way of judging such horses, I gave this one a pass too. Once more, that turned out to be a good decision, as the horse that the system preferred came in third.

    • The ninth race was on the turf again, this time on the course that ends in a downhill slope. Given my lack of success on the turf, that made this race another one to pass up. Plus, it had a big field, 13 horses, each with plenty of past performance lines, and I was just too tuckered out to punch so many numbers into the calculator. Which was just as well, as my preferred horse came in dead last and the other two didn’t do much better.

    • The tenth was another maiden race for 3-year-old filles, so I gave that a pass for the reasons stated above. Once more, that turned out to be precient, as my top pick came in third and my other picks ended up out-of-the-money.

    • And that was it for Santa Anita, an overall losing day with the thorougbreds: 4 losses, 1 win and 5 skipped races. A couple of my losses came close, but faded in the stretch for place or show. None of the skipped races had any opportunity cost, as my picks didn’t do well anyway. The best I can say is, it could have been worse.

  • As I noted earlier, it was a fair-sized crowd to start the day, but it dwindled over the afternoon. But they were a subdued bunch, for the most part. Here are a few things I overheard:

    • One fellow was what I might call a quiet shouter. He did cheer his horses on, but in a quiet and desparate voice – "come on 5, come on 5."

    • "Come off the rail baby! Come on Joe!"

    • "The ouside post is always adventageous there." (referring to Oaklawn)

    • "He was bug boy at ... (did’t catch the track)."

    • "The apple didn’t fall far from the tree." (referring to a jockey, trainer or horse?)

    • "Bet the speed til you puke."

    • The English waitress mentioned to a customer that "she was going to get married in the summer." "Did you meet him here?" "No, we have been dating since age 17." Such a likeable sounding lass.

    • She also noted that her boyfriend had some connection with the Oilers hockey team – driver of the bus, perhaps? So, they attended a Christas party where most of the team was present. "Until then, I didn’t realize what a big deal the Oilers were." She said they were all very nice.

  • Then, it was time for the harness-races at Woodbine/Mohawk:

    • I won’t claim to have been carefully handicapping these races. I am still gathering and analysing data on the bucket-pullers, so mostly these are "fun bets". That usually means kicking some cash into a pot with my brother, then betting from that, mostly exotics.

    • Craig likes to bet what he calls a "rolling Pick-3". That’s what it sounds like: keep a Pick-3 bet going all the time, usually a new bet for each race, though sometimes that isn’t possible. Sometimes we will go with a triactor, and occasionally a Pick-4.

    • I am agnostic when it comes to these exotic bets. Part of me says "takeout is too high". Part of me says "room for lots of angle-bets with good odds, that the crowd doesn’t know about". Hopefully, once I have done enough research, I will have a better idea of what works and doesn’t work at the harnies.

    • Other than that, I was looking for big odds-drops from morning-line to final-odds. This is a standard strategy. As far as I can tell, it is quite an accurate predictor at the harness races, though one has to be careful of avoiding super-low or super-high odds when choosing this method.

    • Also, there are some post-bias factors at Woodbine/Mohawk. But they might produce quite a few short-priced winners, but no overall profit.

    • Anyway, we came amazingly close on a 6-6-6-6 Pick-4, though we missed the final 6, which came in second. That would have paid decently, but not spectacularly. So it goes. Threes sixes is bad enough, four might have brought on the apocalypse.

    • We did pick up one of the rolling Pick-3 bets, though the winning ticket was fairly small. Still, better than a kick-in-the-head, as it is said.

    • I also made 6 win bets, playing some of the mid-post bias, while angling for decent odds. Two of them came in, at half-decent payoffs, so I broke-even on those bets.

  • And that was it for this visit. Not much luck with the thoroughbreds, but pretty decent results at the bucket-pullers.

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And here are a couple of short books you might like.

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here is an account of a long-distance cycling on the Kettle Valley Rail-Trail in British Columbia:

 

A Ride on the Kettle Valley Rail Trail

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GBG8JE0
U.K.:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GBG8JE0 
Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B01GBG8JE0  
Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01GBG8JE0
Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B01GBG8JE0
India:  https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01GBG8JE0

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B01GBG8JE0

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B01GBG8JE0

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B01GBG8JE0

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B01GBG8JE0

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B01GBG8JE0

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B01GBG8JE0

The book is only 99 cents U.S. (equivalent price in other currencies). It is also available on Kindle Unlimited and is occasionally on free promotion.

