First Time

[GPK]

First bet ever was $10 WPS on War Emblem in the Derby. I have despised him ever since for sucking me into this game.

[trackrat59]

I could never come up with the name of the horse but I can clearly remember the circumstances.

I was three years old . This was at Rosecroft. My parents were from NY and moved to MD. They were big into harness racing. They were close friends with a couple of professional gamblers from NY who used to come down and visit us a lot . (something was going on there but I'll never know)

So my mom started teaching me to read. She used the program from Rosecroft and I would practice with the names of the horses because they were written in big, bold letters. Good thinking on Mom's part

My first bet was my mom or dad taking me up to the win window to get my cardboard, yellow win ticket with the horse's number and other such data printed in ink. This was 1959 (thus trackrat59-my first year at the track). I remember that I got to tell the teller the number of the horse. Back then you didn't have to say the name of the bet because each window was for a specific type of bet. The teller, no matter which one, would always say with a smile, "she's too young to bet" while punching my ticket.

[DaTruth]

Fair Grounds. Between Christmas and New Year's Day during the late 1970s. My mom would take us to the Fair Grounds clubhouse or turf club for a day during the Christmas break. I would have been about nine or ten years old at the time. I remember the horse was named Call Me Henry, although I can't find the name at pedigree query. I hit the double cold with Call Me Henry winning the first leg. The payoff wasn't much; otherwise I would remember it.

[Storm Cadet]

Yonkers back in the late 60's while still in high school.

[knickslions2]

1983 Street Fidler $5 win at Pocono Downs

[Sightseek]

Suffolk Downs 2005 - Mass Cap.

I'll never forget the thoughts running through my head and wondering if I was crazy to step foot at a track as I stepped over the drunk man passed out by 12:30, but the show that Offlee Wild, Funny Cide and The Ladies Groom put on was worth it!

At the risk of being tarred and feathered by the redboard patrol...I read on the Thoroughbred Times Forum that Offlee Wild was a good bet (whatever happened to Crusty?) so that was my very first bet.

[keithting]

Aqueduct Jan 1976 - arrived late to the track and in a rush to bet the 1st race Daily Double (the only one of the day back then)

Had to go to the $10 window ($2 window's line was too long) and bet $10 DD on 7-10.

Well, the #7 was nosed out by the #2 horse on the wire and of course the #10 easily won the 2nd race under Jorge Velasquez in the slop. I remember that well...

Later in the day, though, I made my money back by cashing a win bet on Gallant Bob in the Paumonok Hdcp. I was hooked !!!