I SPENT part of my Sunday afternoon in an off-track betting station, placing bets for horse races being run at Sta. Ana Park in Cavite.
I have to admit I had no idea how to choose the horses. I had no grasp of the terms being bandied about nor of the codes attached to the names of the horses and the jockeys. I was simply making “bakas” - riding on the same bets being placed by Col. Pedro “Pete” Sacro Sr whom I accompanied on his usual Sunday afternoon “excursion”.
Before we trooped to the OTB along Pasong Tamo, the colonel first passed by Loyola Guadalupe to let his wife know he was leaving her wake for a while to place P50 bets on the races.
This Sunday “excursion” reminded me of my past excursions with my own dad to the City of Dreams, where he would make P30 bets on the slots, taking home P8,000 and then P16,000 and finally P31,000 on the last three weekends prior to his death. His betting some P3000 every other weekend was his “inexpensive” way to indulge himself as he waited for the call from Heaven...
The OTB was far more fun than the slots at City of Dreams; the mostly male patrons would be chanting the names of their favorites as the horses entered the home stretch... This contrasted sharply to the mostly women patrons of the slots, some of whom would rub the screens of the machines for good luck prior to pressing the “Spin” button! And while cries of joy or sorrow were simultaneous at the OTB, at the slots you’d hear individuals sigh (usually) or cheer (rarely) -- and you would know what the outcome of the spin was.
As with the slots, I don’t think I will end up a regular patron of the OTB. Both can be exciting, but I can think of so many other ways to spend an afternoon throwing money away in exchange for simple moments of joy - and I am not referring even to “parental guidance” ways here. But it was interesting to see the menfolk pore over their Dividendazo race guides, “analyzing” the odds of the difference horses and jockeys and “scientifically” choosing who would win, place or show.
I actually think I prefer just watching the horses race. A horse in full gait is such a graceful sight, and watching one come from behind to nose out those way ahead of him can be exhilarating. But because so many factors can come into play in a horse race -- no different I think than in a game of professional basketball -- I would rather not place hard earned money on a horse or a jockey and maybe prefer to place a bet how long Donald Trump will remain in the White House before a major booboo forces him out of there!
Still it was a most instructive excursion that gave me a chance to peer into a certain way that menfolk indulge themselves, complete with the camaraderie and all. Thank god there was no dress code, no requirement of a coat or a top hat - just prohibitions for sandals and sandos for those patrons who chose to sit in an air-conditioned room enjoying good food while focused on a huge TV screen hung at one end of the room.
PS: I ended up betting a total of P450 the whole afternoon I was at the OTB. And I came home with P520. Never did I earn P70 in as exciting a way as I did yesterday! Now maybe it’s time to check the PSE to see where I could put that P70... mining stocks maybe?
© Jose Bayani Baylon
