J and I had barely arrived at Suffolk Downs in East Boston today when a grizzled regular approached us as we stood snapping pictures of the horses parading to post. “Who do you like?” he asked, and J and I shrugged. “This is our first time here,” J explained, and I added that we don’t really know anything about horse-racing, not having the heart to mention that we hadn’t even picked up a racing program.
“Well, who’d you bet on,” the grizzled regular asked, not ready to give up on us that easily. “Uh, no one,” J explained with a chuckle, and the old-timer sighed, clearly disappointed in the newbies who’d come to the track just to watch and take pictures of the fast, pretty horses. “Number Six is who I like,” the regular called out as he walked away, and we wished him luck, overhearing him throughout the race cheering on his choice: “C’mon, Number Six!”
Number Six came in third-to-last: although I don’t know much about picking (or betting on) winning horses, I know that third-to-last doesn’t pay anything. But since J and I didn’t put any money on any of the races we watched, we were free to admire all the horses whether they won or lost. In all the years J and I have lived in the Boston area, before today we’d never been to Suffolk Downs, which is rather remarkable considering how easy and cheap a day-trip it is: T-accessible and with free admission, just a stone’s throw from Belle Isle Marsh.
My dad is a huge harness-racing fan and a long-time regular at Scioto Downs in Columbus, Ohio. Unlike the Thoroughbreds that run at Suffolk Downs and in well-known races such as the Kentucky Derby, harness horses are Standardbreds who are trained to run in a trotting or pacing (not galloping) gait while pulling a driver in a lightweight buggy called a sulky. When I was a kid, I sometimes went to the track with my dad, watching the races as only a horse-crazy city kid could. While my dad and his friend put their money on the “ponies,” I watched slack-jawed and in awe of a place that was all about horses.
Going to Suffolk Downs today felt a bit like traveling back to my childhood…albeit with Thoroughbreds that gallop with tiny jockeys on their backs rather than Standardbreds pulling men in sulkies. Just like those trips to the track with my dad, I didn’t really care which horse won or which bet paid big: with no money on the line, I was free (then and today) to admire the beautiful, fleet-footed creatures that filled my childhood daydreams.
Click here for more pictures from Suffolk Downs. Enjoy!
Jun 17, 2012 at 2:32 am
My only experience with horse racing was a trip to Belmont in 2004 or so. As I recall I did bet on a race, but I can’t even remember whether I won or lost. (If I won, I certainly didn’t win big!) And that was that. The horses are beautiful, but I can’t help wondering if they wouldn’t be happier out grazing in a field somewhere.
Jun 17, 2012 at 10:53 am
J and I decided that the next time we go to Suffolk Downs, we’ll bet on a race just to try it. Had I placed a bet yesterday, I would have chosen blindly based on nothing but the horse’s names…and that would have been a good strategy in the case of “Sunshine Lollipop,” a horse who won one of the races we watched.
I’m thinking we ALL would probably be happier out relaxing in a field somewhere…
Jun 19, 2012 at 10:41 am
I’ve never been to Suffolk Downs, nor any part of East Boston for that matter. We were looking at a map this weekend and I was trying to remember the name of the marsh you’d mentioned going to. We’re thinking of checking out Piers Park, which appears to be a nice place to get good sunset views of the city. They’re extending the Harborwalk around Eastie, but much of it still looks to be dotted lines at this point. Anyway, great pix of the horse race!
Jun 19, 2012 at 8:04 pm
We try to go to East Boston (specifically Revere Beach) at least once a year, and we’ll probably add Suffolk Downs to our list of places to re-visit. We haven’t been back to Belle Isle Marsh since the first time we visited, but it’s certainly easy enough to get to.
We haven’t explored much of the Harborwalk: we’ll have to add it to the list.
Jun 20, 2012 at 5:24 pm
I grew up near Saratoga, so went a few times, and you’d surely enjoy the option there to go and have breakfast outside while you watch the horses being exercised pre-race. In my family, the strategy has always been to place the minimum bet based on what ever feels right (names have been my approach, but I think I can remember a time when it was colors). Your post reminds me as much, though, of my memories of going to the _car_ races with my dad. Maybe there’s a bit of a thrill, as a girl growing up, to get to go out with your dad and watch most anything race around a track!