Race Track Diary, Entry Number
Thirty-Two
32 – Billy Budd’s (May 16, 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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32 – Billy Budd’s (Preakness Day, May 16, 2026)
This Saturday was the day of the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness. As such, there was a pretty good crowd at Budd’s.
I would venture to say that the horseracing crowd was on par with what it had been two weeks ago, when the Kentucky Derby was being held. Which is a bit surprising, as the Kentucky Derby is the best known of the races, at least among the non-horsey majority of the population. In addition, the winner and place horses from the Kentucky Derby were not entered in the Preakness, so there was no possibility of a Triple Crown winner, which is usually a draw for casual fans of the sport.
There were plenty of people already at the betting machines, even though the feature race of the day, the Preakness, was still several hours away. That race has almost always been held at Pimlico, in the Baltimore area, but this year it was to be at Laurel, another track in Maryland. That is because Pimlico was being refurbished.
Oddly enough, the screens for Laurel were titled "The Maryland Jockey Club", instead of the usual "Laurel Racetrack". It took a few minutes to figure that out and verify it with the Laurel program. I don’t know why the funny name change, but guess there must be some sort of legal angle to it. Perhaps the Maryland Jockey Club holds the rights to the broadcasting of the Preakness and this was in recognition of that.
A lot of the regular fans were there, as well as newbies who were mainly there for the big race. That made it a bit more of a mixed age crowd, as well as more women than usual. The younger people seemed to be on the periphery of the seating, while the regulars were in the choice seats. I suppose the regulars knew to get there early.
Among the regulars were the woman with the odd voice, the guy who looked like an ex-colleague of mine, the woman who looks like one of my sisters-in-law and the Chinese guy who gave me a tip on Renegade in the Kentucky Derby.
The program printer jammed, so I had to get help from the staff. I noted to the woman who unjammed the machine that I felt like I was jinxing the thing, as this wasn’t the first time it jammed on me. She laughed and said "it happens". I mentioned that a friend of mine, who had a Microsoft network engineer credentials had told me that fixing printers was still the bread and butter of the job. She had a chuckle at that.
I then helped an elderly lady with the program printer. She only wanted a program for the Preakness, which complicated things. She was friendly, once she concluded that I was a harmless guy. For the sake of bantering, I asked her for a tip on the Preakness. She gave me a few numbers, which I promptly forgot. Maybe she gave me a winner?
While waiting around for the printer unjamming, I heard a couple of guys talking behind me.
"Curtis Stock is always trying to get me to buy a horse, but I don’t trust him. I think he is trying to push dogs on me."
"You might want to talk to my contact then."
"Sounds good." They trade names.
I should note that Curtis Stock used to write the horseracing news for the local newspaper. I always liked his writing, he had a way with words.
I also ran into the guy who looked like an ex-colleague and asked him if he worked at the university. Nope – so I guess it is just one of those "looks like someone I know" cases.
I picked up both the Santa Anita and Laurel programs, though I didn’t actually make any use of Santa Anita, as the Laurel races took precedence.
We were in time for the 10th race at Laurel, well before the Preakness. There wasn’t time to work out any numbers, but we did note a fairly big odds-drop on the #5 horse, from 12 to 1 to 9 to 2. The crowd really hammered the favourite, dropping its odds from 9 to 5 to 3 to 5. So, I put some money on #5, which made a nice stretch run and came in second. It had lain back for most of the race, but had a big closing kick. I had bet show, but it still paid a respectable price of $6.00 on a $2 bet. Thus, I got to play with track’s money, at least for a while.
I skipped the 11th race, as I wanted to keep my powder dry for the Preakness, which was the 13th race of the card. Besides that, there just didn’t seem to be any good bets in the race.
There was a horse with a big odds-drop in the 12th race - it also had the best numbers in the race. So I put a token bet on it, but this time it didn’t come in. So it goes.
Then came the 13th race, the Preakness.
The race was televised on regular TV, so the bar put the sound up on the screens for this race. The network had at least an hour to fill, so we got to see and hear a lot of inane commercials, as well as plenty of touts forecasting the race. It seemed like someone could die of old age before the race was run and given the average age of the crowd, you never know.
The crowd had dwindled somewhat, on the lead-up to the Preakness. I guess some people bet their roll a little too soon, so they packed it in early.
The Preakness was a 14 horse field, so not exactly easy to pick. The odds barely budged during the lead-up to the race, which seemed strange. It almost seemed as if there was something wrong with the updating system. Or maybe the early betting overwhelmed any later betting? It could be – there were some rather minor changes as post-time drew near.
Nonetheless, there seemed to be a couple of horses with numbers that were much better than the rest of the field (under my system). Those were the #1 and #6. I chose the #6, since it had agreeable odds of 10 to 1. Again, I bet show. And the horse did hang on for third, paying $8.20 on a $2 ticket.
