A jay at the races - US edition!

[jayalexander]

So I'm currently spending a few days stateside and visited Belmont Park, in New York, on Saturday. I've been to several courses in the UK and this would be my first overseas. There are two tracks in NYC, but the other, Aqueduct, only operates at the start of the year which is a shame as it's really easy to get to via the subway and there's a huge casino adjacent to the track - although sadly it's all computerised. However, it's not exactly hard to get to Belmont as there's a regular bus service that serves the track - something which UK tracks could learn from. I missed the first three races, although the card was ten so there was plenty of action remaining. I managed three wins, but they were shorties! At just $3 to get in and $3 a beer, it beats the UK hands down, but there is just not the feeling that racing at home gives! There wasn't really any atmosphere. It reminded me of being in a massive warehouse and yet the prize money was really good. Betting was all tote, on terminals. You're required to load money onto a card and that allows you to log in and place bets. People here tend to bet on the forecast, rarely just on the winner. The racecard is jam packed with information, so to the untrained can seem like doubledutch. Therefore I was going for the winner only! At the finish line. I need to remember to breathe in next time!

[jayalexander]

Re: A jay at the races - US edition! A view of the grandstand A view from the grandstand Inside the huge complex The winning owners of a race - they don't dress up fancy like in Britain/Ireland The equivalent of a parade ring Ponies, such as these, accompanied the horses to the start. No idea why!