LITTLE ROCK — Although unwilling to embrace the betting philosophy of a superb thoroughbred handicapper at the racetrack, Kim Brazzel’s aggressive approach is recommended when filling out the NCAA Tournament bracket in the office pool.
“Take a stand,” the late friend chided innumerable times in the press box at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs.
The conservative approach — boxing horses in an exacta wager — irritated him mightily. For those unfamiliar, a $1 exacta box with four horses yields 12 possible combinations, but Brazzel reasoned that 11 of them were sure losers.
Brazzel’s approach was to zero in on one horse, bet that steed to win, and then purchase exacta and trifecta tickets that could only be cashed if his pick finished first.