Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number Forty-five – Billy Budd’s (Sep 5, 2026)

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 3^rd 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 5^th, 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 6^th 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 7^th, my horse (#6 again) led for most of the race, but gave it up in the stretch, going from 1^st to 3^rd. I had bet win, so no money for me.
  - By the 8^th 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 9^th, 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 10^th, 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 11^th, I would have probably gone with the #5. It finished way back.
  - Finally, in the 12^th 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

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.

Thursday, 3 September 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 44- Century Mile and Billy Budd’s (August 29, 2026)

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 44-

Century Mile and Billy Budd’s

(August 29, 2026)

Introduction

For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.

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44 – Billy Budd’s (Aug 29, 2026)
- This was a somewhat unusual day, as I went to the off-track alone. My brother’s feet were giving him some trouble, as a lot of stair-climbing had been necessary while visiting his in-laws (the elevator wasn’t working). Thus, he had to take the day off.
- So, I decided I might as well go by myself, as I had already worked out my numbers for this day’s card a couple of days earlier. It takes several hours to enter data, then to update formulas (as required), print out results, compare those to the track touts, etc.. No point wasting all that effort. My wife doesn’t mind, as long as I break even over the long run and bring her back some pizza.
- Getting there a bit early for the Harness Races, I walked around the general area. I discovered a brewpub just a block south of Budd’s. I sometimes purchase their products at the local farmer’s market, which are pretty good. It is too bad Budd’s doesn’t carry some of their stuff, but I suppose they are locked into deals by the big breweries that prevent them from doing that.
- The pub was surprisingly crowded and busy at around 4:45. That included the horse-racing area, which is often emptying out by about that time. Why was it so busy? I realized that it was a payday weekend, and possibly a three-pay-cheque month for a lot of people. I recall those from some of my early biweekly pay jobs – they were fun, fun, fun.
- Most of the people in the horseracing area were regulars.
  - Without knowing names, one tends to give descriptive labels to people: the Chinese guy, the excitable guy, the well-informed guy, the Lady known as Lil, the guy with the folding cane, the Roughriders guy, the guy who looks like a guy I used to work with, and so forth.
  - I suppose to them, I’m a regular too (most Saturdays for the past year or so I have shown up there). Maybe they call me the guy with all the papers or the stats guy. Who knows?
  - I chatted with the Chinese guy about one of the races. How do you bet a race with a 1/19 favourite, with only win betting permitted? We both agreed that it is hardly worth betting, though I bet it anyway (and lost).
  - The Roughriders guy mused rather cryptically: “20-1 is safer than 5 to 1”.
  - The well-informed guy said knew the owner of one of the horses, so he bet on it. That horse came in to win at very good odds. He was going bring home lasagna for his mom. That was nice to hear; I was planning to take home pizza for my wife.
  - The excitable guy, watching a race at Emerald Downs: “Come on 5, come on 5, Yeah! He made it!”. That was nice. His excitement is often of a less positive sort (i.e. the horse usually loses).
  - A couple came in that was known by the Lady Known as Lil. The woman said she quit her teaching job as the principal and vice-principal were implementing crazy policies (the kids were alright). So, she took a waitressing job, which was much less stressful. Which was interesting, as one of the waitresses at Budd’s had once said much the same thing.
- This day had a lot of high-purse races, many of which were races for promising 2 and 3 year-olds, with horses coming in from big U.S. tracks like Meadow Lands, Yonkers and Saratoga.
- Anyway, off to the betting:
  - In the first race, the #7 horse had lots of good indicators but I misread my cheat-sheet and bet the #4. However, it had a sharp odds-drop, from 7/2 to 3/2, while the odds on the #7 actually went up during the betting, from 3/1 to 5/1, so my mis-bet seemed ok. But as it turned out, the 7 ran nearly wire to wire, while the 4 died in the stretch, finishing third. It goes to show that watching the odds is important, but not decisive. A fellow sitting a couple seats down told his companion that he bet the #7, as he knows the owner, whom he says is a very sharp guy. I don’t know if that qualifies as insider knowledge, though.
  - In the second race, I decided to bet a sure-thing beer-bet since it was about time for a beer and pizza. Both of my systems really liked the #5 horse, so I decided to ignore the odds and go with the system, with a show bet at 9/1. Unfortunately, it came in fourth, with a stretch run that didn’t quite get there. So, no beer, no pizza.
  - For Race #3, I went with the #5 again, with a place bet (there was no show betting on the race, as there were two strong favourites running). One of the favourites came in; there was a long-shot that came in second, but it wasn’t mine. The winner had a huge odds drop (from 10/ to 1/1), most of which happened in last minute of betting. You’d almost think that somebody knew something.
  - Race #4 was a bit of a nail-biter. Both of my systems had the #6 in the money, though the touts didn’t like the horse. It had a fair-sized odds drop as well, from 5/1 to 2/1. So, on this occasion I put Win money on the horse. The horse ran wire-to-wire, but was challenged all the way. However, it hung in there gamely and paid $6.00 per $2 bet. So, that was a nice beer and pizza bet.
  - In the Fifth Race, I went back to the #6 horse, which my systems had running in the money (the touts didn’t). It also had a big odds drop, from 12/1 to 5/2. It ran a game race, battling for the lead all the way and ultimately prevailing. However, I jammed out a bit and only had him to place. Strangely, the win ticket paid $5.40 but the place was only $2.50.
  - In Race #6, I went back to the #5 horse. The race had a ridiculous favourite, which went of at 1/19, paying $2.10 to win. There was no place or show betting permitted. It was basically a toss-up with the other horses, all of which had odds over 25/1. The exactor paid a bit over even money, so it was hardly worth betting the race at all. A quick calculation shows that probably $50k of the $53k of the win pool went on the favourite.
  - In Race #7, I bet the #5 to show, since my systems liked it to win and it was going off at better than 9/1. It did run a good race, moving up several lengths in the stretch to take a slice of the money, paying $4.20 to show on every $2.
  - I skipped the 8^th Race, as my systems didn’t correlate very well with the picks of the touts. That seemed like a bad omen or something. I was at the break-even level (give or take a buck), so I thought I might as well pack it in while I still felt good about the day. Besides, I had promised to bring a pizza home to my wife and I wanted to leave before it got very dark.
  - Had I stuck around for the last four races, there is a decent chance that I would have done ok. One of my systems picked a nice long-shot winner, as well as some decent mid-odds horses that finished in the money. However, that is all conjecture, for some sci-fi world where all possibilities are realized, but not this one.
- In summary, I broke even on the day, cashing in 3 of 7 tickets, two of which were at pretty good prices and one of which was slim, but better than a loss. A solo day betting the races was more fun than I expected, though it helps the fun if you win or at least break even.

