On Saturday, July 13, race fans both long-time and new can convene at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, New York and get some education.
So, you’ve just discovered horse racing. Some insightful person swept into your Life and introduced you to a horse, and you were hooked, instantly. (There’s something about the wisdom, love and acceptance behind those big, brown eyes. Only the hardest of hearts can resist the Call of the Horse.)
But you fell in love with that horse, and it’s Love.
Welcome to the club.
Then the new object of your affection leaned in, and with unsettling breath, whispered into your ear:
“Wait ’til you see me race! I’m the second-fastest species on Earth. Oh, yeah, and you can bet on me, too…”
You may be that new fan, recently drawn into the sport by those big, soulful eyes.
Or you may be a long-time follower of the sport, and have become a little jaded. Or you’d just like a little brushing up, to hone your skills and remember your passion.
Whichever your category and depth of fandom, Saturday, July 13 is a day you made just for you: Renowned Thoroughbred racing handicapper, Tom Amello, will host a free fan education program at the Racing Museum at 1PM. You need not be a member of the Museum or or any other organization–no secret handshake is required to gain entry to this fun, informative and insightful 90 minutes. All you need bring is your curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Oh, and I highly recommend bringing a pen and notebook. (The human brain learns more quickly , and retains information better, when we’ve done the mechanical work of taking notes.)
Tom Amello has the chops to instill confidence: he has produced the selection sheet, “Trackfacts” at Saratoga Race Course since 1989. His background also includes over two decades as an on-air host for OTB-TV. (Produced by Capital OTB.) Additionally, Amello developed and brought a television version of “Trackfacts” for Capital OTB, and co-hosted “Trackfacts Live,” an audience-driven program for the channel.
Amello’s experience and savvy will lead both newbie fans and old-timers to that place at which both segments feel comfortable, confident and ready to take on the rest of the wagering universe.
Amello’s presentation will focus on the upcoming Saratoga Race Course meet–he and the Museum want you to approach Opening Day at Saratoga Race Course feeling like you can take on the world. The Museum program is designed to help racing fans become confident in yourselves as handicappers, and thoroughly familiar with fundamental racetrack terminology. To walk out feeling like you are The Brightest Horse Racing Fan, Ever.
The program, designed to get you to that place of unbridled confidence, plays out thus:
Amello will do a basic assessment of the audience’s familiarity with handicapping and basic awareness of what a day at the track entails. Then he’ll focus his program on the following topics:
• The odds board for all: A discussion of the relationship between the betting public’s opinions, as expressed on the odds board and the individual bettor.
• FUNdamental handicapping: Discussion of The Four Cs: Conditions, Connections, Current form, and Capabilities as expressed in past performances, with a special emphasis on the upcoming Saratoga meet. (I know, before this workshop, you thought that two of the Cs were Cute and Color (of Silks, or of Horse). (See? You’ve learned something already–betting by Cute and Color aren’t really the way to go. Before you ask, neither is betting the numbers of your wedding anniversary.)
• The 2013 Saratoga meet: Breaking down the track surfaces, as well as the jockeys, trainers, and horses.
• Q & A: An audience-driven segment designed to answer questions about handicapping and racing terminology.
The program is expected to last approximately 90 minutes–more time, of course, if fans get really raucous and involved in dialogue with Amello and each other. (This program offers a wonderful chance to learn, meet Tom Amello and other fans–and to commiserate, before you get to the track and barricade yourselves on your own little Strategizing Planet, where it’s Every Woman and Man for Themselves.)
Handouts will be provided–although I strongly suggest taking those notes!. And because the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is such a groovy place, run by generous peeps, there will be drawings for prizes from the Museum’s gift shop.
For more information about Tom Amello’s Fan Education Program at the Museum, please visit their website at http://www.racingmuseum.org
You’ll go, you’ll learn, you may win a prize. You may enter the sancta sanctorum, the Racing Museum’s lobby, as a newbie–but you’ll exit feeling like a pro. And if you’re a lifelong fan–you’re going to take away some new ideas and perspectives.
What better way to start your personal celebration of America’s oldest race course in her 150th year, than by starting the race meet off with the confidence of Seattle Slew? You might even do your own little war dance as you breeze out of the Museum, whistling “Fugue for Tinhorns.”
😉
