Day at the Races

[Gate Dancer]

Back in the day..............Ak-Sar-Ben had a rather unusual alternative to sitting in the grandstand. The meet was from May to August and when it was brutally hot out you could go in to the air-conditioned hockey arena which was connected to the grandstand. They had a drive-in movie size screen in there which would show the races. Picture quality was pretty good and the break from the heat was welcome. Most days I just found a granstand seat around the 1/8th pole and had easy access to concessions and betting windows.

While at Keeneland a year ago, I went from the paddock to my seat in the grandstand. But at Tampa, I strictly hung out around the paddock and apron. Each track seems to have a better method of enjoying the race experience. I'm going to Gulfstream on February 2nd next year and will be curious to see what is the best way to enjoy that. My visits to actual racetracks seem to be few and far between, but I still would prefer that if I lived within range of one.