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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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Tuesday, 1 September 2026

Race Track Diary, Entry Number 43 – Canadian Derby, Century Mile and Billy Budd’s (August 22, 2026)

Introduction

For now, I will use what I call “polished point-form” for the narrative.

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43 – Century Mile and Budd’s (Aug 22, 2026)
- Today was the big day for the local thoroughbred meet, with a number of high-purse races on the card.
  - The first big-purse race was Race #8, The Northlands Distaff Handicap 75,000 Guaranteed. As the name suggests, this was for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up. The term “Northlands” refers to the old racetrack in town. I guess they kept that, to give a sense of tradition.
  - Next was The Century Casino Oaks 100,000 Guaranteed, Race #9. I recall there being a race called “The Heart of Oaks” back in the day. It was a long race, a mile and a half, or thereabouts. Thus, the winner would be like an old naval vessel, built for speed and endurance. The latest version is only a mile and an eighth, so it loses some of the historical connotations.
  - Then the 10^th was The Dale The Colonel Saunders Speed to Spare Championship $100,000 Guaranteed, for 3 year-olds and upwards, one and a quarter miles. I recall this race as being called “The Speed to Spare”, back in the day. Dale Saunders was a well-known Alberta racehorse trainer, with well over 2000 wins to his credit, by the time he passed away. He actually had a winner then night before he died, at the age of 82.
  - Foremost among the races on the card was The Canadian Derby, with a purse of 200,000 Guaranteed. It went off as Race 11. This was the 97^th running of the race. Though the purse hardly rates compared to the biggies like the Kentucky Derby, it is still a big deal around here. It used to be called “The Dash for the Daisies”. I don’t know if that still applies, though if it doesn’t they should bring it back. It is not right for a great phrase like that to be take over by wiener dogs!
- Given those facts, we decided to drive out of town to Century Mile (the big track with actual horses), near the International Airport. That’s where these races were to be held.
- The track was charging $30 or more for admission on Derby Day. It was very busy, so even if we were willing to part with the money, that didn’t exactly guarantee a nice spot to sit and watch the races.
- Craig has had some medical treatments that cause foot problems at times, so he didn’t fancy climbing up and down grandstand stairs or standing around on the grounds near the track. Thus, we went into the casino, which had “off-track” betting, though the actual horses were just a few hundred feet outside the walls of the casino.
- Even early in the afternoon, the place was packed. And it became more packed as the day went on. There were lots of ladies in dresses, especially those of the summer dress variety. Some of them were quite attractive, which is never a bad thing. Quite a few also wore the big hats, which seems to be emblematic of Derby Days around the world. There were also some fellows in suits or at least vests, doing their best to look dapper.
- I don’t have a photo from 2026, but here is a picture from the 2025 Derby, back in the old Northlands Racetrack days.
- We had to take up seats right at the front of the off-track betting area, within a few feet of the screens. It was like being with the naughty kids back at elementary school, who had to sit up front to be watched by Teacher. This didn’t exactly give one a sweeping view of the crowd, but it did give one a very close-up view of the odds at the various tracks.
- There was an old-style cashier up front, and eventually long lines formed in front of that. It was reminiscent of the old pre-machine betting days. By the third race, even the rest of the front-row seats were taken.
- There were also fairly long lineups for the betting machines. I waited behind one guy using a machine. He took so long that I thought he was using the machine to write a book.
