It was a rough day at Monmouth -

[westcoastinvader]

Originally Posted by CharlieR

We were in the picnic area, had 2 Pop-ups for cover and it was still very rough going for awhile but we made the best of it. Not sure what the attendance was but the grandstand was packed. Have some pictures I'll post later. One is them coming out of the gate for the Haskell and Rachel in the home stretch.

TVG did a nice job capturing the dedication and extreme interest of the fans in attendance.

They emphasized the abundance of sub- 15 year old kids in attendance, and the fact that the fences were lined in the front row with female fans.

The paddock attention and applause for Rachel Alexandra was special, too.

I was a little worried (no bet) when Calvin had her on the outside for this trip, but he did do a nice job of keeping mud out of her face.

I will say that when I saw the eventual exacta payout I was a little perturbed with myself for not getting a piece of THAT chalk action.

Very glad you were able to go!

I cherish my attendance at every big race I've ever attended, and ususally have kept souvenirs.

Heck, I was just thrilled to see 16 year old Cavonnier make an appearance and walk at Santa Rosa yesterday...