Imagine how pleased you’d be if this happened to you: You’re going to your favorite harness track one evening. You’ve parked your car and you’re headed for the entrance. You look down on the ground and see an envelope. Inside the envelope are ten $100 bills and a note that reads: “Take this money and bet it as you please. See how long you can make it last.”

Well, that’s what has happened to Bill Blessing, the Chicago-based handicapping columnist of the USTA website. Oh, not literally, of course. He didn’t really find an envelope with a thousand bucks in it. But we’ve given Bill a hypothetical bankroll of a thousand bucks and asked him to bet it as he wishes. The only catch is that he’s got to tell us his picks and keep track of his bankroll.

After a week or two, Bill could be sitting with five or ten grand in his account. Or he could be busted. Or he could have a hot streak for a while, then cool off, then bounce back, and string out his “grand adventure” for all of 2006.

We invite you to follow along on this grand adventure, size up Bill’s bets, and cheer for him to make some serious (albeit hypothetical) money in the process.

Friday Meadowlands Race #11

Ever since Andy’s Trotter was reunited with his former connections, he’s been unstoppable at Freehold. Owns a wicked late brush and the move back to the big track should suit him just fine. May find the streaking Oaklea Kramer too much to overcome so let’s go this way.