The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is one of the longest and most scenic biking and hiking trails in Canada. It covers a good stretch of the south-central interior of British Columbia, about 600 kilometers of scenic countryside. British Columbia is one of the most beautiful areas of Canada, which is itself a beautiful country, ideal for those who appreciate natural splendour and achievable adventure in the great outdoors.

The trail passes through a great variety of geographical and geological regions, from mountains to valleys, along scenic lakes and rivers, to dry near-desert condition grasslands. It often features towering canyons, spanned by a combination of high trestle bridges and long tunnels, as it passes through wild, unpopulated country. At other times, it remains quite low, in populated valleys, alongside spectacular water features such as beautiful Lake Okanagan, an area that is home to hundreds of vineyards, as well as other civilized comforts.

The trail is a nice test of one’s physical fitness, as well as one’s wits and adaptability, as much of it does travel through true wilderness. The views are spectacular, the wildlife is plentiful and the people are friendly. What more could one ask for?

What follows is a journal of two summers of adventure, biking most of the trail in the late 1990s. It is about 33,000 words in length (2 to 3 hours reading), and contains numerous photographs of the trail. There are also sections containing a brief history of the trail, geology, flora and fauna, and associated information.

After reading this account, you should have a good sense of whether the trail is right for you. If you do decide to ride the trail, it will be an experience you will never forget.

 

 

 

 

Race Track Diary, Entry Number Twenty-Three 23 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 14, 2026)

 

Race Track Diary, Entry Number

 Twenty-Three

23 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 14, 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.

======================================================================

• 23 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 14, 2026)

  • Once again, I entered upon the trip to the horses (via off-track betting) with a feeling of uncertainty. My winning streak had been cut short last time out – so, which way would the goddess of the streaks turn now? As it turned out, it was to be a day of some interesting luck-related events.

  • The place was fairly busy (the horse part, not the pub in general) for the lunch special.

  • To begin with, here is a run-down of the races at Santa Anita, the bunch that I handicap seriously.

    • We got to Budd’s in good time, with plenty of time to handicap and bet the first race. It was a maiden race for 3 year old fillies, so the horses didn’t have much in the way of past perfomance history. Nonetheless, I threw a bit of money at the 9 horse, which came in second, being nipped at the wire. Loss number one.

    • The second race was for fillies and mares, 4 years old and up. The horse my system liked went off at ridiculous odds (1 to 5) so I took a flyer on a longshot that the system liked. I was right to skip the favorite, as it came in second and paid $2.10 to place on a $2.00 bet. Frankly, it always amazes me to see a horse bet down that low. The winner paid $8.60, but only $2.40 to place, so clearly the crowd had it pegged to come in second. My long-shot ended up way way down the track, so that was another loss.

    • For the third race, my system liked the 4 horse and it went off a half-decent odds, so I put some money on it. It led for most of the race, but then got beat out towards the wire, coming in second. Another loss, but a near-run thing.

    • The system also liked the 4 horse in the fourth race. The 3 and 4 horse dueled it out in the stretch, with it looking like the 3 would overtake. But my horse really dug in to take back the lead and hang on for the win. That was nice to watch, especially as it paid off at about 5 to 1. That put me solidly into the black for the day, thus far.

    • The fifth race was a funny one. It was on the turf and included a downhill grade, in the turf course. Given those factors, I decided to skip the race. One of Beyer’s books said that turf races are not easy to pick, using primarily speed-related measures. Plus, a race-course with a downhill grade was a total mystery to me. At any rate, 2 of the three horses that my system like came in first and second, both paying good money. If such a race happens again, perhaps I will give it a chance.

    • The sixth race was another maiden race for 3-year olds. Hardly any of these horses had any record to speak of, other than workouts and one-shot races, where they did very little. Given those factors, I decided to skip that race too. My system liked the only horse that had a substantial record (how could it not?), with a string of seconds and thirds. It ran true-to-form in this race as well, coming in second, though at at decent price.

