Del Mar vs Saratoga

Keeneland was what got me started on being a track degenerate, but let me tell you it is not as good as DMR or SAR.

First of all Kee is soooo tiny that a sunny Saturday crowd of 30,000 has absolutely NO WHERE to go. You are shoulder-to-shoulder. The crowd is 90% frat & sorority peeps who are staggering around bleary-eyed and taking up space and getting in the way of the betting lines. Which take forever. The apron is the ONLY one in the country to face INTO the sun, leaving you burnt to a crisp and squinting all afternoon. The speed bias is so ridiculous that the racing is irrelevant b/c the form doesn't hold up.

And yes I'm grateful to have Kee, but now that i have seen real tracks like Arlington and Belmont I realize it is kinda crappy in some ways.

[Bigsmc]

Originally Posted by flowing tail

First of all Kee is soooo tiny that a sunny Saturday crowd of 30,000 has absolutely NO WHERE to go. You are shoulder-to-shoulder. The crowd is 90% frat & sorority peeps who are staggering around bleary-eyed and taking up space and getting in the way of the betting lines. Which take forever. The apron is the ONLY one in the country to face INTO the sun, leaving you burnt to a crisp and squinting all afternoon. The speed bias is so ridiculous that the racing is irrelevant b/c the form doesn't hold up.

And yes I'm grateful to have Kee, but now that i have seen real tracks like Arlington and Belmont I realize it is kinda crappy in some ways.

Amen. I was there for two days in the '05 fall meet and though Lexington and the farms are beautiful, I did not get the "atmosphere" at the track that everyone speaks of. Couldn't move. Huge lines for food/drink. Betting lines were okay, if you bet early. No thanks. This is one track that I will stick with the TV for my watching and gambling.

Sar and Dmr are both miles ahead IMO. Hell, I'd rather spend a weekend at Churchill than Kee.

Oh, and to stay on topic. Sar over Dmr. The older I get, the less I care about the night life. For racing and track atmosphere, it's Saratoga for me.

Bigs

Originally Posted by Bigsmc

Amen. I was there for two days in the '05 fall meet and though Lexington and the farms are beautiful, I did not get the "atmosphere" at the track that everyone speaks of. Couldn't move. Huge lines for food/drink. Betting lines were okay, if you bet early. No thanks. This is one track that I will stick with the TV for my watching and gambling.

Sar and Dmr are both miles ahead IMO. Hell, I'd rather spend a weekend at Churchill than Kee.

Oh, and to stay on topic. Sar over Dmr. The older I get, the less I care about the night life. For racing and track atmosphere, it's Saratoga for me.

Bigs

Thanks. Yeah, i almost always bet after looking at horses in the paddock on my way across to the track to watch--just a couple of moments to post. Which is where the lines at Kee are practically impossible down close to the track. This is why, as you say, Churchill is preferable... on a normal saturday you can actually MOVE around, see the paddock... bet, get to a seat... and actually SIT and watch!

For me nightlife is a wash at all of these since they are all close enough to a few good, large bars that the fun is what you make of it.

[Pointg5]

Keeneland's not bad if you stay on the second floor, I don't look at the horses before the races, I think that's very overrated, and kind of silly, but to each their own, also most of my bets are multiple race bets, so I don't care what the horse looks like at that point. If you stay on the second floor, you can walk out and watch the races, it's a great view up there and when the race is over, walk back inside and you can watch silmulcast. The lines aren't bad up there for betting, to get a drink, or get something to eat, if you stay downstairs, it's a mess down there and no wonder it's hard to do anything. I will not go back to Keeneland, until they get rid of the poly track. I have never been to Saratoga or Delmar, so I can't compare them...

[Gander]

As far as Monmouth goes, I actually prefer the racing there to Del Mars by a lot. But you cant for one second compare the beaches. Beaches in NJ just arent in the same league as the beaches by Del Mar. Not even the same sport! And the women on the beaches? Its California by 5, by 6, California opening up under a hand ride!