$4.70 Beats $0.00

The first day at the track was not a stunning success, but it didn't leave me flattened, either. I skipped a couple of races and bet modestly throughout the day. I failed to collect until the last race I bet, the Albany Stakes. Tin Cup Chalice entered the race undefeated in six starts, but as a New York-bred based at Finger Lakes, he wasn't considered as classy as two opponents who had run in Triple Crown races, even though they didn't tear them up. (Big Truck finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby; Icabad Crane took third in the Preakness but finished a distant eighth in the Belmont Stakes.) The trio all went off at essentially 2-1. I put two bucks on Chalice, who ran a great race. There was a lack of front-running speed, so he went out front, slowed down the pace, and held off a couple of rushes by rivals to win it by a head. I collected a whole $6.70. That's a net of $4.70 for those keeping the books, probably not enough to cover today's lunch. But cashing a ticket beats ripping it up, so I head out there this afternoon with a sense -- however small -- of momentum.