    • For the seventh race, my system had a fairly clear preference for the 4 horse. It was going off a pretty good odds, so I gave it a shot. It came in third, so another loss.

    • The 8^th race was for 4 and 5 year old maidens. Basically, these are horses that hadn’t been earning their keep, so it was tough to pick between them. About half had never even finished in the money. Given that, I skipped this race too. That turned out to be a good choice, as the win and place horses had no relevant form, under my system.

    • Like the 8^th, the 9^th was another maiden race, for 4 and 5 year olds. Like that race, the horses had little history to go on. Therefore, I skipped this race as well. Again, that turned out to be a good decision, as the winner was unpickable, by my system.

    • So, I bet 5 races, skipped 4 and won 1. However that winner paid well enough to pay for all the losses and then some. So, no complaining from me.

  I mentioned earlier that it was an interesting day for luck. Here are a few examples:

  • About mid-afternoon, a fellow came into the horseracing area.

    • Someone asked how he did. "Did you win?"

    • "Yes."

    • "How much was it worth?"

    • "About $12000, a superfecta."

    • I turned to my brother Craig and said "Do you think that’s true?"

    • The guy next to me turned and said: "Oh yeah, it’s true. I know him. He’s a Chinese guy, just like me."

    • "Oh. Well, that’s awesome for him."

  • After the Santa Anita races were done, I remembered that I had picked a random race in Australia the previous weekend, just before we left. I decided I really ought to put it through the machine, though I wasn’t expecting anything.

    • So, I put the ticket in the machine, and out popped a voucher for nearly 10 times what the ticket was worth! Well, let me tell you, that was unexpected.

    • Craig was rather blase about it, as he said it had happened to him on several occasions in the past.

    • Well, that’s ok for him, but to me it was nothing short of a minor miracle. I have never considered myself particulary lucky, having to work hard for anything I got in life. Others would probably smile at that and say, "no, no, you’ve been plenty lucky."

  • I don’t know if the following story qualifies as lucky, but it is an interesting bit of statistics:

    • Some time in the later afternoon, one of the waitresses dropped a glass, but it did not shatter. I suppose that was lucky for her.

    • But looking at some of my earlier diary entries, during visit #2 a waitress had dropped a glass, and during visti #15 a waitress had dropped a glass. Now, same thing for visit #23.

    • This may be an interesting example of a Poisson distribution. That is a peculiar statistical distribution that happens with relatively rare events. It turns out that these rare events are actually quite predictable. It is sometimes referred to as "the law of small numbers", as opposed to "the law of large numbers", with which most people are familiar.

    • This has a horse angle. In the 19^th century, it was noticed by the Prussian military that officers were sometimes kicked in the head by their horses, with fatal results. Upon studying the data, a clever statistician noticed a pattern, which indicated that something other than random chance was at work.

       

    • So, I suppose the same principle applies to waitresses dropping glasses and trays. Perhaps if one followed it long enough, he could produce a nice graph, as the mathematician Ladislaus Bortkiewicz did, in the late 1800s.

• The fact that February 14 is Valentine’s Day was also of some interest:

  • There was an older married couple having a lunch date. Apparently, the man had very limited vision, if he had any eyesight at all. But the woman guided him along, as he used a walker, even taking him to the washroom, declaring "out of my way, he’s blind and I’m taking him to the bathroom." I guess that was kind of romantic.

  • Then, there was the lady known as Jill (note: I am not using her actual name here).

    • This was a lone female better, a somewhat older lady, but well dressed and fairly classy, one might say.

    • She was generally rather quiet, other than having a bit of a spat with another table when we first got there, which the waitress soon smoothed over. I don’t know what caused it, though.

    • Eventually an older, rather rotund (and probably drunk) fellow started chatting her up. It was funny to listen to (you couldn’t not listen to it, as he was not exactly the silent type). It reminded me of scenes from decades ago, when some smooth operator would hit on a girl in a bar.

    • There was the playing dumb stuff: "Tell me how this horseracing business works, Jill. What horse should I bet on?". (later it turned out that he was aquainted with some of the local harness-racing people, as was she).

    • Then there were the effusive compliments: "Oh, you play golf? And you got a hole-in-one in golf? That’s amazing, Jill! You must be a great golfer!" (actually it is amazing and she might well be quite a good golfer).

