PDA

View Full Version : Advice for first-time Preakness attendee?


Aerocraft67
05-15-2013, 08:08 AM
Finally cleared the schedule to see my first triple crown race in person. Any advice for getting the most out of the experience, pitfalls to avoid, etc.? A buddy and I have seats in Grandstand Upper Reserved and a parking pass. I live less than an hour away from Pimlico, but I've never been there. I have been to Laurel a few times. Even at the track, I place wagers with my Twinspires account using my mobile phone. I plan to be there for the full card and wager accordingly. Thanks.

rrpic6
05-15-2013, 03:46 PM
Try not to do this.....was there when they brought this guy into the Security Room. TKO by the BPD. BTW, that corridor where the Security Room is a great place to people watch. Its straight ahead when you walk in the Main Grandstand, by the indoor tote board.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/horseracing/1999/preakness/news/1999/05/16/preakness_assault/

RR

Stillriledup
05-15-2013, 03:51 PM
Plan on getting there as early as possible. Also, i would advise to place a few advance wagers before you leave home, you probably won't get cell service there, get a majority of your wagers in before you head out there would be my advice.

cj's dad
05-15-2013, 05:02 PM
Be near the door when the big race is over. If you do don't get to your car as soon as possible you will spend 2 hours on the lot.

rrpic6
05-15-2013, 05:37 PM
Be near the door when the big race is over. If you do don't get to your car as soon as possible you will spend 2 hours on the lot.

Or stock your vehicle with ice cold beverages, stay until the last race, walk down the street adjacent to the parking lot, binge on the leftovers from the neighborhood cookouts, go to car, eat and drink til sundown, watch horses leave with helicopters and State Highway Patrol escorts, leave ASAP before completely dark.

PS. Don't get lost.

RR

Tom
05-15-2013, 06:47 PM
Or stock your vehicle with ice cold beverages, stay until the last race, walk down the street adjacent to the parking lot, binge on the leftovers from the neighborhood cookouts, go to car, eat and drink til sundown, watch horses leave with helicopters and State Highway Patrol escorts, leave ASAP before completely dark.

PS. Don't get lost.

RR

You, sir, need to open a travel agency.
You can book my next vacation! :D

OTM Al
05-15-2013, 07:57 PM
Plan on getting there as early as possible. Also, i would advise to place a few advance wagers before you leave home, you probably won't get cell service there, get a majority of your wagers in before you head out there would be my advice.

Your advice is ill informed as usual. Last year there was general wifi available and only time cellular got tricky the last couple years was right before the Preakness itself. Even before they made wifi widespread there were spots you could pick up an open MJC signal.

JustRalph
05-15-2013, 07:58 PM
PS. Don't get lost.


very important in Baltimore

Smarty Cide
05-15-2013, 09:20 PM
hope you like drinking.....

Smarty Cide
05-15-2013, 09:22 PM
very important in Baltimore

also do not make eye contact with any people outside the track last time i did this dirtbag started yelling " I HATE WHITE PEOPLE YEAH I SAID IT!!! THEY ALWAYS COMING TO OUR TOWN TO **** IT UP!! I HATE WHITE PEOPLE"

thats it, thats why baltimore is a shit hole becuase of all them damn dirty white people...lol


true story

Stillriledup
05-15-2013, 09:52 PM
Your advice is ill informed as usual. Last year there was general wifi available and only time cellular got tricky the last couple years was right before the Preakness itself. Even before they made wifi widespread there were spots you could pick up an open MJC signal.

Ill informed as usual? Wow. :D

redshift1
05-16-2013, 01:56 AM
Be near the door when the big race is over. If you do don't get to your car as soon as possible you will spend 2 hours on the lot.

Like Dodger Stadium

lamboguy
05-16-2013, 02:18 AM
i was in Gulfstream this year and had my laptop with me. i tried to sign on to Twinspires and i got directed to x=pressbet. i have other adw sites that i was still able to sign in on. because Pimlico is run by the same people as Gulfstream, i would bet the same thing is going to happen there.

PICSIX
05-16-2013, 06:38 AM
Good point Lambo, this happened when I was at GP.

