BUCYRUS — One of the constants over the years at the Crawford County Fair has been harness racing.
Having grown up in the shadow of the fairgrounds, as a kid, I would take time to watch a few races, even if it was just for a shady spot to sit while I drank my lemonade.
But I have never been — nor will I ever be — a racing aficionado. I have covered harness racing for several years, despite limited understanding. My angles, some of which may seem gimmicky to true racing fans, such as randomly betting on numbers or selecting winners by the horses’ names.
On Wednesday night, there were six races on the docket. I decided to find out what might happen if I were to pick one number and bet that on every race (in my mind, of course).
The analysis on this night is interesting if not scientific. Of the six races, four were won by horses wearing No. 1. (No.1 also finished second in a race). The other two races were won by No. 3.
Had I bet $2 on No. 1 for all six races, I would have netted $12.20. The payout was $24.20 with $12 being my investment in the six races. The highest payout was $8 in the first race.
Had the bets been on No. 3 to win, I would have gone home $1.20 richer. Not all numbers were entered into each race, but on No. 2 and No. 4, the loss would have been $12, No. 5 and No. 7, $6 (three races), and No. 6 and No. 8, $4 (two races).
For those of you who are punctilious enough to notice that No. 7 was in three races and No. 6 was only in two, it’s because No. 6 was a scratch in the fifth race.
If you wanted to be a little more advanced with this system, you could pick another number (or even the same number) to bet on to place. Interestingly, No. 7 was the least risky there, finishing second once, in the fifth race called the J & F Construction Trot. The $4.60 payback would have helped offset the $6 investment in the three races.
There were several locally owned horses that ran on Wednesday. Western B B entered the fourth race, the Home Talent Colt Stakes, for owner David Pirnstill of Bucyrus. Longwaytothetop, owned by Brenda Edwards of Bucyrus and Stablecreektriumph, owned by Barbara Lewis of Upper Sandusky, ran in the fifth race. None finished in the money.
One driver/trainer with family connections to Crawford County, Tye Loy of Columbia Station, drove Smokeitsteady to victory in the third race. A $2 bet on Loy’s steed paid out $5.60.
Three of the six winners were prerace betting odds favorites.
This is in no way a recommendation to bet on the ponies. If anything, it might be the opposite. It is meant for entertainment purposes only, including laughter by those who have a clue what they’re doing at the track.
The second night and final night of fair racing is Thursday, with a 6 p.m. post time.