    • Then there was the shared experience: "Oh wow, Jill the horse you picked won! We are winners!" ( I think that really happened)

    • He called some of his pals over and the entire group chatted her up. I expect that some of those guys were just playing along, as it seemed like the first guy might have been a boss of some sort and this was his crew on their day off.

    • But she was good. She seemed to be glad to talk to some people. And she knew when to bring in the "my boyfriend" stuff, to cool the fellow’s ardour.

    • Eventually, the group of males left for greener fields. She stayed behind and concentrated on the bucket-pullers, as did Craig and I.

• For the harness-races at Woodbine/Mohawk, I was exploring a betting angle When a horse drops in odds by a large margin, it is almost a lock. That is old racetrack lore, but I had quantified the odds drops, at least in a small sample. So, I wanted to test that.

• However, I discovered that they angle had a complication. It turned out that no matter how carefully one follows the odds, as the race nears, there can still be large odds-drops beyond what is shown on the screen. That said, the angle seems to still be pretty good, based on my rather limited sample.

• As usual, Craig and I played some rolling Pick-3 bets. We were alive to a couple, in the final leg, but both went sour. That was especially annoying in one case, since we had a 22 to 1 horse in the second leg, which would have meant a nice payday. However, the favorite (which we had) ran a pathetic race in the final leg of the Pick-3. It didn’t catch up to the truck at the start, then ran way wide, then died completely.

• So it goes at the harness-races.

• About then, the Austalian horses came on the screen, which meant it was surely time to go. But given my lucky win at the Australian track, I will no longer call them "the devil-horses of Australia", but rather "the lucky red-eared Australian horses of esteem".

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here are a couple of short books you might like.

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here is an account of a summer job on the railroad, during my undergraduate years.

One Summer Working on the Railroad

What follows is anaccount of a few weeks one long-ago summer, when I was 19 and was working for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) on a railroad construction gang, in the wilds of north-central British Columbia, Canada.

 The journal is in the form of a letter, that was never sent. Decades later, I think it has an interesting historical resonance. At times I come off like a callow youth – I plead guilty as charged. I swore a lot more in those days than I do now, but in places the writing is surprisingly good, at least in my humble opinion. And the story has a compelling narrative arc.

There were a lot of interesting and dramatic events that occurred – a number of industrial accidents being the most serious. There were also some colorful characters on the crew, which resulted in some dramatic and at times amusing conflicts and altercations. I perhaps flatter myself by including myself in that number. Or perhaps I condemn myself – I’m not sure.

So, if you want to be reminded of one of those summer jobs that was kind of life-changing, read on. My story may just kick-start some memories of your own.

The memoir/journal is about 9,000 words, a length that can usually be read in an hour or so. It is priced at 99 cents U.S. (equivalent in other currencies) and is free on Kindle Unlimited. Periodically, it will be offered as a free promotion.

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN661P8Z

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CN661P8Z

India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Germany: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0CN661P8Z

France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B0CN661P8Z

 

Race Track Diary, Entry Number

 Twenty-Two

22 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 6, 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.

======================================================================

• 22 – Billy Budd’s (Feb 6, 2026)

  • I entered upon this trip to the off-track horseracing joint, with a feeling of trepidation. I had come out ahead for 3 straight visits, so I felt it must be time for a reckoning. Things had been too good.

  • This visit was on a Friday, since I had other duties to perform on Saturday. However, there was a fairly good crowd at Budd’s, at least for the first part of the afternoon. I does seem like the lunch special draws people in.

  • The first order of business was the Santa Anita races. I have had rather good luck with this track. Would my luck change? Read on to see:

    • We were a bit too late to put down any bets on Race 1 at Santa Anita. It was a Maiden Claiming race, with almost all the horses making their first run. As it turned out, the race was taken by the horse that my system would have picked, though it was the only horse that actually had a race in the past performance form. The rest only had workouts. So, though my horse won, I might well have skipped the race, due to the lack of information.

    • Race 2 had a couple of evenly matched horses on top, in my figuring. Neither went off at particularly good odds, so I really should have skipped the race. But I went ahead anyway, choosing the number 4 horse, which had the higher odds. It got into a real speed duel with the 5 horse, which led for most of the way, but the 5 overtook it in the stretch. All the horses had low payouts, nothing over $3 on a $2 bet. That was hardly suprising, as it was a short field of only five horses.

