I have officially seen my first horses in the UK. Yesterday was also the first time I've ever been to a race track. It was a blast, however I do wish there was a way to get away from the cigar/cigarette smoke. (And the smell of beer.) Poor representative of the German and Irish races that I am, I can't stand that stuff, and everyone was walking around yesterday drinking down pints like they were water. But back to the horses.
Warwick Racecourse, located in Warwick, UK, (no you don't say the second w, so think of it as spelled Warick, break between the r and the i,) is a roughly 2 mile course, offering flat and jump racing, although this time around they were offering 7 jump races. Just a side note, flat racing and jump racing both utilize Thoroughbred horses, but because of the different athletic demands put on the horses, vastly different bloodlines excel at each type of racing. Yesterday I marked up my program with hatchmarks next to names from bloodlines I knew, and then made it a point to pick one of those horses. I actually didn't do too bad.
For those of you thinking of the 7 deadly sins....I have also officially bet on a horse race. That is where the title of this blog comes in. The winner of the first race of the day, only beat out my horse by a short head, the winner being Quiver Hill and my horse being Vagrant Emperor. On a 2 pound each way bet, meaning I bet the horse to either win, or place 2nd or 3rd, if the field is big enough. Because my horse finished second, I received 1.50 pounds back on a 2.00 pound investment. This is why you can't make any money horse racing, although I was very pleased with the results. First race ever and I brought home almost what I'd put down. :P I did not bet on the second race, but the horse I picked finished second. I did bet the third race, and my horse finished 3rd, so I again got back 1.50 pounds due to his odds. In total I bet 4 pounds and received back 3 of them. Not too bad, and I did not bet the rest of the day. I am over here to learn after all, not waste money betting :P.
Another note, those of you who know what I do with the Triple Crown races back home and the Breeder's Cup races know I pick the top three, each race to finish any order. This was different for me, because I was ONLY betting one horse. In some cases the fields were quite large, the first race having 12 horses and the second race having 11. Ironically I did much better on the larger fields. How did I do it? Well, there is always luck involved, but for me I usually picked the horses that had slightly longer odds than the favorites, and made sure I recognized a name in their pedigrees from my flat-racing pedigree back ground. That's all I can think of for that, now on to the actual race experience.
I was sitting on a bench beside a very nice older couple who ended up taking me under their wing for the day, for the record, C and M, on holiday their daughter had given them as an Xmas present. The first race was set to go off at 1:50, and another race following roughly 35 minutes after the first one. Because of the type of ticket I had bought, I could go over and watch the horses in the parade ring, but I chose not to at first because I wasn't cold enough yet to move around, and because I liked my seat. (Most of the time I did stand though.) It was less than 5 minutes to post, and the crowd was very thick. Suddenly, a horse cantered down the path in front of the stands on his way to the track. His ears were flicking around and he was clipped, the way horses over here sometimes are, depending on the weather. A few more horses came in front of us and by that time I was looking frantically in my program for the silk colors of MY horse, Vagrant Emperor, black with a red/black checkered cap. He came last, the darkest bay in the field, and I am sad to say, my camera is not up to the task of keeping up with a running thoroughbred, even though he was doing a slow canter at best. (The set up is such, that the horses come right in front of the stands on a special path to get to the racetrack itself, in this case turf.) They start somewhere on the track then, depending on the distance to be raced, the first race being 2 miles and roughly 3 furlongs. (I've already told you how long a furlong is I think, if you have questions, comment away.)
In the case of the first race, they started up the hill out of sight of the stands. Luckily there was a big video screen for the stands to watch. Unlike flat racing, they mill in a circle, instead of being started from a starting gate. And they were off. They also raced all day left handed around the track, meaning counter clockwise, which is the same as they do it in America. I believe this was solely because of the track setup, the finishline being at the end of a straight. Everyone was silent as they passed us for the first time, and I wish I'd brought binoculars. The field was a heaving mass of horseflesh, and with the flat light of the day, silk colors were hard to distinguish. The first thing I realized was how LOUD they were. Their hoofbeats were like thunder, especially with the field so closely bunched. I've decided jockeys have to be half crazy to want to perch on the rolling back of an animal that can run up to 35 miles an hour flat out. This field was not going that fast, the race being longer, but still! I must admit that I was shaking, but not from the cold. They were so fun to watch and I'd dreamed for years to finally go to a racetrack. Up the hill they went and away from the stands, the sound of their hooves gradually receeding. The announcer was nice, loud, and had wonderful enunciation. I should take lessons from him. I was pleased to note that my horse, Vagrant Emperor was said to be jumping nicely, quite within himself, and tracking the leaders. The favorite, Clay Hollister, was leading then I believe, and when they came into sight to the stands again, that was indeed the case. They reached the far turn and Vagrant Emperor was jumping better than the favorite, but Quiver Hill was also unleashing his run. Finally almost in front of the stands, but a little to the left was the last hurdle, and by then it was a two horse race. Vagrant Emperor and Quiver Hill fighting all the way to the line, with Quiver Hill just barely getting the job done. I was on cloud nine, and needless to say quite enjoyed the experience. He's finished second twice in a row now, so hopefully he can get it done next time.
After each race, the fans applaud the horses and jockeys, I don't know if they do it back home, but I like it.
Pictures: Top: First race, James de Vassy (FR) behind the fence, Vagrant Emperor (IRE) YAY dead center, Clay Hollister (GB) chestnut w/a blaze, and you can just barely see the jockey's silks of Quiver Hill through the tall dude's hair.
Next: The Ring (IRE), my pick for the 5th race, he finished 4th in a field of 8, didn't bet him
Next: Joyrider (GB), favored for the 5th race, he did not win
Next: Four horses from 5th race: Keenan's Future (IRE), Le Beau Bai (FR) (he won), That's an Idea (IRE), and The Risky Viking (IRE)
Next: 5th race, Keenan's Future (IRE) almost completely covered by Present M'Lord (IRE), That's an Idea (IRE), and Le Beau Bai (FR)
Next: Advertisement for Warwick.
In the photos the jockeys are watching the big screen, which is replaying their race that just finished seconds before.
I know this is a long post, read with care. Take breaks, :)
Cheers,
The Flying Sunshine
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