time ticks by her one race at a time

the saratoga racetrack closed this past weekend and i was once again disappointed with how very few races i attended... it's a huge tourist attraction, and every year i promise myself that i will take advantage of living/working so close to the track, but alas, i never do. this year i was able to squeeze in two visits, both of which i came home with less money than i left with.

this is strange because, if my memory serves me correctly, my twelve year old self used to be very good at placing bets (aka, telling my dad to pick the prettiest horses or the ones that had super cute names) and winning more often than not. however, in retrospect, i am starting to think that my dad would take my 'suggestions', alter them slightly, place the bet and, win or lose, simply tell me i won and give me a few bucks... god, i miss that.

sarah, tashia, me, moni, andrea, sully, brie

anyhow, my first trip to the track was in august, for monicas bachelorette party, which i had organized. we all wore our big fancy hats and i added a giant bow and ribbon to monis that said "bride to be". i dont want to toot my own horn, but we got a lot of compliments, a few people clapped for us, AND we got the thumbs up from two dudes- it was that awesome. so yea, big fancy hats, lots of chicks, and the final race of the day- we each picked a different horse to win (8 horses, 7 girls.... guess which horse won? yup, the only one we didnt pick. where was my dad when we needed him...?).

then, last week, a few co-workers and i went back to the track and for the first time EVER, i sat in the box seats! we were right in front of the winner's circle, so we had a clear view of the finish line, which means i had a really great view of my horse coming in last every time... notice a trend? i kind of suck at this betting stuff, but i swear, it's still fun to go! if you've never been, i suggest you grab some friends, a couple bottles of wine, some fine artisan cheese (fine artisan cheeses are always a crowd pleaser) and check out the racetrack next year in July when it opens back up for the 2012 season. and if he's anything like mine, bringing your dad might be a good idea, too.