Pick 3 scratch fun

[philcski]

Saturday with Aqueduct cancelled I turned my wagering interest to the tires and wire clippings at Keeneland, and in the 6th race I found a horse i wanted to single in the Pick 3 (middle leg with 2 wide open fields around it) at about 5-1. So the 5th race breaks almost perfect as the 2nd longest priced horse (a Willie Martinez compulsive quitter) I have on my ticket wins and pays $16.60. Then, the horse i singled (Philanthropy Lady) gets scratched at the gate- and the 2 wins at 6-1. In the final leg, Willie Martinez gets it done for me again at 35-1 wire to wire, leaving me with a conso payoff in the pick 3 of $1,811, while the actual pick 3 pays $15,375.

So this begs the question, do i laugh and count my fortunate winnings on what was essentially a "double" that i would NOT have had otherwise, or cry at missing out on the very real possibility of collecting on a 5 figure score? How would you feel, happy or disappointed?

Either way, the scratch rule in Ky on P3's is a very good one. In the old days in NY you would have got stuck with the favorite (which not liking the favorite in the middle leg was a third of the reason for the play) and got totally screwed.