Valuist
05-16-2013, 09:46 AM
Don't be this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpxMHOAo1o

iceknight
05-16-2013, 09:56 AM
Don't be this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnpxMHOAo1o That was you right? They let you out of jail/pscyhiatric facility?

iceknight
05-16-2013, 09:57 AM
i was in Gulfstream this year and had my laptop with me. i tried to sign on to Twinspires and i got directed to x=pressbet. i have other adw sites that i was still able to sign in on. because Pimlico is run by the same people as Gulfstream, i would bet the same thing is going to happen there. Does this happen even if you use incognito mode in your browser?

Saratoga_Mike
05-16-2013, 10:06 AM
Ill informed as usual? Wow. :D

I've never had an issue placing a wager at PIM on Preakness Day, and I've attended five times. Actually if you wait until a minute or so to post, there are virtually no lines. You may be right on the cell phones, though.

Valuist
05-16-2013, 10:42 AM
That was you right? They let you out of jail/pscyhiatric facility?

I see you continue to add nothing to this site. It will be the last post I read of yours as you are now on ignore.

Aerocraft67
05-16-2013, 10:44 AM
Thanks again for the replies. Many not terribly inconsistent with the general reaction I get locally when I tell them I'm attending. The image they immediately conjure up is not a fanciful day in garden party attire to rival the Derby like the web site promotes, nor is it of colorful characters making clever wagers on world-class thoroughbreds and watching them run, but rather of wildly intoxicated frat boys racing on the tops of portable toilets.

Not sure there's much to be done about exit traffic, other than to brace myself for the inevitable wait. I suppose we could watch the last allowance race and wait it out on site for a while.

It would take some brass to block Twinspires from the local network on Preakness day, but I suppose it's quite plausible. They didn't even have wifi at Laurel last time I went, and I'd be surprised if Pimlico had the bandwidth to deliver reliable connections on Saturday, even with the best intentions. I'll put in my primary wagers before I go, and try to make additional wagers on site, accounting for real time odds deviations from my advance expectations (such as they are). There's always the windows, which should be at least marginally more reliable than the mobile, not that I'll be able to saunter up five minutes before post time like a Sunday at Laurel.

cj's dad
05-16-2013, 01:18 PM
Most of the tellers on the 2nd floor grandstand are temps. They are brought in maybe 2 weekends ahead for training. To any of you who will be attending, make sure to check your tickets before leaving the window.

rrpic6
05-16-2013, 01:57 PM
Plenty of Self Betting machines in the area I mentioned earlier. Rarely are there more than two or three deep in line.
Grab a $5.00 slice of pizza and an $8.00 beer next.

RR

Aerocraft67
05-21-2013, 04:32 PM
Had a great time, by the way. I couldn't get a working wifi connection, even first thing in the morning, although there was wifi. I was able to get functional LTE and wager with Twinspires through about the 8th race, but responsiveness declined progressively until it became inoperable as the card wore on and the crowd thickened. Had no trouble betting the rest of the card through the big race at the windows.

Pimlico and the hood weren't so bad, not that I went strolling around alone at night, and I've only been to Laurel and Woodbine for comparison. We opted to stay for the last race and take our time getting back out to the parking lot. The officials released all the exits to the lot we were in shortly after we set out, which is good because it would have taken forever to squeeze through the sole exit that was open initially. No trouble getting home from there.

I wasn't expecting much, but the event was maybe even lighter on pageantry than I expected. My overall impression was that of a big but unexceptional day at the track, like how it must have been in days of yore, when horse racing drew a bigger and wider audience. Didn't feel like a terribly long day, even though I was away 12 hours.

I played every race but the first and fourth, and managed to come out ahead thanks to an exacta in the 7th and win/place on Pianist in the 9th. I guess I was dialed in to the turf stakes. Not that it did much to offset my expenses or my losing record, but definitely sealed up a good time. Would definitely do it again.

Stillriledup
05-21-2013, 07:09 PM
Great writeup 67, glad you had a profitable and enjoyable day!

lamboguy
05-21-2013, 07:27 PM
i was there also, our suite was on the clubhouse turn. the only problem we had was seeing the whole race.. the tents in the infield were blocking our vision. the building that we were in was a temporary structure 2 flights up. it just wasn't high enough to see when you walked outside. the food there was terrific though, and they had plenty of whisky.

i had a limo waiting for me right outside of the building. we were about 200 yards away from the back exit, and it took us about 2 hours to get out of the place.

next year i will have the limo wait for us outside the gate.