Off to the Races
September 25th, 2009 | by Rebecca Tompkins Comment
Saratoga Springs, New York is a charming small city all year round. Beautiful outdoor recreation facilities and a booming downtown area are a draw for visitors regardless of the date. But for six weeks each summer, the area becomes a different place entirely.
The Saratoga Race Course has been around for just under 150 years. Open for a short season each year from late July to Labor Day, the track is an entirely family friendly and terrifically fun outing.
An early morning walking tour of the stables area (with or without the traditional breakfast at the clubhouse) is a great way to start your day at the races. Kids enjoy the opportunity to get up close to the horses, and everyone gets a chance to learn a little bit about the track and its traditions. Then plan to return a few hours later with a picnic and your racing forms.
If you’re not enthusiastic about introducing your kids to gambling at a tender age, there’s still plenty to do once the races begin. You can see the horses parade through the backyard area on their way to the track and then again as their jockeys parade them past the crowd before the races begin (a great way to admire their colorful silks and the jockeys’ outlandish attire). Pony rides give kids a chance to do a bit of riding themselves. And of course, the fun snack food and souvenir stands abound.
Should betting be more your style, it’s fun to see how everyone makes their selections. On a recent visit to the track, my husband studied the racing sheets intently, trying to make informed bets. My daughter and I chose horses based on the ever scientific cool name/pretty silk/favorite number approach. And my son listened carefully to the explanation of how the odds worked and then insisted on betting on the underdog each time. He was our family’s “big winner” of the day (as much as one can be a big winner on dollar bets), enabling us to justify our kids’ slightly premature introduction to gambling with the fact that they’d both had an excellent math lesson in probability and statistics.
Saratoga books up solid for the summer weeks when the track is open, so make your reservations early. See you at the races!
Photo credits: racing horses courtesy of mtl2tky.
Leave a Comment