Happy Mother's Day, Mom

There’s a biker’s bar in Oklahoma City that’s also a restaurant and off-track betting facility. Marilyn and I like going there on Friday’s to eat Oklahoma comfort food (chicken fries, steak fingers, fried okra and cream gravy, etc.) and bet on the ponies. That’s where we were yesterday along with friends J.R. and Carol.


I’m not a great handicapper and almost always lose more than I win. I like wagering on names and lost six bucks in last week’s Kentucky Derby betting on Itsmyluckyday. It wasn’t! I think he finished sixth. Yesterday was no different. I was losing more than winning when the horses for the next race at Woodbine (we were watching races at several tracks so I’m not sure which one) showed the horses for the next race. The name of one of the horses was Mavis Road.

Mavis Road is a street in Ontario, Canada. Mavis was also my mother’s first name. One of the track pundits picked Mavis Road as a possible strong contender. It didn’t matter to me. Even with the odds at 22-1 that Mavis Road would win, I would have bet on the horse because it had the same name as my mother. Mavis Road didn’t win the race. It did come in second place and I won almost thirty bucks on a six dollar bet.

Do I believe my mom had anything to do with my success in the race? You bet I do. My mother, like almost everyone else’s on the face of the earth, was the single most important person in my life. Even from the grave I feel she’s still close by; always lending a helping hand. Thanks Mom, for reminding me you’re still with me, and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.

Eric'sWeb

Unlikely Results in 134th Kentucky Derby

I love racing, every manner of racing from autos, to bobsleds, to humans on foot. This afternoon, I witnessed a race that people will remember forever – the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. A 50-1 long shot, a horse purchased for only $9500, won by almost 7 lengths.

Louisiana jockey Calvin Borel brought the winner Mine That Bird home on a sloppy track, hugging the rail and winding through traffic. Mindful of the importance of the victory, Borel paraded Mine That Bird around the track Instead of heading directly for the winner’s circle.

The trainer, Chip Wooley, a relative unknown in the sport and now a first time winner of the Kentucky Derby, had driven the horse from New Mexico, a twenty-one hour drive, with a broken leg from a recent motorcycle accident.

Three heroes emerged from this historic race: Borel, Wooley and Mine That Bird. I watched the event in rapt amazement, wondering how a well thought out movie script could have conveyed more emotion.

Eric's Web