The first time I went to the horse track was in the year 2000 with my dad and stepmother, my brother Willy, my wife at the time Lisa and our daughter who was 4 years old. I can't be sure, but it may have been the last time we were all together before my father's death in 2001. We were at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, just a few miles south of Los Angeles and it was literally magic. After seeing all the horses in the paddock, our toddler Imogen picked the first place horse in the opening race, winning the family a couple $20s on a long shot. Hollywood Park is closed now, torn down to make way for a new football stadium, so Los Angelenos are forced to travel to Arcadia to the more upscale and gorgeous Santa Anita Park if they want to go to the races.
Hollywood Park was more my style -- low rent, working class and gritty. But even at Santa Anita, characters abound. The cost is very low -- I was given a coupon that got me in for free with a program to boot. And I'm guessing because the entrance fee is minimal, that it draws a lot of seniors, mostly men and men and their wives, who make a day (or half a day) of it to play the ponies, betting $1 on a couple of races and just enjoying the environment.
I went this time with my buddy Bob who is a very disciplined and studied bettor. But even he walked out after 10 races with $3 less than he came with. But it's not about the gambling. It's about the people, the culture and the singular beauty of the place.