My mind has been all a-whirl during the last two weeks. Every day as I work to outline the articles in my Belmont Journal and get them online, I remember something else that happened during Belmont Stakes Week, or someone else I met. I don’t want to omit a single moment or encounter. I want to tell y’all all about it.
But one thing sticks out in my mind this morning–something about Belmont Stakes Day, itself. This is a thought from which I cannot escape and so I must write about it today, here, now:
Horse Racing should be the most popular sport in America–in the world–if for no other reason than that it’s the most financially and emotionally accessible sport on Earth…
Allow me to introduce you to my friend, Walter. Walter has been a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for approximately 57 years. Thick or thin, victory and defeat–he’s been in the trenches with his ‘boyz.
In 2006, I met Bill Parcells at the Stadium Cafe West in Saratoga, and got an autograph for Walter. It’s framed and on his wall, next to an 8″ x 10″ of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. (Mind you, I know of Aikman and Irvin only because of Walter’s fandom. And Emmitt I know because he was so…beautiful…on “Dancing with the Stars.”)
Anyway…that’s the closest Walter’s ever going to get to a Cowboy–two pieces of paper.
He and I often discuss the phenomenon of horse racing–that any fan, at any time, can have accidental access to our greatest athletes, both equine and human. As I sat on the paddock patio at Belmont on June 6, I met the great Ramon Dominguez. Just a few minutes before, I saw the mighty Tonalist grazing just 26 hours before he would win the Belmont Stakes.
Saratoga Race Course is the only track in the U.S. at which the horses walk right through the backyard crowd to get to the paddock. Think about it: the world’s greatest Thoroughbreds have trod that path, giving fans unparalleled view of their horse heroes.
I believe that Walter has seen his Cowboys play in person. If he was lucky, he was close enough to the field that the players didn’t look like ants in blue, silver and white.
My friend, Karen, came to the races for the first time in 2006 We sat on the Saratoga Clubhouse Porch with Jennifer and JoAnn. Wouldn’t you know it, that happened to be the day that the great Bernardini chose to win the Jim Dandy. As the mighty warrior pounded through the finish line, the lovely old wooden floor of the Porch actually shook–think of the long, deep vibration of a sound wave, an earthquake radiating energy out from its source.
Karen turned to me–tears in her eyes–dug her fingernails into my arm and whispered, “Did HE do that?!?!?!”
Yes, he did.
Yes, she cried.
Yes, she became a lifer.
Yes, horse racing is the only sport that offers fans the deep emotional satisfaction of breathing the same air as our heroes, and feeling the bass vibration go straight up our bodies when they thunder past. No other sport offers that very organic, cellular, spiritual connection–that a human can feel the power of their favorite athletes.
That’s a sobering thought. Cosmic, spiritual, abiding.
And as you know, once a human soul has experienced the intimacy of feeling the pounding of hooves–there’s no going back.
Now let’s look at the economics of it. The bare-bones bottom line is that, not only is horse racing the most emotionally satisfying sport in the world–it’s also the most financially accessible.
If you want to attend a random Dallas Cowboys’ game this year–say, August 16 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, against the Baltimore Ravens–you’ll have to shell out $80 for seats in the very last row–the tippy-top–of that stadium. And don’t forget to pack your binoculars and an oxygen tank.
Eighty bucks. The price range for tickets that day is $80 – $250. This is not a playoff game–this is definitely NOT the Super Bowl. This is just a football game in August.
OR on August 16th, you can spend five bucks–yes, a lousy $5–to get onto the grounds of the beautiful, rustic, historic Saratoga Race Course. On August 16th, the three big races will be the Gr II Lake Placid, the John Morrissey and–oh, my God–the Alabama. (You know the G1 Alabama, for 3YO f!llies. Rock stars with names like Silverbulletday, Princess of Sylmar, Questing, Royal Delta, Blind Luck, Careless Jewel, Proud Spell, Go For Wand and Our Mims have taken home the trophy.)
If you’re feeling particularly rich that day, you can fork over another $3 for a total of $8 for Clubhouse admission. Stand at the finish line–mere feet away from the winner of this year’s Alabama.
Eight dollars, to be that close to greatness. To experience a great day of fabulous racing, at America’s oldest sporting venue. And you need not spend the mortgage in order to bet: for just $2, you may walk away with a big payoff.
There’s been a bit of whining lately, about the rise in admission prices at Saratoga Race Course for 2014. From $3 to $5 (grandstand) and $5 to $8 (clubhouse). REALLY, people? You’ll spend 10 dollars on a pack of smokes at Stewart’s on your way to the track. Fourteen bucks to go to a movie, which will offer (at best) two hours of entertainment.
Eight dollars and $5, for a full day of camaraderie with brothers- and sisters-in arms. For the joy of anticipation, that maybe-maybe-maybe you’ll win a big trifecta.
But wait! There’s more! For just $30 (grandstand) or $50 (Clubhouse), you can purchase a season pass. These passes can be acquired in advance at over 150 Stewart’s Shops in upstate New York. And–check this out–the price of season passes has gone down since 2013: grandstand, down 14%; Clubhouse, down 33%.
If you attend every day of the Saratoga meet with your grandstand season pass, you’ll pay a measly $1.33 a day to enter the golden gates. For you big spenders who buy Clubhouse season passes, you’ll shell out a whopping $1.66 a day. Seriously. That is a deal.
Which reminds me: You don’t hear Dallas Cowboys’ fans whining to the Cowboys’ owner when ticket prices rise, or about the cost of a hot dog. But for some reason, horse racing fans feel that racing organizations owe it to them, to give practically free admission. Too many fans fail to see that they have it pretty darned good, compared with the lot of fans of other sports. Too many grumpy old men feel that racing organizations “owe” them.
Imagine the laughter in the Cowboys’ front office in response to a fan’s tirade, that the Cowboys owe him. Anything.
And yes, I acknowledge that the fans are very important in this sport that runs on pari-mutuel wagering. (But bettors bet because they hope to get something out of it--not because they’re eager to donate money to feed the horses. Wagering is a voluntary activity–no one forces anyone to blow a week’s salary on a bet. So money blown–lost–on betting, by definition is not the fault or responsibility of the racing organization that hosts the races. If you leave any racetrack in the world with empty pockets, it’s certainly not because you were overcharged for admission.)
So whether you go to the track in the hopes of winning big in exchange for a small investment–or to have fun with friends and family–or to get up-close-and-personal with your favorite jockeys and horses–you can’t beat the price of admission, and you’ll never find a sport with more spiritual and emotional intimacy.
However you slice it, horse racing is the best bargain in the entire world of sports.
Don’t believe me? Just ask any fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
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