The Lone Wolf

I call myself a lone wolf, and yeah, I know that sounds dramatic, like I’m about to howl at the moon or start a podcast nobody asked for. But truth is, with my boys Joe and Rudy, we ain’t a lone wolf at all—we’re a pack. That said, when it comes to handicapping, I still hunt like I’m on my own. Head down, eyes open, trusting what I see instead of what everybody else is hollerin’.

Now first off, hope everybody had themselves a good holiday. I’m talkin’ food that put you in a chair you couldn’t get out of, family you love even when they’re drivin’ you nuts, a little fun, maybe a little holiday cheer in a glass. But that’s over now. Napkin’s off the lap. It’s time to go back to work.

And when we work, we tend to do alright. Just Friday alone—Gulfstream and Tampa—19 races, 11 winners sittin’ on top. That ain’t luck, that’s consistency. That’s the middle name.

Today you got Oaklawn with a strong card and the only workout report available. Turfway’s the same story. Toss in Gulfstream, Tampa, Aqueduct—you got yourself a full plate. The kind of day where, if you know how to look, there’s always something to hang your hat on.

Like Vladimir Cerin used to say back in the day—Southern California dude—“I always find something to play in your workout report.” And he was right. There’s always a clue if you’re willin’ to actually look for it.

Problem is, we live in an age where folks don’t wanna look. They wanna scroll. They wanna chase auction prices, bullet works, speed figures, fast times—anything they don’t have to think too hard about or read past, 280 of them seems to be the limit for some.

Meanwhile, we’re over here usin’ our eyes and a little thing called common sense. Which, let’s be honest, ain’t very common anymore.

Horseplayers done got lazy. They think social media’s got the answers. Let me tell you, the only key social media really holds is the key to the sanatorium—you know, the place with the padded walls and the fashionable straitjackets. Every day I hear somebody say they found a winner on social media. Buddy, the real players ain’t postin’ tickets. They ain’t postin’ opinions. They’re too busy cashin’. What you’re seein’ is lonely folks huntin’ likes like it’s validation season, or better yet Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck arguin' on whether is Rabbit or Duck Season.

And the worst part? When too many people know a “good thing,” you’ll see that blinkin’ light on the tote board, and then here come the CAWs, runnin’ in packs like wolves, and boom—there goes your price. Dead on arrival.

So yeah, I’ll take my chances this way. I’ll trust my work, my eyes, and my judgment. Call it stubborn, call it old-school, call it a lone wolf mentality.

I just call it survivin’.

AAAAAhhhh WHOOOOOOOOOHHHH!