- Oddly enough, programs for Century Mile races were free on the machines, so I picked one up and decided to focus on the local track, at least for a while. Without time and computer to handicap properly, I fell back on looking for strong odds-drops and calculating average speed ratings.
- That worked out alright for the second race that I bet, Race #3, where I picked a decent payoff on a horse with a significant odds drop. But that was about all she wrote, as the rest of my Century Mile bets went for naught (though there were only three losses and my win took care of some of that). So, a small negative day on the thoroughbreds.
- It was kind of a Dale Day at Century Mile.
  - A horse in the 4^th Race was called “Dale’s Legacy”, so naturally I had to bet that one. The legacy was not positive.
  - Then, the lady a couple of chairs away started to shout out my name – “Dale, Dale, come back here!”. I looked at her quizzically before deciding that her husband (who had been sitting next to me) was also a Dale. I considered chatting with him about the coincidence, but decided against it, as he seemed like the shy and retiring type. Not so much, for his wife.
  - There was also the “Dale, the Colonel, Saunders Speed to Spare”. I cranked out some numbers for that race, but it was so late in the card that I never got around to it. Which was just as well, as the horses with the best numbers didn’t do any better than fourth place.
- By about 5:00 o’clock the crowd had really gotten big. The lines had grown long, so long that making a bet before the race was no easy thing. Thus, we decided to bail, and head back to Budd’s to play the bucket-pullers at Woodbine/Mohawk, since those had just started running.
- On the way out we noted that nearly every slot machine and/or VLT was busy. The parking lot was nearly crammed to bursting. People were still arriving and the little golfs cart were still roaming around, asking newcomers if they needed a lift to the casino.
- I mentioned to Craig that the casino must be raking it in tonight. Craig thinks that the slots subsidize the horses, but on days like today I think it is the other way around. The races, or at least the big races, are an event and lots of people want to be part of an event, part of the crowd – ladies like an excuse to dress up, some guys do too. The slots, on the other hand, are a solitary venture. You could play them in your pyjamas – actually I think some people do. At least, that’s how it seems to me.
- It was night and day, between Century Mile and Budd’s. Whereas the casino at Century Mile had been packed, Budd’s was strangely empty, with only a couple of other stalwarts present. Very few of the regulars were there; perhaps they had gone to Century Mile.
- At any rate, we got there in time to play the 5^th race and stayed until the 10^th:
  - In the 5^th Race, I bet the #6 to show. It won. The show ticket paid pitifully little, but it allowed me to order a beer and pizza (the ‘beer bet’), so that was good enough.
  - I skipped the 6^th Race, apparently too busy eating my pizza (or so my notes say).
  - In the 7^th, I bet the #6 to place. It finished well up the track, in 5^th place.
  - The 8^th was much the same, with my #4 horse missing a piece of the action, coming in fourth.
  - I did hit the 9^th Race, betting the #1 horse to place, which it did. Unfortunately, there was a big odds drop in the final seconds before the race, so the price was lower than I expected.
  - In the 10^th I went back to the #6 post, but it came in next to last.
- We left early, as it was getting dark and it had been a long day. In fact, I was sufficiently spent that I forgot to take the pizza that I had ordered for my wife, home with me. Lucky for me, she can be quite understanding when it comes to such matters.
- So, all in all, not a great day but not entirely terrible. I picked 2 of 5 races at the harnesses and 1 of 4 at the thoroughbreds. I wasn’t surprised; I had had a nice winning streak going (4 days of break-even or profitable outings), so the law of large numbers was bound to catch up with me. It did.

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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.

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

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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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.