zaf,

I was referring to the grounds - flowers and such.

I haven't been there in many years so that may have changed?

I was at Fort Erie once, 20 years ago, and thought the grounds were beautiful.

Momouth is a dump
 

the place is ancient and falling apart. The thought of the Breeders cup there is laughable. The parking lot is in shambles and outside of the park area the inner workings are old and outdated.
Give me the Meadowlands any day of the week Air comditioned restaurants bars tvs all over the place anything you want simulcast about 20 tracks, I went to the crappy Spa they simulcast 3 tracks they suck also

racetracks
 

I think for beauty it would be Delmar. But if you want to see some beautiful young women nothing compares to Oaklawn on the weekends.

Geno ;)

Still don't get the "beauty" bit about Del Mar. Garish, ticky-tick condos to the left, an unremarkable--and rather arid--typical SoCal desertscape to the right and beyond the backstretch. Granted, pleasant weather, and a nice beach to the rear, though of course you can't see the Pacific from anywhere on the track grounds (and even if you could ... cf. Robert Frost's poem, "Neither Out Far Nor In Deep").

Oaklawn, on the other hand, looks gorgeous--or at least it does from all the footage and photos I've seen of it. Likewise Woodbine, the favorite track of "Colonel Martingale" (aka "Audax Minor," nee George Ryall), who wrote "The Race Track" column for The New Yorker for more than fifty years. Finger Lakes also looks lovely.

My favorite place to spend an afternoon, however, is--don't laugh, now!--Bay Meadows. Not scenic, not especially well-appointed; but not a bad seat in the house, easy to get around in--and into and out of--and, unlike Del Mar or Santa Anita (IMO, a much prettier track than the one at which "the turf meets the surf"), never a problem getting a bet down.

Like just about everything Der Bingle ever had a hand in (Jack Cooper, former president of the Screen Actors Guild, said Crosby was "the coldest man I ever knew. Cold, cold man. I can still smell the whiskey on his breath"), Del Mar is hugely overrated.

Your old Binglebasher,

falconridge

Frostridge,

Where did you ever dig up that hoary rime?

Agree about Bowel Movement, I mean Bay Meadows. The plant is multi-tiered, very old-fashioned, and the wood chips in the indoor paddock get the ol' factory hummin.' Friday nights are great fun there.
Del Mar is all about the ambience, but for me it's ruined, at least on weekends and holidays, by the crush of humanity. Humanity is overrated. So is survival. So is winning at the track, I ... THINK. :confused:

Del Mar
 

Del Mar was absolutely the best before it became trendy and they rebuilt in in the early 90s. In the old days you could always get a good seat and big crowds were non-existant. It was exactly like a dusty mission.....I always expected to see a padre ringing the bell. It was the only track in SoCal (I guess it is technically in LoCal) to offer the DD before 1961. How about a song....I'm Goin' To Tanforan In My Mind....

Yes, some hotties in that place. In march it will be a sorority house. Last couple of races Longshots, the bar across the street, gets really busy. A lot of them go there.

Isn't it hard to concentrate on the races with poontang on your mind? Just a thought...

I do most of my capping before I get there. That needs to change after this past weekend though :D :D

I remember being at Oaklawn in the late 80s. There was an assistant trainer there who I got to know and he had a horse running in the last race of the day there. I asked him about his horse and he was very evasive.....he changed the subject. I remember thinking that the horse might be alive. Anyways, me and a friend went to the bar and started talking to two girls there. We're drinking and I'm starting to get a little buzzed. I look at up the tote and see the horses loading into the gate for the last race. I run to the windows to bet the assistant trainers horse......too late. I got shut out. Sure enough, the horse jumps out in front in one of those mile races w/the short stretch. They never catch him and he pays $45 to win. That was a good lesson how well alcohol and gambling (don't) mix.

I have been going to Oaklawn since 1966
 

The secret to Oaklawn's repeated large crowds since those days, has been the appeal to college kids. When they are young, they become fans while chasing the "babes" and cheap beer. They have just a small amount of money for wagering, after the first two priorities are met. However, they return year after year and poor money through the windows, as they get older. They become citizens with more disposable income and love horse racing. I have seen this become an annual rite of passage from one generation to the next. Just as going to the Kentucky derby or Saratoga or Del Mar. Oaklawn annually has the largest crowds in racing. I remeber when they drew crowds of 50-60 thousand on weekends and 75k on Arkansas Derby day.

Yeah, the babes, looking Foxy, have always been a big draw at the Spa City. :) :lol: :D ;)

V.,

At the Ca. fairs, I always had to make sure my horses were alive, too. ;) :D

Oaklawn really is a nice joint to spend a weekend, the places to stay within a 30 minute drive, a are some of the nicest places to chill out. Brady Mountain lodge is one of those spots, fishing, boating, and a pretty decent place to eat...on site. I just love that place. Just dont stay IN HOT SPRINGS....those hotels are freaken dumps....a great place to do capping in the morning before the 1:30 post.is Brady Mountain!
A SIDE NOTE......PEOPLE OF ALL RELIGIONS ARE ALLOWED.

I Used to live 30 miles from the track..never bet a horse in my life...stopped in on a rainy day..saw the women..the beer..the food...cashed a 80 dollar exacta on my first race..i was hooked...GREAT PLACE TO WATCH A RACE...people are so very nice...tellers are great..always helped me when i was beginning....(told me that i got the 1 AND the 1a horse for one price when i wanted the 1-1a exacta box) lol....am going for 3 days of racing this coming weekend and i cant contain the excitment..maybe can cash one of the HUGE payouts that have been going on this year.....i will always remember watching smarty win the derby....had 100 across the board...a HUGE bet for a college kid on a budget...when he won it was hard partying...oaklawn ran out of cash and had to issue cashiers checks...if the pool would have been at just oaklawn he woulda paid...2.10 for the win!! great times