Craig came close on the Superfecta. He had a ticket for 10-9-1-2 and the race came in 10-9-6-2. So it goes.
The 14th race was a Maiden Special Weight, where several of the horses had no past performances to go on. I bet it anyway, putting a place ticket on the #4. It came in third, so a loss for me.
So, in summary, I bet 4 races and won 2 bets, both at decent prices. In percentage terms it was a very good outing for the thoroughbreds. That said, they were relatively small bets, so not a great deal of cash. Still, having made money on both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness is nice for bragging rights. We will see how the Belmont goes in a couple of weeks.
After they were done, I turned my attention to the harness-races at Woodbine/Mohawk. But first, a few observations of other action.
A number of bettors appeared to be playing Belmont. They were fairly vocal: "Come on Number 9!". "Come on Number 6!". "Move it!". "Come on Eric, get in there!". "You son-of-a-bitch!"
A fellow seated behind us seemed very knowledgeable. He was giving his table-mates a rather detailed lesson in handicapping. I don’t know how they did in terms of money, but at least they learned something.
And now, to the bucket pullers at Woodbine/Mohawk.
We missed Race 1 and Race 2 as we were busy with the Preakness.
For Race 3, I picked up a $3.40 show ticket on good old reliable #6. It came in second.
I was shut out in Race 4. But we were alive to some exotics, so that maintained one’s interest.
In Race 5, I bet show on #6 again. It came in second, with my show ticket paying a bit under even money.
I skipped the 6th race, as I was shut out again. We were alive on some exotics, so that tends to distract one. We did pick up a triactor, which didn’t pay a lot, but at least wasn’t pathetic.
We then won a couple of Win-3 bets, but the payoffs were rather light, as it was mostly favourites that came in. As I always say to Craig, they were moral victories. He is probably tired of hearing that, but he is too decent to say so.
At about this point, there was a lot of cheering over the Montreal-Buffalo hockey playoff game. It sounded promising, but as the game went on, Buffalo took over.
Then came a run of hard luck, losing bets on the 7th to 11th races, excluding the 10th, which I didn’t bet.
The 7th Race featured the monster horse, Beau Jangles. As expected, it won handily, paying $2.10. As in the previous week, no place or show betting was allowed, as Beau Jangles was a crazy-level favourite. No horse had better than 50 to 1 odds against him. I bet an exactor, but my second horse didn’t come in
In the 8th, I bet a longshot that had some favourable indicators. But it was not to be.
In the 9th, I bet the favouritism, but it lost, coming in third. On this occasion I had bet to win, so another lost bet.
I was shut out for the 10th.
In Race 11, I gave the 6 horse another shot, but it came in way off the money. The Chinese fellow who had tipped me on Renegade was just on his way out, so he asked me for a tip. Unfortunately, it didn’t come in.
By Race 12, things were looking grim. Once more, I felt like I was due, so I stepped up the bet on the #7 horse, though betting it to show. It led for most of the race, ultimately coming in second. The show ticket paid almost as well as the place ticket (7.30 vs 9.70). It is funny how that works sometimes. Had the Chinese fellow asked me on this race, he would have done all right.
So, that bet saved my day and put me slightly in the black on the bucket-pullers (about 10%).
And that was it, for the day of the 151st running of The Preakness Stakes.
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Below are some promos for a few short books that a horseplayer might enjoy:
On the Road with Bronco Billy
Sit back and go on a ten day trucking trip in a big rig, through western North America, from Alberta to Texas, and back again. Explore the countryside, learn some trucking lingo, and observe the shifting cultural norms across this great continent.
Amazon U.S.: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon U.K.: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Canada: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Germany: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon France: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Netherlands: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Brazil: https://www.amazon.com.br/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B00X2IRHSK
Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00X2IRHSK
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What follows is an account of a ten day journey through western North America during a working trip, delivering lumber from Edmonton Alberta to Dallas Texas, and returning with oilfield equipment. The writer had the opportunity to accompany a friend who is a professional truck driver, which he eagerly accepted. He works as a statistician for the University of Alberta, and is therefore is generally confined to desk, chair, and computer. The chance to see the world from the cab of a truck, and be immersed in the truck driving culture was intriguing. In early May 1997 they hit the road.
Some time has
passed since this journal was written and many things have changed
since the late 1990’s. That renders the journey as not just a
geographical one, but also a historical account, which I think only
increases its interest.
We were fortunate to have an
eventful trip - a mechanical breakdown, a near miss from a tornado,
and a large-scale flood were among these events. But even without
these turns of fate, the drama of the landscape, the close-up view of
the trucking lifestyle, and the opportunity to observe the cultural
habits of a wide swath of western North America would have been
sufficient to fill up an interesting journal.
The
travelogue is about 20,000 words, about 60 to 90 minutes of reading,
at typical reading speeds.
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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.
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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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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