I will admit when it comes to harness racing I have very little knowledge. My first experience was at Hollywood Park and the first race had a horse named Lucky John V. Now folks that know me will get it immediately, and you can imagine the outcome. He won and it was at a good price, don’t remember the exact amount but it was good. Admittedly it all went right back, as I was clueless on handicapping trotters. Later in life, I was living New Jersey near Freehold, and went to the harness races there. The two memories I have of that track was the gentleman that stood on a platform and wrote out the odds on a chalk board, his printing was amazing. The other, was all the drivers were named Fillion or it seemed.
So where is this all leading? Recently, I had read an article from HANA that discussed Balmoral Park’s reducing its Pick 4 take out from 25% to 14%. The interesting stat is that when at 25% take out the average pool was $7800. Now with the reduction the average pool is $30,000! So that piqued my interest and did some research on Balmoral Park here in Illinois. I had no idea it has been open since 1926 and races almost all year long. It’s a one mile circuit that can seat 71,000 and has a stable area that can accommodate 900 horses, and understand they are nearly full all season. It’s a gem!
I highlight this for it is these kinds of small tracks that have figured out how to market to new fans, offer good purses and see by lowering the take out they can attract more wagering dollars. I commend them for their foresight. One marketing activity is on Saturday nights, Miller Lite Night. Live music and $2 Miller Lites and $2 food off the grill, that’s a nice deal. They guarantee the pick 4 on Wednesday ($15,000), Saturday ($20,000) and Sunday ($25,000). So if you are a harness racing fan this is one track you need to explore. You can wager on TVG if you are out of state and the Balmoral’s website has video of past races. One thing to note, the USTA provides free TrackMaster PP’s for the Pick 4’s at Balmoral.
Now the fun part, I will handicap the Pick 4 on Wednesday nights. For tonight August 17, 2011 the selections are as follows (remember I’m a neophyte with harness racing but it will be fun):
Race 7: #1 Cole Call/#1A Western Bear #4 Fox Valley Ron #7 Rejoiceandbeglad
Race 8: #5 Onebrewfortheroad #6 Toshie Special #10 BS Mary’s Delight
Race 9: #8 Cam’s Magic MaeMae
Race10: #1 Incredible Legacy #3 Mandy’s Gold #5 Cocochino
Ticket: $27 on a $1 Pick 4
Going forward will keep track of my success with the Balmoral Pick 4, good luck and cash those tickets!