    • Race 3 was similar. The top horse under my figures went off at just under even money, but I took a flier on it anyway. It came in third, show money amounting to a cool dime. Once again, it was a short field of only five horses.

    • Race 4 continued the trend. My pick (#6) went off a decent odds, and led for most of the race. But it faded a bit at the end, being beaten by half a length by the #2 horse. That was unfortunate, as my horse paid nearly even money to place, so the win ticket would have been nice. But it was not to be.

    • Race 5 went off in the same fashion as well. The #3 horse had nice numbers and went off at a decent price. I decided to bet conservatively and had a place ticket on it. It led most of the way, but faded in the stretch to come in third. This was getting annoying.

    • By Race 6 I was getting desperate to pick up some sort of victory, so I actually bet show on the race. This was something of a rarity, but I thought I might as well take the full treatment, as I was sure that the racing gods were out to teach me some humility. My horse had long odds and led much of the way, but died (not faded, died) in the stretch. The horse that won (#4) ran quite a nice race, pulling away in the stretch to win by a good 3 seconds. So, at least the race was interesting. The race had a fairly good purse (35K) and claiming price (50K), so there was some quality there.

    • Race 7 spared my feelings, ensuring that I never had a chance. My pick had really good numbers by my system andd went off at excellent odds. Sometimes the system picks such a dark horse to come in, but not this time. It finished so far back that it didn’t even finish in the dust, as there was time for the dust to settle.

    • By Race 8 I was feeling pretty gloomy. My preferred horse had numbers that outclassed the rest of the field and went off at somewhat respectable odds of 3 to 2. By some miracle it came in first, paying out the stated odds. That cut my losses for the day, which was a relief.

    • Race 9 went back to the earlier pattern, with my horse coming in a fairly distant fourth.

    • There was no tenth race today. So that was it – seven losses, one win and one shut-out. Many of my losses were close. Some days they come in, other days they don’t. It’s like hockey – some games your team’s pucks go in and other games they keep hitting the post.

  • So, with Santa Anita over, it was time to try our luck at the bucket-pullers of Woodbine. I am slowly warming up to these races, though I have previously disdained them. But my brother’s enthusiasm for the harness-races is contagious, so I have even begun a systematic study of the situation, reading a few books and booting up the computer for a serious research project. I am hoping that it is possible to figure these beasts (and their drivers) out. Time will tell.

  • I won’t go through a race-by-race account of Woodbine/Mohawk, but will hit a few interesting highlights:

    • Craig and I usually have a rolling Win-3 on the go, during the Harnies. One of these ventures became quite interesting. Craig has a fondness for the number 6 at Woodbine/Mohawk. And looking the statistics that I have been gathering it is true that there seems to be a track bias towards the 6. So, we had a 6-All-6 Win 3 going in the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th races.

      • Number 6 won the 3^rd race, paying $4.40 to win. That meant we were alive to the Win-3.

      • The middle race was the "All" bet, so we would be alive after that race regardless of who won. But, the winner of that race paid $73.40 to win, setting up potentially lucrative Win-3. That was a 6 horse.

      • For the last leg, we had the 6 horse again. It was bet down to almost way under even money, from 3 to 1 on the morning line. That is generally a sign of a nearly sure-thing at the Woodbine bucket-pullers. Furthermore, it had a very good driver and its trainer had a very good win percentage, also excellent signs.

      • But it got nipped at the wire, not quite a photo finish but close. So there went our lucrative Win-3, up in smoke.

      • Craig noted that it would have been a 6-6-6 Win-3, a very inauspicious number. I suppose – it certainly seemed diabolical, to lose like that.

    • A few races later, we had another Win-3 going, this one for much more meagre odds.

      • In the 6^th race we had the winner, the 7 horse, which paid $4.50 to win. Not great odds for the first leg of a Win-3, but acceptable.

      • In the 7^th race we had bet "All", with the 6 horse coming in at $6.20 to win. Again, not great odds, but respectable.

