Race Track Diary, Entry Number
Thirty-Four
34 – Billy Budd’s (June 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.
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34 – Billy Budd’s (June 6, 2026 D-Day and Belmont)
This Saturday was the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes. The race was actually at Saratoga Racetrack this year (New York State) rather than Belmont Park (also New York State) as the latter track is undergoing renovations and rehab. It is the third and final leg of the Triple Crown, usually a mile and a half, but the relocation made it a mile and a quarter this time around.
Here’s a fun factoid about the races, along with money, the winner gets a bunch of flowers:
Kentucky Derby – Roses
Preakness Stakes – Black-eyed Susans
Belmont Stakes - Carnations
Of course the other important event that is attached to June 6 is D-Day, when the Allies landed in Normandy. As we all know (or should know) this helped to lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of the Second World War. The winner of this contest got some campaign medals. My dad was in Italy then, during that dust-up at Monte Casino, so he and his mates got different campaign medals.
Besides these auspicious events, the day also included a Blue Jays game, a notable golf tournament (The Memorial) and a Stanley Cup final hockey game.
Thus there was a considerable crowd at the horse-betting stations. As has been the case for the other big races, the crowd was a bit younger and a bit more female than usual.
Most people seemed to be in a good mood, crowd and staff. The wait staff was friendly and attentive and the horse-players were somewhat more chatty than usual.
The races at Belmont were rather far advanced by the time we arrived, with the 9th race about to go off. That said, they dragged the rest of the card out pretty good. The big race was being covered by one of the TV networks, so they needed to give the network plenty of time to put in features and ads, enough to fill an hour of TV time. Plus, since it is a day that attracts casual fans, dragging out the race gives people more time to bet (or so it is hoped).
There wasn’t enough time to work out numbers for the 9th, so I skipped that.
I did bet the 10th Race but my pick came in dead last. Craig, on the other hand, picked the 7-6 exactor, though he assumed it wouldn’t pay much. He was to have a successful day, as it turned out.
I skipped the 11th, as I wanted to keep my powder dry for the big race. Craig nearly picked up another exotic bet, but missed it by one horse.
I skipped the 12th as well. It turned out that the horses I liked did quite well, with a Win and a Place. I guess I should have jumped on the winner, which had the best numbers by my system, as it paid nearly 12 bucks.
Finally, it was the 13th race, the Belmont Stakes. As noted above, the milked the run-up to the race for quite a while. That included a fellow singing "New York, New York", which seemed painfully lip-synced to my eye and ear. The sound of the crowd singing "My Old Kentucky Home" before the Kentucky Derby was much more effective and sincere.
I was all set to bet Renegade to show, as I had done for the Derby. However, I was shut out, as the machines were busy just before the race, and I like to observe the odds as the betting proceeds. I would have gotten the bet, but it wouldn’t have paid much ($2.52), so it was no great loss. Still, it would have been nice to say that I made some money on all of the Triple Crown races. Note: Low payouts were to be my fate for the day.
As it turned out, Golden Tempo won the race, as he had done in the Kentucky Derby. However, he wasn’t entered in the Preakness, so there was not Triple Crown for him, as was the case for me. Of course, Golden Tempo had a lot more at stake than I did. Still, you wonder what might have happened, had he been entered in the Preakness.
There was a 14th race at Belmont, but we had switched gears to the bucket pullers by then. Besides, there were 16 horses in the race, which makes for a tough race to pick.
But before going on to the harness races, here are a few random general observations of or from the other horseracing fans in attendance:
There was one old fellow, who was using a walker to get to the machines to buy his betting vouchers. He was obviously in pretty bad shape – gnarled up, one might say. But Craig and I agreed that he was a hell of a trooper to be still in the game.
Later in the evening, when the horseracing section was mostly empty, a couple of the waitresses chatted about him. He was something of a regular and known to joke around with some of the other bettors. Apparently he was 93 years old, still sharp as a tack mentally, and could be rather funny (in a good way, i.e. comical). I suspect he was popular with the ladies, in his younger days.
There was plenty of yelling from a group of guys, watching a race at the Woodbine thoroughbred track. I couldn’t say whether their horse came in; if it didn’t, it was not for lack of trying on their part.
Later in the evening, when most of the patrons had gone home, there were a few other fellows still betting.
