Lets change it up! 100 things we love..
 

About horse racing. With all the bad threads,I think we should have a good thread and a shout out to the great things we love. How about everyone puts down 3 things max until we get down to #1. Can be anything,a horse,a trainer,a moment,a part of racing,etc. I guess you can repeat because it what you love.

100)Cigar
99)The feeling of a horse you bet on winning.
98)The Kentucky Derby.

Nice.

I would add

Spending the day with board members at Saratoga
Looking for my Derby horse
Florida tracks in the winter time

The 1 1/8 mile all out duel from the start to the wire by Ghostzapper and Saint Liam at Belmont. Impossible!

Midnight Lute twice blasting down the stretch in the BC. Freak shows!

Zenyatta's stretch drives- all of them! More freak shows!

Alphabet Soup winning the BC Classic, pressed every step of the way by Cigar.

Tiznow and Giants Causeway fighting to the wire in the BC. Heart and guts!

Daylami in the BC Turf stretch. What acceleration!

#1 Arlington Park-a veritable palace. #2 the "old" Fair Grounds-the people and atmosphere that Damon Runyon would appreciate. #3 Black Tie Affair winning the Breeders Cup Classic-I just knew he was good enough-just wish Juvenal Diaz would have ridden him and not Bailey.

The view of the San Gabriels in the background at Santa Anita (on a clear day)

The whole Keeneland experience

Distinctive (in a positive way) track announcers / race callers

Having seen Secretariat's career, I'll never see anything like it again.

Breakfast at the track kitchen at Keeneland.

Hanging out at the 1/8th pole picnic grove at Tampa watching workouts as the sun comes up.

Hanging out at the same picnic grove in the afternoon with a cooler full of cold ones....on a warm day...if it ever warms up again!

Opening the Daily Racing Form

Watching a longshot that I bet roll across the wire first.

Collecting at the teller.

Watching a race and seeing the finish setting up to be exactly what you predicted and getting a precious moment or two to savor it as they charge towards the finish line realizing a lucrative payout is waiting for you once they cross that line.

I need to add the above is even more enjoyable when I am actually at the track when this takes place.

1) A great stretch duel between two horses giving their all. Doesn't matter if it's the Derby or a $4000 claimer. Watching equines at their best.

2) Opening up the program/form and seeing my 10-1 ML horse that I love looking great and thinking how much I (might) will make later in the day.

the few seconds from when the last horse loads in the gate until the gate springs in some big races. The anticipation of (possibly) seeing an epic performance, and connecting with whatever it is inside of us that connects with.

going to the races with my dad and meeting all his racing friends. I miss them all.

I love my mom.

I love my daughter.

I love watching horses on my tickets cross the wire.

I bet only the Preakness(easy money exacta) but loved the 3 big horses this year.

I love all of you.

I love this game!!

Ok,I guess my #100 countdown list and 3 things max failed :D Oh well.

Oops.I jumped the gun.

1)the game itself,period.

2)The Kentucky Derby

3)Seeing history.Being on track.Relationships formed because of.

This is a good thread.Had a hard time nailing down individual points of meaningfulness.Just being "In the game" and around people that love it is key.When the seasons change it always imbues your reality with meaning looking forward to the game being there for you.

All right I'm Chester Cheetah.You NY boys say what??Fughettaboudit!!!

Jets are going down tommorrow BTW.:cool: