For a horseplayer, it's the living end, the greatest pari-mutuel show on Earth. Breeders' Cup Day hits you with a tidal wave every half-hour, and your emotions and bankroll undergo violent shifts as you go from riding the wave to being swept away. Having fun is not always pleasant, but the experience is irresistible. If you love betting thoroughbreds, how can you not jump in?

Saturday's 18th Breeders' Cup (all right, World Thoroughbred Championships) offers the usual orgy of action, with the Ultra Pick 6 and an endless run of superfectas, trifectas and rolling Pick 3s tempting you with life-changing scores and reminding you why the Calvinists and Muslims hate gambling. If you're not careful, you can lose your soul in there. Ah, but what a way to go.

Eddie Mac at the Track has made a chunky withdrawal from the bank, and I'll be trying to make some juicy hits at Belmont Park. I'll also try to recall lessons from the first 17 Breeders' Cups to minimize suffering and maximize my chances for profit.

Rarely do you break even or win or lose a little at the Breeders' Cup. It's either bursts of ecstasy or prolonged misery made worse by the celebrations of others. Whenever I glance through the charts of the Cups, I recall glorious hits and abysmal picks. Most of my worst moments came from being too greedy, which on the other 364 days of the year is rarely my problem.

Since the horse bug bit me in 1981, I've always tried to risk a little to win a lot, but I'll put $20 or $25 to win on a favorite that's 7-5 or better. If I spot an overlay, I'll go $10 or $15 to win, $5 to place, and look for live animals for exacta boxes or keys. If a double is available, I'll probably indulge, but I rarely play the Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6 or triples. I'm probably too conservative for my own good, because many times I've hit a $100-plus exacta and seen the third horse in my exacta box fill out a $600 triple. For $6 more, I could have played a $1 box and invested in 50 more triples with house money. Maybe next year I'll change my style.

But not Saturday.

The key to success on big-race days such as the Breeders' Cup and the Triple Crown is to play your usual game. If you're used to spreading with hundreds of dollars in exotics, then don't be shy on Cup day. But if you tend not to dabble in multiple bets, why change your style for one card? You may commit too much of your capital to exotics, for example, and shy away from a few straight bets because you've already exceeded your handle for the afternoon.

Guess what's likely to happen then? Your mid-priced overlay pays $14.60 to win, and instead of cashing you'll be shredding six exacta tickets that didn't have the second horse. By swinging for the fences, you struck out when you could have hit a two-run double that put you ahead. Not winning when you should have feels worse than losing when your horse doesn't run. Beating yourself makes you beat yourself up, and the psychic bruises can linger.

Remember to be true to yourself on Breeders' Cup day. If you are, you'll be far more likely to get what you deserve at the windows. Go for it, but don't go crazy.