One guy, a regular, was obviously not doing too well. He was getting a bit excitable, but managed to control it.
Another stalwart chatted with a waitress, who was curious about how he was doing. I think he is a regular too. He explained his bet to her, which was on a long-shot exotic wager of some sort. Unfortunately, it didn’t come in. The waitress explained it to me later – noted that he stood to win a more than $10,000 bet if his horse had come in. I don’t know how much he had invested on the bet, but that’s got to hurt.
That same waitress asked me what the most I ever won was. I related a story to her, from when I was a young university student.
I had worked one summer on the railroad, but dragged up before I had made enough money to pay my next year’s tuition (there were a lot of people getting hurt on that track-laying job, which was my reason for bugging out). So, I took my pay to the track, on the last day of the meet, in late August. I had a decent score on the feature race, but the odds weren’t that high, so it was still touch-and-go for making my tuition. Therefore, in the tenth and last race, I boxed the three longest shots in the race, with a moderately high bet. The two longest horses came in, with the exactor paying off at about 150 to 1. That set me up for my second year of studies, in a math-physics program.
And now for the bucket-pullers at Woodbine-Mohawk.
I was getting a bit thirsty, so the first order of business was to win a beer-bet. To that end, I bet show on the #3 horse, which had a lot of good indicators as well as decent odds. But it was not to be.
Still pursuing my beer-bet, I put a few bucks to place on the #4, which was the second favourite, behind a heavily bet-down #2 (0.55 odds). Neither of them came in. I see in my notebook I have written "Can’t even manage of beer-bet show ticket today!"
I was shut-out in the 3rd race. Which was just as well, as my preferred horse finished way down the track.
This was getting silly, so for the 4th Race, I decided to put a place bet on a 1 to 9 favourite. Finally, it came in, so I could enjoy a cool Rickard’s Red. It paid a comical 2.10 to place. Normally I would never bet a horse with odds so low, but for the sake of a beer, it had to be done.
In the same race, Craig’s 6-1-4-2 Superfecta came in. It didn’t pay super-great (about 20 to 1), but while cashing that ticket, he discovered that one of his other vouchers actually did win, which he wasn’t expecting. That was a surprise win, and a nice payoff of about 300 to 1.
For the 5th Race, I put a win bet on the old reliable 6 post, which had tolerably decent odds. Unfortunately, it got edged out in the stretch, coming in second.
In the 6th Race, I bet a long-shot #7, since it had good indicators, for a horse going off at 45 to 1. Yeah, but no, it came in dead last.
In the 7th Race, I went back to the 6 post, though it was a short-priced favourite. I bet to win and stepped up the bet. Luckily, it did come in first. The stepped-up bet helped too. (I will admit it – I was sure I was ‘due’).
I didn’t like anything in the 8th Race, so I gave that a pass. Plus, I believe I was chatting with the waitress at the time, which was a bit of a distraction.
The 9th Race had the monster-horse Beau Jangles. It is a 3-year-old with a nearly flawless record, that won over 1.65 million dollars as a 2-year-old and was continuing to do similarly as a 3-year-old. My notebook says "THE UNBEATABLE HORSE!".
But, you guessed it, it was beatable after all. It didn’t even place and there was no show betting on the race. Fortunately, I had bet the #4 horse to place. In fact, the #4 won. Weirdly enough, the place bet paid more than the win bet ($8 to place, $7.4 to win). So, that worked out just fine for me, not so well for all those who dropped some big coin on Beau Jangles. It just goes to show, even monster-horses can have an off day.
In the 10th Race, I went back to the #6, which was going off at surprisingly good odds. I bet show, but it paid pretty well for that, at $6.10 per $2 bet.
For Race #11, I was panning to go back to the 6, but got shut-out. That was just as well, as the horse finished well back. Craig however, hit a 200-1 triactor, continuing his streak.
For Race #12, I bet the 4, which did nothing. Craig hit another triactor, though, for another $150. Then, to add to his good luck, he picked up another win on some sports betting from earlier in the day, once the hockey game was over (Vegas beat Carolina).
So, in summary, I lost one small bet and got shut out on one I would have won, at the thoroughbreds of Saratoga. For the harness-races, I almost precisely broke even (a minuscule profit). I think it is fair to call it a break-even day.
As for my brother Craig, he had a very nice run of luck and came out several hundred dollars to the good. I guess he was due.
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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