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| Live Racing Not Dead Yet |
But I'm not still on Facebook. So I can give you all the glorious details of a pretty good day at the races. First of all, you may have thought that horse racing was finished in Massachusetts. I certainly did until a few weeks ago. But it seems the news of Suffolk Downs' being dead was premature. They had announced the end of racing back two years ago when they lost the casino bid. But somehow, they managed to hold a few races last Fall and several dates this Summer. They are open most days for simulcast betting.
Before Dana and Vic moved to New Mexico 5 years ago, we would traditionally go to a race track on Fathers Day. We prefer watching "flats" to harness racing. We bet modestly, and when it comes to gambling, the races are the slowest way to lose money. Sometimes we went to Suffolk Downs, and other times it was Rockingham Park in New Hampshire.
Now that the P's have moved back in Mass., Dana suggested that we all go to the races for Fathers Day. But, alas, no one was racing that weekend (June 18 &19). Suffolk only had a limited schedule selected weekends during July, August and Sept this year. Rockingham has completely given-up on live racing (except harness & dogs) and seems to be more like a casino these days.
So, this year we decided to defer our "Fathers Day at the Races" to yesterday. We arrived just in time for the second race. From the number of cars in parking lot, it appeared that a lot of other families had decided to go to the races also. There was no admission charge even for seating in the clubhouse where it was air conditioned. The Racing program cost a mere $2.00. We like to watch the horses as they are walking around the paddock, before they are saddled and mounted. Judy makes her decisions exclusively on how she perceives the horse's attitude. The spunkier the better.
My betting decisions are more scientific: I bet on the horse's name, the odds, and the record of the horse's performance in previous races. I always bet $2 to win. In the past this has nearly always cost me money.
Vic likes to play perfectas. That is, choosing the two horse combination of 1st and 2nd , a riskier bet with a high payoff. He had a good day, winning twice for a total take of around $300.00.
Judy won several times, validating her look-at-the-horse strategy, raking in a nice $75.00 - including a 30 to 1 shot that paid $62.45 on a $2 bet.
Even I came away with more money than I bet. I hit a nice 17-1 win in the 4th race for $37 and another in the 7th race for $7.00. To me, this is winning big.
We left after the 7th race with a bit more cash than we arrived with, despite the exorbitant cost of beer and food.
There is another racing event in September; we will probably go back and give them the money back.
Over the long term, the house always wins. But at least horse racing is fun to watch, unlike crew or swimming events.
2 comments:
I am reminded of Dad, who liked to gamble on the doggies at Wonderland. His method of picking winners was pretty basic: he watched the animals during the parade-to-post, (or whatever they call it) and selected one who had a nice, healthy crap on the way.
I don't recall him claiming this system actually increased his winnings, but he may have though it did.
Thanks Dave, I will add this to my check list as the horses circle the paddock prior to the race!
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