Lucky For Some? How do you handle the day?
If you are reading this Random Thought on your office computer, it probably means that you are one of the brave people that got out of bed on Friday 13TH.
You are thus not suffering from Paraskevidekatriaphobia or Friggatriskaidekaphobia, as the fear of a day that can happen up to three times per annum, is medically known.
American Jockey Agent Dan Mellul is credited with having said that there are a million ways to lose a race and only one way to win it – get there first! That may sound bloody obvious and the colourful character, despite his professional and serious approach to his job, will always have two pens in his pocket and watch the racing from exactly the same television set. “They are lucky for me,” he declares sombrely.
Horseracing is one of the world’s great competitive disciplines and there are so many factors at play that combine to influence the outcome of a race, that it is really no wonder that many of us look to stack the odds in our favour, by not tempting fate. For instance were you to win the Pick Six or Place Accumulator at Arlington this afternoon, you are likely to believe forever that Friday the 13th is a delusion and a figment of the imagination of lesser souls. Go one out in the exotic bets, and you will blame the day.
So is Friday 13th a bad day to gamble? The origins of the day abound through a combination of the ills associated with Friday and the number 13.
Safer Bet? It's all in the numbers.
In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, the 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday has been considered an unlucky day at least since the 14th century’s The Canterbury Tales and many other professions have regarded Friday as an unlucky day to undertake journeys or begin new projects. Black Friday has been associated with stock market crashes and other disasters since the 1800s.
In the United Kingdom a few years ago, a study was done to draw a correlation between traffic volumes on Friday 6th and Friday 13th and the corresponding motor vehicle accidents.
Unbelievably , they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to car accidents was significantly higher than on other Fridays. Their conclusion: “Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended.”
Some Greys Go! Dancer's Daughter won the July.
While there may well be very logical practical explanations as to why things happen, we all have our own quirks. Our favourite pens to complete the Pick Six betmark card. Your preferred table in the tote. Park in the same spot at the races. Some jockeys wear the same colour underwear on racedays and always use the same saddle. Some trainers wear the same suit. Assistant trainer Joanne Visser believes that the Jaap Visser stable have Tellytrack Presenter Alvin August to thank as a lucky charm. Every Monday that the ‘Giggler’, as he is known, turns up at Flamingo Park, the Visser stable have a great afternoon.
There are so many other quirky beliefs. Don’t eat peanuts at the racetrack. Don’t wear green. Stay away from horses with white socks. Back grey horses on rainy days only. It’s good luck to pick up a coin at a track with the heads side up and bad luck to pick up one showing tails. Don’t wish jockeys luck by telling them to ‘break a leg.’
At the end of the day, it’s the crosses in the correct blocks on your betmark card that determine whether you can take the wife out to dinner or not tonight.
And the only safe way to double your money is to fold it and put it in your back-pocket.
Good luck.
