Horses are fragile, and they had seen horses favored to win national races catch fevers or sustain minor injuries even on the day of a big race, causing the animal and rider to be scratched. Dino and Miami were nervous, excited, and apprehensive about the necessity of a trip back to Mexico to collect a winning bet. They were talking about their “chance of a lifetime.”
Miami half-joked, “Dino, I need you to drive to Santa Anita and put a blanket on her tonight.”
Their biggest debate was what her odds would be in the full Derby field. They estimated there would be 16 to 20 horses, which is a huge obstacle. In a large field, the potential to run into horse traffic increases. An average thoroughbred race has a field of seven to nine horses, but that number is doubled for the Derby. In fact, if there are over 14 entrants, two starting gates are required to be placed side by side, just to accommodate that many animals. The post position, assigned by random draw, is so important that owners and trainers feel a lot of stress just prior. They hope not to draw any of the first five posts for fear of being trapped on the inside. Any mishap, especially at the break, would leave the difficult task of weaving through as many as 19 other horses that hope not to be blocked even once. Many a potential Derby champion lost their best chance at glory just seconds into the race by a poor break onto the track.
The other fear at the post position random draw is getting a gate too far outside. Physics of these outside post positions cause the horses to run wide over the entire race distance of one-and-one-quarter miles. Over 40 percent of the racing is done while in the two turns. Going wide for much of the race makes those outside post horses cover considerably more ground than those horses that get an inside trip.
Because of her ability to achieve early speed, Winning Colors had a huge advantage in such a large field. If she broke well, she should be able to flee the field behind her and let them try to maneuver a successful trip while weaving their way through traffic. In fact, this was the fear of the other trainers; the huge gray filly would break on top and they might never catch her.
Dino said, “I bet she goes off as the 3-1 favorite.”
“No, Dino, I think these sexist, male, old timer horse players will bring wheelbarrows full of money to bet against her. Remember? The manager at Agua Caliente told us, ‘She cannot win.’ I bet the bastard loses his job when he has to pay us!”
“Yes, but women will come out to the track to bet on Winning Colors with both hands!”
The good thing for Miami, Dino, and their fellow big cash gambler at Agua Caliente Big Bernie, was their Mexico future book odds of 50-1 were locked in at that set number. They simply didn’t care what race day odds the Churchill Downs fans bet Winning Colors down to, as their Agua Caliente future bets were set at $5,000 to win $250,000 for Dino and Miami, and Big Bernie’s $20,000 to win $1,000,000…American dollars…in Mexico.
By comparison, because Luis and his stable friends had wagered one month earlier, before she had won her first stakes race around two turns, their Las Vegas odds were 100-1 on their $2,000 wager to win $200,000.
The other lively debate between Miami and Dino was how to collect the money from the bet they placed at Agua Caliente. This was now a deadly serious topic and several concerns topped their list. Would the race book go out of business if she won? It was rumored the track was in escalating financial trouble now that live racing had ceased. There was no way to understand the corporate legal structure of a Mexican racetrack or the track’s true financial health. And then came questions about its owner’s ties to the drug cartel’s money.
Dino was willing to embrace another chance. “I think we should go down and bet more on her. Seriously.”
Miami resisted. “I agree it’s a great bet,” he said to his friend, “but we have so much risk already, with fear of not getting paid, or even more likely, getting robbed or killed. I’m out.”
There was no way for Miami or Dino to presume the amount wagered on Winning Colors at the Agua Caliente future book already, at average odds of nearly 50-1. They guesstimated that $200,000 had been wagered on her, so the track’s exposure was likely $10,000,000 or more. That was a lot of money for a financially starved Mexican racetrack.
They discussed the possibility of being robbed after they collected the money. They verified that there was no other option of collecting than being there in person with any winning ticket worth over $1,000. Nor could they get a check. Gamblers dealt in cash. Tax issues also became a concern. Dino felt strongly that they must be at Agua Caliente when Winning Colors won because perhaps only the first persons in line would get paid before there was the equivalent of a run on the bank.
Miami responded by saying, “I’ll check on prices for chartering a Brinks armored truck.”
“Miami, no way Mexico will allow armed US private guards to take a truck over the border.”
The idea of chartering a Mexican armored truck did not instill confidence in the two gamblers either. Miami said, “That’s like paying someone to come and rob you.”
Dino and Miami were optimistic about the outcome of the race, but
