The Many Loves of my Life

[Topcat]

magicnight Wrote:
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> TGJB Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > It says something that most horseplayers have
> more
> > racetrack loves than actual girlfriends. Even
> > temporary ones. What it says is a little
> > complicated...
>
>
> Racetracks typically have a blended takeout of
> only 20% and so have a competitive edge.


Ashamed to say I laughed -- but I did.

[Topcat]

JimP Wrote:
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> Haven\'t seen any mention of Longacres or a Emerald
> Downs. Surely those are on somebody\'s list.

I\'ve made the Emerald scene a couple of times.   Like the way the grandstands are laid out.   It\'s clever.

[Topcat]

joemama Wrote:
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> Sitting, waiting for something to do (santa Anita
> Start) .  So I\'ve always wanted to make up a list
> of the racetracks I\'ve been to. I think this will
> be quite extensive compared to most.  Anyway feel
> free to post yours.  In no particular order. All
> tracks include.  No dog tracks included.
>
> 1. Garden State Park
> 2. Garden State Park Redux
> 3. Freehold Race Track
> 4. Meadowlands Race Track
> 5. Monmouth Park
> 6. Philadelphia Park
> 7. Parx
> 8. Liberty Bell Park
> 9. Harrah\'s Raceway,  Chester Pa.
> 10.Penn National
> 11.Pocono Downs
> 12.Singhapore Turf Club
> 13. Harrington Raceway
> 13. Dover Downs
> 14. Ocean Downs
> 15. Rosecroft Raceway
> 16. Laurel Park
> 17. Pimlico
> 18. Delaware Park
> 19. Roosevelt Raceway
> 20. Yonkers Raceway
> 21. Belmont Park
> 22. Saratoga Race Track
> 23. Saratoga Harness
> 24. Fingers Lakes Race Track
> 25. Tioga Downs
> 26. Thistledown
> 27. Arlington Park
> 28. Hawthorne Park
> 29. Sportsman\'s Park
> 30. Balmoral Park
> 31. Maywood Park
> 32. Duplicate deleted
> 33. Churchill Downs
> 34. Keenland
> 35. Red Mile
> 36. Albuquerque Downs
> 37. Del Mar
> 38. Hollywood Park
> 39. Santa Anita
> 40. Bay Meadows
> 41. Golden Gate Fields
> 42. Los Alamitos- Harness and Quarters
> 43. Pomona
> 44. Another Fair in California I can\'t remember
> the name of.
>
> Now I know where my retirement money went to.


My list presses 50+, but must ask for short recess to facilitate recapitulation.  

From what I\'ve seen, my trump card is the old Washington Park on Chicago\'s far South Side (site of Swaps/Nashua), where I called the last thoroughbred charts before the old girl burned down after one winter Saturday-afternoon program . . .

[Topcat]

jp702006 Wrote:
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> Might as well hit Del Mar up for the BC in 2017!
> I\'m a little disappointed that nobody on this
> board has been to Prairie Meadows. Yes I\'m a
> homer, its only 5 minutes from my house:)


Made it one tourney weekend, earlier this century.

[joemama]

Neat stuff.  Having the internet alleviates much of that now. If the internet was available back then you wouldn\'t have that story to tell.

[Topcat]

joemama Wrote:
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> Aurora, that\'s a good one.  Must be in the
> midwest. Springfield, Ill.?



Chicago\'s far-Western suburbs.   Had t-breds once upon a time, but its most recent sustained usage was as a bustola, Grade Z harness operation.

[Topcat]

joemama Wrote:
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> No Liberty Bell Park votes yet.  Philly guys are
> absent.


For the harness, a few times.   Was too late to the area for the flats.

[Topcat]

Tavasco Wrote:
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> Surprising no one has been to Colonial Downs.
> Although it is somewhat off the beaten path. Being
> so far south.


Again, for a tournament.   Great plant, with super turf.   Too bad the market depth in the area simply isn\'t there.

