Ten Questions with Paulick & Merrow

This edition of "Ten Questions" originally appeared in September's Horseplayer Monthly magazine. To read that issue, or get the recently released October issue, which includes another edition of "Ten Questions," please click here. It is 100% free.

Ray Paulick of the Paulick Report

1. Age you made your first bet (if worried about legalities we’re okay with “18”) - 23

2. Favorite Racetrack to visit – Longchamp

3. Favorite Racetrack to wager on - Del Mar

4. What % are you a “fan” and what % “horseplayer” (must total 100) - 85% fan /15% horseplayer

5. If you are down to your last $2 and you have to wager it on a grade one race, what trainer do you want your money on? Christophe Clement

6. Most quotable trainer you’ve ever encountered - Louis Roussel

7. First word or words that come into your mind when I say “horse racing”- stimulating

8. Exchange wagering, yay or nay? Doubt I'll be a participant. I'm too slow to make decisions. I like 30 minutes between races.

9. The Breeders' Cup reversal on race day Lasix for two-year-olds was ________? extremely disappointing.

10. 8.5 furlongs, fast track, Secretariat or Spectacular Bid? Spectacular Bid

Seth Merrow of Equidaily and Capital OTB

1. Age you made your first bet (if worried about legalities we’re okay with “18”) - Uh, yeah, "18."

2. Favorite Racetrack to visit- Saratoga, but frankly I always have fun at the racetrack - any racetrack.

3. Favorite Racetrack to wager on – Saratoga, but again, I enjoy the mind-puzzle of handicapping and wagering - so I enjoy it regardless of the venue. Heck, I enjoy betting at the dog tracks when I visit Florida!

4. What % are you a “fan” and what % “horseplayer” (must total 100) - Tough question to answer - I'd say I'm more "horseplayer" than "fan" -- but it really depends on the situation. Watching Rachel Alexandra come down the stretch in the Woodward and feeling the Saratoga grandstand shake under the passionate screams of 31K+ fans - I was 100% "fan". So - when there's a "story" involved - a horse or a personality that brings something extra to that particular race, I'm probably more of a "fan". But typically I would probably say I'm about 70/30 "horseplayer."

5. If you are down to your last $2 and you have to wager it on a grade one race, what trainer do you want your money on? Allen Jerkens. If it's my last $2 I want a guy who can get it done - but might float a little bit under the radar, so I can get a price.

6. Most quotable trainer you’ve ever encountered? Eric Guillot was certainly colorful at Saratoga this season (if Moreno had won the Travers would past performance providers have had to come up with a notation for "voodoo"?) - but I guess I'd go with Wayne Lukas as quotable - in his recent role as kind of an elder statesman for the sport.

7. First word or words that come into your mind when I say “horse racing”- Fun.

8. Exchange wagering, yay or nay? Nay. I love the concept of fixed odds - but let's find some way of making that a reality without introducing the possibility of people making money when a horse loses.

9. The Breeders' Cup reversal on race day Lasix for two-year-olds was ________? OK with me. I'll let the owners, trainer and breeders fight that one out.

10. 8.5 furlongs, fast track, Secretariat or Spectacular Bid? Dead-heat?