It's been a rough start to the year for yours truly, Steve Pollack. In January, My Aunt Lee passed away and two weeks later my Mother passed. The blessing was neither really suffered long illnesses. My Aunt was 102. My mother was 94. My Aunt was a New Yorker that loved horse racing. Her and her late husband had seats at the Big A and went to Saratoga every summer. One day she told me about a race at Saratoga, (I looked it up and think it may have been at Aqueduct). They had gotten a tip on a horse named Secretariat. It was his first time out. Lee loved making one bet a day and she would step up to the plate and bet $100 or $200 (that was in the 70s when $100 was worth something). She told me "I was late to the windows and didn't make it back to my seat, I went upstairs to watch the race live." It was a short dash and he broke dead last. She thought "what the hell did I get myself into." Then, in a flash, he went from first to last. She was a big part of my life and I will miss her. My Mom, on the other hand, was not really a huge sports fan and really didn't know much about the racing. She was not a big fan of gambling or career choice as a horse player. Until one day she heard me on the Racing Jason Show. She said "It sure sounds like you know what you are doing!!" About five years ago, she started betting $20 on the Derby. She would ask me who I liked and usually place another bet of her choice. It really became a fun and annual event. Last year she asked me who I liked and i told her I had a lot of conviction on a horse named Sovereignty. I told her, you only need one horse this year, so she put it all on the nose. She loved the result. It's hard to say how much I'll miss her. She was always positive about life and loved her family like no other. It's been a good couple weeks of Capping and I'm getting dialed in. I'm ready for a big run. Read Less