      • In the 8^th race we had tickets on 4 and 7 horses, and the 4 came in to win. That paid only $3.90, but a win is a win.

      • So, we got that Win-3 (or Pick-3, another name for the bet). However, it only paid about $30 on a $2 ticket. Sort of a moral victory, I suppose.

  • Now, for a few random notes on the day in general.

    • Craig insisted on using the evil voucher machine again.

      • That’s the machine that he tends to have bad luck with (I avoid it altogether). It ate a $17 voucher, which was enough to get the staff to dig out his ticket and retire the machine for the day. I heard some other horse-players grumbling about it as well.

      • I said to Craig that he reminds me of the guy in the Kids in the Hall skit, who keeps ordering the kabob at some function, only to get food poisoning. After being treated, he returns to the party, and orders the kabob again. This happens half a dozen times or so.

      • I think the point of the KITH skit is that the guy is trying to impress a chick at the party. As for Craig, I think he just wants to make sure the machine gets fixed. This gets the site’s attention. Eventually, someone will give in, and replace or repair the machine.

    • The opening ceremony at the Winter Olympics was on one of the television above the bar. To be honest, it seemed kind of tedious to me. I usually find these ceremony events a little too earnest and boring. But I suppose for the athletes, it is pretty cool. And it gives the media something to talk about.

    • There was a youngish middle-aged woman betting on the horses most of the day. You don’t see that very often, as horse-racing seems to be a very male-dominated past-time She sat alone, in an area just off the regular horse-racing section, but in a place where the screens were easily viewable. She was well-dressed (includinng librarian glasses) and acted rather lady-like, though by the end of the day she was looking a bit more coquettish. But, maybe that was due to the fact that I had had three beers by the end of the day. I wasn’t hitting on her or anything, it is just nice to see some women enjoying the horses. Funny thing is, I have probably known more women who rode horses than bet on them.

  • Here are a few random facts about harness horses (standardbreds) that I picked up from the book I bought:

    • There are two styles of running, the pace and the trot. In a pace, the horse’s legs on the same side of its body work in tandem. In a trot, the diagonal front and back legs work together.

      
      
      

    • In any given race, all the horses have to run the same way, either a pace or a trot.

    • The pace is a faster mode of running than the trot. Over a mile, that amounts to a difference of about 3 seconds (equivalent to about 15 lengths).

    • If a horse ‘breaks’ (goes off the stipulated running style) it is disqualified. To prevent this, horses usually wear ‘hopplets’, which make it difficult for the horse to break into a gallop.

    • Of course, standardbreds are both bred and trained to run in the appropriate style.

    • These horses are said to have rather nice dispositions and enjoy being around people. That is in contradistinction to thoroughbreds, which are often (but not always) somewhat cantankerous.

  • As usual, the devil horses of Australia came on the scene, which was our cue to leave.

  • In summary, it was a losing day, though not a shut-out. Many of the losses were ‘near-run things’, including what would have been a fairly lucrative Win-3. So it goes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here are a couple of short books you might like.

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And here is an account of a summer job on the railroad, during my undergraduate years.

One Summer Working on the Railroad

What follows is anaccount of a few weeks one long-ago summer, when I was 19 and was working for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) on a railroad construction gang, in the wilds of north-central British Columbia, Canada.

The journal is in the form of a letter, that was never sent. Decades later, I think it has an interesting historical resonance. At times I come off like a callow youth – I plead guilty as charged. I swore a lot more in those days than I do now, but in places the writing is surprisingly good, at least in my humble opinion. And the story has a compelling narrative arc.

There were a lot of interesting and dramatic events that occurred – a number of industrial accidents being the most serious. There were also some colorful characters on the crew, which resulted in some dramatic and at times amusing conflicts and altercations. I perhaps flatter myself by including myself in that number. Or perhaps I condemn myself – I’m not sure.

So, if you want to be reminded of one of those summer jobs that was kind of life-changing, read on. My story may just kick-start some memories of your own.

The memoir/journal is about 9,000 words, a length that can usually be read in an hour or so. It is priced at 99 cents U.S. (equivalent in other currencies) and is free on Kindle Unlimited. Periodically, it will be offered as a free promotion.

U.S.: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN661P8Z

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CN661P8Z

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0CN661P8Z

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