(Cowboy, with his ONE HP machine)
I belong to a local car club and every year we go to the races, er . . . I mean we get together and go to the clubhouse for their Buffet dinner which just happens to be at the Local race track
(Fraser Downs, dinner buffet)
Fraser Downs RaceTrack & Casino is located in Cloverdale, BC, a little community just less than 1 hour south-east of Vancouver.
The "Clubhouse" overlooks the track and the levels are tiered so as to retain a good view of the Oval. There are also flat screens on each table so you can see the action and also the betting action
(screen shot of one of the monitors, located on each table)
The waging wickets are conveniently located just left of the buffet, and there is ample time to bet for your favourite horse/Jockey
We had a ringside seat with an excellent view of all the action
It's easy to get carried away so we mainly limited our wagers to $2. It's hard to develop a system when you are an occassional attendee. Sometimes you go for gut feel, sometimes you go with a catchy name, or a jockey with a lot of wins.
Sometimes you win, but mainly you lose. My horse #6 (Yellow) came last again.
The racing got underway at 7:30p. There were 13 races and continued to around 11:30p. After sunset they turned on the lighting which made for a nice glow.
It was actually quite exciting watching the action and cheering on your horse. The evenings are still quite chilly but we were in the Clubhouse, warm, relaxed, and chatting with our friends. And the best thing of all is not having to smell the horses, and also full and contented from all that buffet food and beverages.
Here are the results from the last race . . .
#4 to place, so at least we left on a winning note (but slightly down for the evening)
Now I miss my horse!
ReplyDeleteA long time ago, in a state far far away, my sister who was majoring in Equestrian studies at SUNY Cobleskill brought home one of the school pickup trucks with a robins egg blue tandem horse trailer attached. She had just adopted yet another horse from a breeder who felt that this particular horse, while extremely fast and naturally competitive felt that this horse did not quite have the “goods” to compete at Saratoga Downs; he donated the animal to the college as some sort of write-off (honestly I don’t know all of the details) and then the school, overwhelmed by the stock that they already had sold the horse to my sister for a very honest fee.
To try to make a long story short, the horse was a Standard bred just like the ones in your pictures. Her natural gait was a pace (just like your pictures) which is quite different from a trot. Her name was “Go Gin” and I fell head over heals in love with her, she knew it too.
Over the summer break, my sister saddle broke “Gin” and I rode her all over the woods behind our place with my sister picking up the workload of riding all of our other horses. A comedic little side note, “Gin” was a city horse and she was born and raised on the racetrack, so to speak. Our farm was deep in the Adirondack State Park (Jack Rieppe could probably describe the Adirondacks with a little more detail), thick, really thick forest! Gin was scared to death of everything that first summer.
It wasn’t until later in the autumn that I actually got to put Gin on a “Sulky” (jog cart) and ride her around the track; I saw Gin in a whole new light after that. There is nothing like riding in one of those Sulky behind a genuine racehorse, I can’t describe it here, I’ve already gone on long enough!
In closing all that I will tell you is that “Yes!” you do literally drift in the corners on those things!
I miss my Gin.
Ride Well
E.T.
#6 Yellow sounds like a paint mixture, not at all a proper name for a horse, and a curse upon it whoever it is, if it caused you to lose money. Next stop- the glue factory. Iwent horse racing once and lost money at Santa Ana in California. Not quite the deluxe pad seen at Fraser Downs.
ReplyDeleteBob, we've heard about Fraser Downs, and it looks like it should be a stop for my wife and I next time we head north - for her, the casino - for me, the buffet!
ReplyDeleteDear Bobskoot:
ReplyDeleteThe last horse I bet on was named "Alpo," after a popular brand of dog food... And that's exactly how he ran.
Why don't you segguest that your car club meet next year at a massage parlor. You will still lose money, but won't regret it a bit.
Fondest regards,
Jack Twisted Roads
bobskoot -
ReplyDeleteWe used to have a horse track here in Spokane but they shut it down a few years ago. It is probably a good thing since I think they raced all the old farm mules from the local farmers anyway. I did make it to a local dog track a few times before they shut that down as well. It was a neat atmosphere where you could bet a dollar or two and just make a fun evening out of it enjoying the ambiance.
-Charlie-
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteJust been checking out your blog, you have good taste in bikes sir....I saw one of those Kymeco x500 here in Turkey last year, the photos do not do justice to just how big, and nice feeling those mega scooters are.
Cheers
Dave..
I've never been to a race track! But the few times I've ridden a horse it has made me happy. My old Suzuki SV650 has always reminded me of a frisky pony. Nice write up, great pics!
ReplyDeleteEarl T:
ReplyDeleteWe have friends who have a few horses which they enter into jumping competitions. But the last time we rode one was down in Long Beach, WA where they had them along the beaches, for hire. Alas, they are now long gone
Conch:
I'm not a gambler, but I can dabble a little and stop at $10. As you noticed, I am a spendthrift, just like you but not as 'ornery
Lance:
If you decided to visit Fraser Downs, let us know. We won't let you sneak in and out of town un-noticed
Jack:
I can't wait for one of your massage rides, much better than RTE . You know the 'ol motto, "what happens on the ride, stays with the ride"Charlie:
Have never seen a dog race before, it must be exciting. But you are right, a few dollars here and there in morderation makes it more exciting when you have a stake in the results. And winning some of your money back is good too
Dave & Linda:
Thanks for visiting. As you noticed, my Kymco X500Ri is nearly 100 lbs heavier than my SV650n, with less power. The weight actually makes it more stable at higher speeds. It is very smooth and much better against the elements with more plastic shielding
Sojourner Rides (Sharon):
I like the idea of having a "backup" bike for those times when the other one is out for service but I can't make up my mind so for now I have two. I like your Beemer too. They have demo days this coming weekend, will try to go and sit on one