The biggest horse race around these parts -- the Travers Stakes up in Saratoga -- takes place tomorrow and with that, I ask those of you -- who like me are no experts in this -- all this question:

"How do YOU go about betting on these races -- if you bet at all?"

I've heard people betting on everything from color of the horse to the color of the jockey's silks. I've heard of people using a strict number system and those who use the "eenie, meenie, miney, moe" technique.

I save my betting for the Triple Crown races -- Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont -- as well as the Travers (and maybe sometimes the Breeders Cup Classic) and I have a rather sophisticated philosophy. (You might want to get a pen and write this down -- make that a pencil)

I look at the horses running, check out their odds to see just who I can bet on and make money, forget betting on the favorites. If a name jumps out at me, for whatever reason, there you have it.

My claim to betting fame came in 2007 when I bet on Bernardini in the Preakness. Why Bernardini? Well, I remember some local soccer players from the area who have last name. Well, most remember that Preakness as the race where Barbaro fell and months later had to be euthanized.

I remember that race as betting on the winning horse.

Oh, by the way, that's the only time I've ever won using that method -- hence the pencil suggestion. So, have fun tomorrow and if some horse with a cool name or cool look or a cool jockey win the Travers, you might be seeing a very happy sports editor around here.