There has been a lot of complaining and hand-wringing over the scratch of probable 1-5 favorite Miso Fast at Pompano Park a couple Sundays back, and about the scratch destroying a lot of Pick 4 and Pick 6 tickets. As you probably know, when a selection is scratched in one of these multi-horse wagers, tickets are assigned the off-time favorite as replacement. When that horse is a prohibitive favorite and a likely single (the only horse used in that leg) it limits the bettor’s chances by assigning a horse he probably didn’t like in the first place. Conversely, if a longshot is scratched, it often doubles up the bettor, giving him two tickets on the same horse, so he is in effect, betting against himself. I have never understood this rule. Perhaps it was instituted years ago when tote computers were not as complicated, or maybe it was just somebody’s bright idea. Yet, we have a fix and we already use it in Daily Double wagers. In a double, if there is a scratch after wagering closes, a consolation pool is formed, paying all tickets that have the winner of the first leg with the scratched horse in the second race. Unless our tote companies are using the Internal Revenue Service’s outdated computers, this would be a simple and easy adjustment. At Pompano, anyone who was live heading into the last leg (Miso Fast’s race) of the Pick Six would be paid from a consolation pool consisting of all tickets bet on Miso Fast. It would require regulatory change, but it should be simple. I realize there is potential for multiple consolation pools when a large number of horses are scratched due to deteriorating conditions, as occurred at Pompano. I also realize that it could hurt players who hope for a big payoff by beating that big favorite. The consolation pool would take a large chunk of change out of the pool. But it is the fairest, easiest way to make a change, if the assigning of the off-time favorite is not considered a viable option down the road. But it isn’t a mint julep! The Kentucky Derby was Saturday and when you say mint julep, you can’t help but think of the race. When we look for ways to spread the word about our sport, why not an iconic drink that could be served at all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world? We sort of do. It’s called the Hambo Heat, and although it is currently sold only on Hambletonian day, why not create a campaign and go worldwide? When the Meadowlands got the rights to the Hambletonian in 1981, they introduced the Hambletonian Heat cocktail, although nobody seems to recall exact ly what was in it. Elllen Harvey, who was PR Director at the track from 1989-1994, recalls the drink being sold with that name as being “like  a strawberry daiquiri, ”  and that it was available now and then. Carol Hodes, another former track publicist and Moira Fanning of the Hambleotnian Society agree. Harvey said the drink was not sold in the last few years of her tenure.  It was revived as the Hambo Heat in 2013 to mark the return of heat racing – and this version featured chipotle vodka for heat and muddled blueberries, provided by Bill Augustine and his Winners Circle Blueberries, with lemonade. This cocktail is still being offered in 2016 and sold for $9.00 in a commemorative glass, which changes annually.  This drink does have some history, and yet I had never heard of it before researching this column. That’s because the mint julep existed before the Derby, but the Hambo Heat did not. The julep’s history goes back to the late 1700s. In fact, Early Times (no longer a bourbon because it now ages in used oak barrels instead of new ones) was simply a sponsor of the Derby and the “official” Churchill Downs julep used their juice. Now Old Forrester and Woodford Reserve are the official julep bourbons. Like Early Times, both brands are owned by Brown-Foreman. Drinks like the Hambletonian Heat (or Northfield’s Lake Erie Lemonade, formerly sold on Battle of Lake Erie night only) are created just for the race, so they do not get common popularity elsewhere or at other times of the year. The New Meadowlands could partner with a hot vodka brand – maybe Tito’s, or maybe with one distilled in New Jersey, like Lazy Eye or Jersey Spirits. The story of the drink would follow its expansion. This sponsorship concept is intriguing. With the growing popularity of various legal Moonshines and fruit whiskeys across the country, even the Little Brown Jug has an obvious sponsor opportunity, along with a great souvenir vessel to serve it in. But we all know that the official cocktail of the Jug is a twelve ounce can of beer. Now go cash. See you next month.