Off to the Races on our 49th!

We had a special adventure on our 49th Wedding Anniversary. (September 1, 1973)  We rode a bus from Waitakere Gardens to the Alexandra Park Raceway for a night of harness racing. 

We have been reading Dick Frances novels for many years and through them, imagined scores of races all over England. We were very excited to finally be able to experience what a night at the races really entailed.  Dick, an ex-jockey, wrote about flat racing and steeplechases, but we thought the world of horses and betting and the action at the races would certainly be similar for harness racing.  

We were not disappointed.  We were able to watch the races from a large glass enclosed room above the track, that offered drinks at one end and all manner of food at the other. A bevy of  servers delivered our orders and whisked away plates and glasses as they emptied.  

We sat at a table with a number of friends. One, who lives directly below us in the Atrium, and who knew all about betting, advised me how to go about it.  

I'm not completely happy with all my photos, but I have what I have and want to share them with you.  Come along to the races!  

This is the finish line. You can see that we could not have had better seats.   

This is our group in the foreground. We had reserved several tables.  You can just barely see Jeanne on the far right. The race looks pretty well attended, doesn't it?    

Here is Jeanne at our table. I had dashed off just after we arrived and ordered some 'starters' for us and they arrived almost on my heels as I returned to the table.  We shared a prawn cocktail, some battered strips of fish and chicken, and a bowl of beer-battered fries; oh, and two tall glasses of Speight's Gold beer.    

You can see the race forms being studied. The others at our table had also ordered and shortly had their own choices of dinner treats. Our table got very full of plates for a while.  

This next shot is a closer look at one page of the race book and the menu.

I purchased our tap beer here, at the bar that was no more than a dozen paces from our table. 

This is where I placed my one bet of the evening. 

I placed my bet with the lady on the left.  I had been instructed, since I wanted to wager $5, to say, "I want the 4th race, horse number 9, 3 to win and 2 to place."  

Since we were celebrating our 49th anniversary, I was hoping to find a horse that had a 'wedding' or 'anniversary' appropriate name.  Unfortunately, there were none suitable so I simply used the 49 to choose which race and horse.  Our horse, Ideal Delight, a two-year old brown filly, tried her best but came in second to last. Oh, well.  She is still very young. I predict great things from her in the future.  

Here is the video of the race. Our driver is wearing green silks and yellow cap. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh1gqbc08aU

This is a shot that shows both the outside and indoor seating. 

When the horses come out of the stables for a race, they walk around in this circle for a couple of laps. I think its called 'the walking ring.'  

Not many people are outside at all.  Jeanne and I sat here for a couple of races.  It was a little cool but refreshing after being in the slightly overheated room inside.  

The big screen. Between each race it also kept fans up to date on dog races taking place in Australia.  

Jeanne and I knew nothing at all about racing before this evening.  During the course of it, Jeanne noticed that in some of the races, all the horses had hobbles on their legs and ran by moving both legs on one side of their bodies at the same time.  These we learned where called pacers. In other races, the horses moved diagonal pairs of legs, (right front and left rear) at the same time. These are the trotters.  

The picture below shows a pacer. Zoom in if you want a better look.  

That's the stable area. Those two riders coming from it in the red coats are the 'Clerks of the Course."  Among other things, they monitor the condition of the course and the running of the races.  

Our exciting night at the races is almost over.  Our bus leaves at 9:10. We had a very pleasant time. 

There's the Sky Tower in the distance.  We'll pass just to the left of it on our way home.  There is nothing like settling into a bus seat after an active night out, and letting the driver deliver us to our door.  Quite the life.  

The next morning found us sitting in our living room and sipping coffee. We discussed what we had seen and then started researching horses and racing, using the race form book as a guide to what we needed to learn. We enjoyed ourselves immensely and learned all sorts of things.  

One of the most unique things was that the horses wear earplugs during the early portion of the race and that the driver of the sulky, spider or chariot, (names for the cart vary) pulls the plugs at some point and the suddenly increased noise causes the horse to run faster.  Who knew? 

If the opportunity to go the races comes to us again, we will certainly take advantage of it. 

It is not expensive.  There is no admission fee to get into the race track.  You can bet as little as $1, if you want to bet at all.  The drinks and food are no more expensive than most restaurants. The viewing room is large and warm, the seats outside are comfortable.  I can't think of a single downside to this sort of entertainment.   

What a 49th we had.  I wonder what our 50th holds in store for us?    -djf