On Sunday night I saw a news report about the Melbourne Cup, one of the world’s most prestigious horse races. After seeing the names of the horses that would race in the big event, I had a gut feeling that I had to place a bet simply because of the horses’ names.

On Monday, I contacted somebody who knows a lot about horse racing and asked how I could place a bet at the TAB. Not only did they give me the information that I needed on placing a bet but they also gave me good information about the merits of the horses I liked. Thus, with some anxiety I entered a local TAB on Monday (to avoid the Tuesday queues) and placed a bet for the 1st time on the Melbourne Cup.

As a musician and a music lover, I was impressed to see the names of two horses and so I placed my bet. Can you imagine my shock and jubilation when I listened to the race call on the radio and heard that ‘Delta Blues’ came 1st and that ‘Pop Rock’ came 2nd? Unbelievable! A 1st time bet with a winning result!

So the moral of the story?

1) There is such a thing as “beginners luck”.
2) Always go with your gut instinct.
3) Anything to do with music always makes you feel good.

By STEVE YANKO

Copyright © STEVE YANKO 2006