Harness: Spending a night at the track with friends
On Saturday, July 13, I walked into The Meadowlands for the first time since my father’s passing. It was a difficult thing to do, given how much time we spent together at that place. But my purpose was to expose a great night of racing to people who wouldn’t normally experience such a thing. I brought a group of friends with me to the Meadowlands Pace and their reaction to that evening is what prompted this column.
My friends wouldn’t know the difference between Meadowlands Pace night and a night where the best race on the program was a $20,000 claiming event. The magnitude of the races simply doesn’t register with them. They weren’t there as fans though, they were there as bettors.
For full disclosure, the night started off very well for us. We pooled our money together, they handed me the handicapping reigns and off we went. We had a big bankroll and hit the first race in every possible way imaginable. So we knew we were in a strong position to walk out of the racetrack with more money than we arrived with, which I am sure made things even more enjoyable. That being said, my friends were engaged in the action all night. They were asking questions about the racing program, what each statistic meant. By the end of the night, they could read the program.
We spent the night in Pink where the food was quite good. The service was excellent and my friends were impressed. They took to the rooftop to marvel at the view of the Manhattan skyline and watched Greenshoe stroll to a dominant win from high atop The Meadowlands as well.
The real test came in the seventh race. As the horses hit the wire with Crystal Fashion (#7) winning, Custom Cantab (#6) second, followed by Atlanta (#4) and Six Pack (#11), there was a roar at our table. The odds of the first two finishers were 23-1 and 25-1. We were holding the following tickets:
- $5 Exacta Box 6-7 – The $2 Exacta was paying close to $500.
- $2 Trifecta 7-6-4 – Not sure what the return would have been with the favorite third, but it would have been strong off a $500 exacta.
- $1 Superfecta 7-6-4-11.
When the horses hit the wire, there was a massive celebration at our table, high-fives to go around everywhere. Amid the hysteria, I attempted to calm everyone down to explain just what we were potentially holding in winnings. I explained that it was difficult to know for certain, but we were going to be collecting thousands of dollars as we were getting back around $1,200 on the exacta alone. In addition to the trifecta which we had twice, it was a superfecta in a 12-horse field. I also told them we were alive in the pick four with a 23-1 shot.
But the celebration quickly grew quiet as the inquiry sign was posted. Things turned somber when I had to explain that the review was taking far too long and I anticipated a disqualification, which is of course what ended up transpiring. Adding salt to the wound was the table behind us celebrating the disqualification so they could cash their exacta ticket for $220, while we were out thousands.
Just seven races into a single night of racing and my friends experienced practically every emotion a horse player can encounter. I explained that I was just going to sit back and see how our pick four ticket panned out, because much like poker, we were now on tilt and would be chasing those winnings unsuccessfully all night. Then Best In Show won The Meadowlands Pace at 27-1 prompting us to be live to seven horses for $1 in the William Haughton Memorial. Lather Up wrapped a Pick 4 which got us back almost $4,200, so euphoria struck again and we were back in business.
The night ended with a couple more winners and my friends could not stop talking about the experience. The rush, the highs and lows and the excitement made for a memorable night. They all exclaimed, “Any time you want to come back to the racetrack, just let us know and we are in.”
Certainly, had we all lost $500 that night and not cashed a single ticket, the experience could have been quite different. In that scenario, perhaps they wouldn’t be so eager to return. But the experience they were given was one that had them hoping for more. The next morning we all arrived at our sons’ basketball practice. The group were all telling the other dads, “you should have been there (The Meadowlands) last night. It was unbelievable. The next time we go you have to come, it was so much fun.”
This brought me a lot of joy. My dad took me to the track as a young child and I was hooked at an early age. Here I was doing the same thing. I couldn’t help but think that he was looking down and smiling. I couldn’t help but think that he had something to do with the success and disappointment of that night, allowing us to experience the entire spectrum of gambling emotions in a single night.
Working in this industry, I feel a sense of responsibility to expose people to the world of racing. Not force it on them; but expose them to it. I believe that there are many people who would thoroughly enjoy a night at the track and would want to return again. After this wonderful night, my message to all of you is try and do the same. Bring your friends or your family to the racetrack. Let them experience it and make their own determination as to whether or not it is for them. Based on my experience, you’ll be glad you did.