When it come to horse racing...I couldn't care less. Anyone with me on this? In fact, I don't see anything at all appealing about it. No, I didn't grow up in KY...grew up in NC but have been in KY almost 25 years now. I know it's a big deal here, for some anyway, and I guess growing up here it just kind of becomes part of the land scape. I have had several here in KY tell me they feel the exact same way about NASCAR racing, and I pretty much grew up in the heart of NASCAR country. Hey, I can understand that opinion, but my reaction to that is...no one is trying to make a big push to build a major horse track in NC. We now have KY Speedway in Sparta with a major NASCAR race along with other prominant races. NASCAR 1, horse racing 0.

 

Personally, the ONLY reason horse racing is anywhere near as big as it is, is because of the gambling aspect. Take that away and there is no horse racing. And I'm not a gambler, so maybe thats why I have no affinity for it. With that said, Keenland is a beautiful track and I have enjoyed a day or two there with friends.

 

 

Sounds like you need a BGP day at the races to change your opinion! So when we going? :thumb:

Horse racing: The sport of kings. I guess that means all of you folks could care less, well, you're not...

Let's take the gambling aspect out of it for now, if you are basing the experience off the type of track you visit may be a deciding factor on your outlook. Many tracks are built in seedy neighborhoods (i.e. Churchill, Hialeah, Pimlico etc...) and some lack character like Turfway or Buelah. The diehard that would step over a guy having a heart attack to get to the window in time, this is not a big deal, but I could see where a novice would be turned off.

 

Keeneland is a very special place to me. I enjoy driving down Versailles and looking at the horse farms of Central Kentucky. Calumet is located right next to the track. Del Mar, Gulfstream, and Santa Anita are beautiful in their own right. Saratoga (never been) is a New Yorker's version of Keeneland with great history.

 

Unfortunately, the Sport of Kings has been dying for some years now. Casino are bank rolling the smaller tracks purses and Kentucky has dropped the ball with this issue. Sheikh Mohammed's gang allows Keeneland to still to flourish, but I do not know what the future holds in racing.

 

I have been to Superbowls, NBA Finals, Final Fours and countless Tyson fights, you will never find better scenery per capita as you will at Keeneland in the spring!

Sounds like you need a BGP day at the races to change your opinion! So when we going? :thumb:

 

That would be fun, I'd be into that. And I have been to Keenland 2 or 3 times, it's a beautiful place and when the weather in nice it can be a fun day. Still feel the same about the actual horse racing, but to each his own.