And They're Off!

To the races, that is. After two days at home, filled with laundry, unpacking, volleyball, and repacking (with a couple days of work thrown in just for good measure) John and I left home again to take a trip to upstate New York. It was the annual Norman Family get-together, to celebrate the August birthdays. John's sister and dad both have August birthdays. This time on the trip up, we decided to stop in Troy, NY to check out John's old grad school (RPI), and then go spend the day at Saratoga. I'd been for the races ages ago, when I was in high school. John had been to the bars, but never to the races.

Jeanne only lives an hour and a half away, so she came to Saratoga and brought Mom and Dad along with her, too. I'm not sure that Mom and Dad have ever been to a race track. So it was an entertaining day for everyone! Saratoga is pretty cool, and it was PACKED. I can't imagine what it's like on a big day of racing! So much different than what I am used to, which is old guys sitting around at Laurel Park.

Everyone had different betting strategies. Mom bet based on names she liked, or trainer's names she recognized. I can't remember if Dad bet. If he did, he bet long shots. I usually bet on people I know, or people who have helped me with stuff. It's a lot easier to do that in Maryland than it is in Saratoga. But I found a few people I knew. John was studious and actually read the program. And Jeanne? She waited til the post parade and bet on which silk colors she liked. Wearing purple? You're in. Pink? Not so much. And you know what? The only person who actually had a winning ticket all day long was Jeanne. She didn't break even over the course of the day, but she lost the least. Damn her!

Jeanne and John

Saratoga's paddock. It's fun. They do have stalls you can use to saddle. Or you can go to the tree that has your post number nailed to it, and saddle there.

A horse owned by IAEH - the partnership that owns 2008 Derby winner Big Brown. No, this isn't Big Brown. Just a brown horse.

The post parade

Jeanne and John picking their horses to bet on. "What did that one's silks look like? Purple? Awesome!"
Headed home after a tough race
We had tractor envy. How cool is this one?
Jeanne takes camera duty for a bit
Mom's made her picks and sent Dad off to bet for her
We stopped on the way out to watch the horses being led from the paddock to the track.

After a fun day at the races we drove the rest of the way to the Arctic Circle, aka Massena, NY, for the rest of the weekend. Photos from the weekend to come!