"It's May, It's May, the Lusty Month of May"...
We had several options of activities to choose from on this beautiful first Saturday in May:
1) Ride up to the U-district and watch the festivities associated with the Opening Day of the Seattle boating season
2) Go to the races
3) Go to Safeco Field to ralley for or protest against the sanctity of marriage
4) Sit around and do a lot of nothing
While we strongly considered option # 4, we opted for #2. While #1 would have been a terrific choice, it's one that I'd done the last 2 years, and thought that we should try something a little bit different. We never seriously considered #3.
My horoscope on Saturday (which, by the way, I only read about once every month or so) specifically stated that I should not gamble or even shop on 5/1/04, as money would slip though my fingers. While this did not deter me from going to the track, cash in hand, I did set strict limits as to how much I would wager throughout the day.
We arrived at Emerald Downs right as the first local race was beginning. I've biked and driven past this track many times, but this is the first time I'd actually gone inside. It's a nice little track (not Saratoga, but not unpleasant). Most people were pretty casual, with the exception of a few amazing hats (I got a photo, but have to finish up the disposable camera before knowing how it turned out).
Fortunately my friend had gotten there early and snagged some good tables, so we had a terrific base to contemplate our betting strategies, cheer on the races on the final stretch, and watch the horses parade to the stable post-race. I have a very technical strategy for selecting my ponies: the name and the odds. This strategy was not very successful in the local races, so I changed it slightly for my Derby selections. For this, I wagered on the favorite to place, and my favorite (femist choice based on the female trainer) to show. This strategy paid off, to the tune of covering my losses for the earlier races and offseting the cost of one tasty beer.
While this will not be a regular weekend event for me, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
We had several options of activities to choose from on this beautiful first Saturday in May:
1) Ride up to the U-district and watch the festivities associated with the Opening Day of the Seattle boating season
2) Go to the races
3) Go to Safeco Field to ralley for or protest against the sanctity of marriage
4) Sit around and do a lot of nothing
While we strongly considered option # 4, we opted for #2. While #1 would have been a terrific choice, it's one that I'd done the last 2 years, and thought that we should try something a little bit different. We never seriously considered #3.
My horoscope on Saturday (which, by the way, I only read about once every month or so) specifically stated that I should not gamble or even shop on 5/1/04, as money would slip though my fingers. While this did not deter me from going to the track, cash in hand, I did set strict limits as to how much I would wager throughout the day.
We arrived at Emerald Downs right as the first local race was beginning. I've biked and driven past this track many times, but this is the first time I'd actually gone inside. It's a nice little track (not Saratoga, but not unpleasant). Most people were pretty casual, with the exception of a few amazing hats (I got a photo, but have to finish up the disposable camera before knowing how it turned out).
Fortunately my friend had gotten there early and snagged some good tables, so we had a terrific base to contemplate our betting strategies, cheer on the races on the final stretch, and watch the horses parade to the stable post-race. I have a very technical strategy for selecting my ponies: the name and the odds. This strategy was not very successful in the local races, so I changed it slightly for my Derby selections. For this, I wagered on the favorite to place, and my favorite (femist choice based on the female trainer) to show. This strategy paid off, to the tune of covering my losses for the earlier races and offseting the cost of one tasty beer.
While this will not be a regular weekend event for me, it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
posted by Tricia at 8:26 AM
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