[Paolo]

Kentucky Downs was a pleasant surprise. When I pulled up, I wasn\'t even sure it was a racetrack. Looked nothing like the traditional grandstand at most other tracks. Nice brick building could be mistaken for a cross between a colonial manor and a hotel. Small parking lot with spots available almost at the front door. The course itself is huge, but when they say that the races are on the \'weeds\', you can take that word literally.

Ruidoso was another pleasant surprise off the beaten path. Not the track, but the city. Refreshing getaway from the heat way up in the mountains. Beautiful pines as far as the eye can see. Memorable rustic watering holes in the evening, which I hope still have the charm that I remember from more than 30 years ago. I must admit that my fond recollections may be somewhat biased, as I had the company of a lovely lady who, unbeknownst to both us at the time, would later become my bride, and who is still with me to this day.

Must admit that the old Hialeah tops my list of all-time favorite tracks. Was so gorgeous back in the day. Not just the architecture of the building, but the gardens were so well designed and maintained that they were the site of many weddings during the off season.

[SoCalMan2]

International --

The Curragh
Epsom
Ascot
Lingfield
Longchamps
Cagnes Sur Mer
Moscow Hippodrome
Kincsem Park
San Siro
Champ De Mars
Greyville
Nad Al Sheba
Bukit Timah
Singapore Racecourse
Perak Turf Club
Royal Turf Club (Bangkok)
Happy Valley
Sha Tin
Macau Racecourse
Tokyo Racecourse
Ellerslie
Beach racing at Castleton
Canterbury Park (Sydney Australia)
Rinconada

[Strike]

SoCalMan2 Wrote:
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> International --
>
> The Curragh
> Epsom
> Ascot
> Lingfield
> Longchamps
> Cagnes Sur Mer
> Moscow Hippodrome
> Kincsem Park
> San Siro
> Champ De Mars
> Greyville
> Nad Al Sheba
> Bukit Timah
> Singapore Racecourse
> Perak Turf Club
> Royal Turf Club (Bangkok)
> Happy Valley
> Sha Tin
> Macau Racecourse
> Tokyo Racecourse
> Ellerslie
> Beach racing at Castleton
> Canterbury Park (Sydney Australia)
> Rinconada


This coupled with your U.S. visits -- wow -- if this was a competition, you win.

[SoCalMan2]

Strike Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SoCalMan2 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > International --
> >
> > The Curragh
> > Epsom
> > Ascot
> > Lingfield
> > Longchamps
> > Cagnes Sur Mer
> > Moscow Hippodrome
> > Kincsem Park
> > San Siro
> > Champ De Mars
> > Greyville
> > Nad Al Sheba
> > Bukit Timah
> > Singapore Racecourse
> > Perak Turf Club
> > Royal Turf Club (Bangkok)
> > Happy Valley
> > Sha Tin
> > Macau Racecourse
> > Tokyo Racecourse
> > Ellerslie
> > Beach racing at Castleton
> > Canterbury Park (Sydney Australia)
> > Rinconada
>
>
> This coupled with your U.S. visits -- wow -- if
> this was a competition, you win.

I have done it over a 40 year period with the benefit of work having me live all over the country and the world, so I had some unfair advantages.

The irony of all ironies is that for 9 years I lived about a quarter of a mile from the Moscow Hippodrome but the racing was so awful I would prefer to stay in my apartment and bet on the internet in other jurisdictions rather than do the 5 minute walk to the track for live racing.  Also, don\'t get me started on Moscow Bookie shops (known as bookmakerskaya in Russian).

I might as well finish up with Harness --

Rosecroft,
Laurel Raceway,
the track in Bangor, Maine (don\'t recall its name)
Saratoga
Pompano
Roosevelt
Yonkers
Meadowlands

Should we include Jai Alai frontons or Dog Tracks?

[joemama]

Wow, have you ever seen horse racing with sleds in the snow?

[SoCalMan2]

joemama Wrote:
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> Wow, have you ever seen horse racing with sleds in
> the snow?


No.  But, I have seen camel racing in the snow at the Moscow Hippodrome one December.

[Deadrockstar]

The Saratoga chute was for 1 mile dirt races.