Leaving these bets to chance

I love horse racing, and I love to gamble on horse racing, but I don't really see myself as a pure gambler who's willing to leave much to chance with the exception of craps. That game is crack.

Anyway, so I don't really do slots or the lottery, but games that have an element of chance but require skill to succeed such as racing or poker are more my style.

I always make an exception to my "leave nothing to complete chance except craps" rule with the Kentucky Derby.

Before I even analyze how the post draw might affect the running of the race I look to see what bets I'll be making because of the program numbers. With its 20-horse field, the Derby is the only race in which I can bet my birthdate, so #19 has special significance. Looks like I'll have win bets on both Godolphin horses this year since I already loved Regal Ransom, and now Desert Party is #19.

I also play my birthday exacta 1-19 boxed for January 19 (or 19/01 as the Euros would say). West Side Bernie over Desert Party or vice versa would be pretty tasty.

My lucky number is 317 usually said as three-one-seven or three-seventeen so I'll key the three on top of those in exactas. I won't get any jazzier than that because $3 is more than any sane man should have on the nose of Mr. Hot Stuff.

I spend hundreds of other races throughout the year analyzing the figures, class, pace, trainer intentions, etc., so having a little mindless fun for the world's greatest horse race seems appropriate.