Cramer's 'Mad Money' Recap: Hold These Horses

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The hardest thing for any investor to do is to stay in the game, "even on an ugly day like today," Jim Cramer told viewers of his "Mad Money" TV show Wednesday.

But it's necessary to make money, he said, especially with all the private-equity money coming into the market.

To stay interested, market-players need to speculate up to one-fifth of their portfolios, Cramer said. He came up with a horse race consisting of three stocks trading around $10 each that may have some "quick upside."

Cramer calls the three "horse racing stocks" because speculating is like gambling, only more responsible when done right. The following three, he said, could go from $10 to $12 "in a heartbeat": Dynegy (DYN), Brocade Communications (BRCD) and Qwest (Q).

These are three companies that share some history, Cramer said. They're all bullish stocks that have been "trashed."

Dynegy fell because of its former CEO Chuck Watson, but then was "rescued" by its current CEO Bruce Williamson, Cramer said, adding that he believes that Dynegy could go from $10 to $12 after finally making money this year. Or, Cramer said it could be bought out.

Cramer likes Brocade more than Dynegy. The company, he said, took out its main competitor recently and should easily start beating its numbers by consolidating costs and increasing prices. "Brocade has momentum but is scary -- which is exciting," Cramer said.