2020 The Preakness galloped right past us thread

And it was only spread across the top of the sports page I didn't read until a few minutes ago.

 

It was actually a hell of a race between her and Authentic. She took the lead at the last turn, he came on and she held him off.

 

Another great ride by a top jockey. It was 10 lengths back to third.

 

The great thing about forgetting about the race is you can see it on any sports show afterward
Great race

 

What a dump Pimlico was when I went, and that was more than 10 years ago. That said moving it to Laurel or whatever else they’ve discussed seems lame.

There is a little charm with the track being stuck in the middle of a lower-end working class neighborhood, as long as no one steals the tires off your car while you’re parked on some guy’s lawn.

 

The late Detroit Race Course (now a Meijer) was right next to a Ford parts plant
The most popular bar in my hometown was a place called the Derby Bar, nestled between the Ford and DRC parking lots
Between shift change and the races, it always was packed
Now Ford is the only one left

 

Miami Jai-Alai had a barbed-wire fence around its parking lot, and I still think they had "smash and grabs" every evening. Calder and Hialeah weren't in particularly good neighborhoods, either.

Golden Gate Fields was the Candlestick Park of horse tracks: right on the Bay in Albany, where it's cold and windy almost every afternoon.

EDIT: My grandfather loved the ponies. Back in the day, you could be under 18 and get in to the morning workouts. We went to DRC and Hazel Park a few times, even in the winter.

 

When I worked at my college radio station in the early 80s, I had a credential for the LA Kings because we were an affiliate. My buddies would tag along and buy tickets then walk across the street from the Forum to Hollywood Park after the game and bet a couple night harness races while I was doing my postgame interviews and work.