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If your first few trips to see the horse races at Presque Isle Downs & Casino have left you feeling confused, you’re probably not alone.
You’d think that a bunch of thoroughbreds running around an oval is a fairly straightforward proposition, and it is, but it’s all the other stuff that seems really complicated, especially to new fans.
Serious horse players, intent on getting every last bit of information about horse, rider, trainer, owner and anything else that might provide a betting edge, seem to have little time for questions by racing neophytes. At least that’s the impression many of them give.
Just remember this: It all starts with those gleaming thoroughbreds.
In the paddock area, where the horses glide in a small circle, before the jockeys climb aboard and they enter the track, you can get a close look at animals and jockeys.
Children and adults seem to appreciate the brightly colored silks emblazoned with the horses’ numbers: 5, 9, 2, 4, etc.
Visitors lean over a short fence that borders the paddock, some clutching ragged programs and pencils, others oohing, ahhing and pointing. Children slide between their mothers and the railing to watch the horses.
Once the jockeys climb aboard and direct their mounts onto the track, they are joined by “escorts,” companion horses that help calm the skittery thoroughbreds as they head to the starting gate.
Families gather on benches and chairs. they might stop to buy a soda, for $3.25, before heading to their chairs. serious bettors ignore the refreshments. They’re busy with their calculus: speed ratings that can be traced back three generations, etc.
Inexperienced bettors concern themselves with less esoteric factors, such as, is the horse a gray color? Some say that’s a bad sign. Is the jockey on a hot streak? Does the owner win a lot at this track? Does the horse have a cool name? how did it do in its last race? how did the other six horses do?
Kids have their own criteria: they like pretty horses, and the silk colors their siblings don’t pick. Maybe Mom or Dad will put 2 bucks down on a horse named Precious Lilly.
Danielle Adams, 8, decked out in pink T-shirt and stretch pants on a cool evening, dragged her family to the racetrack on the third day of the season.
“She just loves the horses,” says her mother, Amanda Adams, 30. After a couple of races, Mom might let Danielle and her brother, Tyler, 11, pick a horse to win, place or show (first, second or third).
With no charge for parking or admission to the racetrack, Amanda Adams says, “It’s cheap fun.”
As the time for the race draws near, lines grow at the betting “windows,” which on the ground level look like counters set against the casino building.
A serious bettor says to a clerk, “$2 on No. 2 to win in the third race,” and a white ticket pops out of a machine. Money changes hands.
In reality, one bet is often as good as another. The favorite only wins one-third of the time.
Diane Peelman, 61, doesn’t work any calculus. “When I see a horse, that’s how I decide,” she says. “And I always pick the underdog.”
It’s worked before. Peelman says she won $100 betting at Presque Isle Downs on the Kentucky Derby, which was run May 7 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.
Peelman plans to visit the track again in a few weeks, after her granddaughter, Madison, gets out of school for the summer. “She can’t wait to come up,” Peelman says. “I just love her excitement. “
You know it’s post time — the start of the race — when the track announcer says, “They’re at the post,” and then as the gates holding the horses back clang open, “They’re off!”
Bettors stand expectantly, as horses bolt out and sprint to full speed, hoofs thumping. You can hear the jockeys, hunched over their mounts, yelling, crops in the air, dirt flying. The thundering mass reaches 30, even 35 miles per hour as horses weave in and out.
Horses and riders skillfully maneuver the track curves, and after negotiating the final turn, they pound into the home stretch.
With one final push, they lurch over the finish line. Moans and shouts fill the air. Winners and numbers soon flash up on the tote board.
Some tuck winning tickets into a pocket, to cash in when they leave, so they aren’t tempted to bet their newfound cash on another race.
Others want the cash. now. they carry their tickets to the windows, hand them over and the clerks insert them, ca-chunk into a machine that figures the total.
The Zdunski family, which lives nearby, along with Grandma Mary Ostrum, 85, recently celebrated two birthdays with dinner and a couple of bets in the Downs Clubhouse and Restaurant. That’s where they can watch the races, place bets and eat hearty American fare in climate-controlled comfort.
“It doesn’t cost much money if you don’t bet,” said Lisa Zdunski, 42, with a laugh.
Everyone gets to pick a horse or two. Mom, Dad and Grandma pony up a few bits. Genevieve Zdunski, 15, likes the horses’ names, and whether they have “socks,” or white hair on their lower legs. Dale, 13, wants to know if they pooped in the paddock.
After the sun sets and the races are finished, losing tickets are tossed on the table next to empty hot dog wrappers.
Dad might make a quick stop at a slot machine. You must be 21 to enter the casino.
Chances are he’ll lose, and with a laugh, he’ll join the family as they head to the car.
JENNIE GEISLER can be reached at 870-1885 or by e-mail. Visit her food blog at GoErie.com/blogs/loaves. Follow her on Twitter, @etngeisler.
<a href="http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110605/LIFESTYLES01/306039911/-1/LIFESTYLES07tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110605/LIFESTYLES01/306039911/-1/LIFESTYLES07Sun, 05 Jun 2011 04:08:20 GMT 00:00″>Everyone can find cheap entertainment at Presque Isle Downs
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