Would you take your kids to the (horse)racetrack?

[mdr55]

I've notice that alot of people take their kids to the horse racetrack. Does anyone else notice this? Why?

[Death Metal Moe]

Im never at the track. Sorry.

It does seem like a slightly inappropriate place to take a kid though.

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[furie]

yes.
andwhy not, my father took me. i spent my time not watching the race but down below with the horses.

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[FUNKMAN]

first time Dad took me to the Meadowlands he hit the Trifecta for about 800. i think it was the most money he ever won in his life and i felt like i brought him luck(beginners luck cause it was my first visit)... i loved the food there, knishes, shrimp, clam chowder, and hot dogs...

it's alot of fun to be with the crowd at the finish line and watch their faces turn from excitement to despair, well maybe about 98% of them...

the movie "Let It Ride" is a classic and a must see, very funny!

i dowloaded the theme song on Kazaa, the Al Jolson version from Guys and Dolls, great stuff...

I got the horse right here
his name is Paul Revere
and the guy says if the weathers clear(?)
can do, can do
guy says the horse can do

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[Heavy]

I take mine to Belmont all the time.

Mad props to Fluff for the sig and C.O.soup for hosting!
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[Tall_James]

Owners Box - yes.
Field level with the guys in wife-beaters smelling of cigars and sausage - no.

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[DC Reed]

Absolutely, I want my kids betting on the triple crown when they are 12.

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[carguy]

My grandfather used to take me to the track all the time. I liked watching the horses. I had no idea what was really going on though.

[phixion]

my pop to took me to the racetrack growing up. in fact my mother met my father at belmont. as a kid theres sumthin special when u hear that horn blow and u get excited and u cant wait to hear the word "They're Off!!!" it sends a tingle down my spine. theres nuthin wrong with takin ur kids to the track, especially if its belmont. belmont is a beautiful park, with lots of spots to picnic and as far as concession its a shitload cheaper than any baseball, basketbal, or football game.

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[monsterone]

hell yes. the first time i went to saratoga i was 10. you'd find a window with a cool teller and place your dumb $1 show bet. if you were crazy you'd place a win, but only on an adult's "sure thing."

one time, i was probably 12, it was the last race and i bet a 80-1 for win, it jumped to over 100-1 right before post time. the horse blasted out the gate, in the last 1/4 the jockey fell off, the horse finished first. i still remember that great feeling and get it on big races.

prepare your children for those little bits of joy you so infrequently get in the adult world.

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[HordeKing1]

Are you guys aware that there is an separate counseling clinic set up for employees of Belmont and their families?

In my opinon it's a rather depressing place; smoke-filled, grimy and reeking of despair. Lots of people looking like they lost their last penny, on their hands and knees searching through discarded betting slips. Not a terrific working environment or a place to bring young kids.

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[Heavy]

HK, you might be thinking of Shea stadium. Besides a few people cursing and throwing thier programs on the floor, ive never seen anything like you described.

Mad props to Fluff for the sig and C.O.soup for hosting!
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[phixion]

HK, you might be thinking of Shea stadium.


u leave the most sacred of stadiums alone. thats the place where spider-man and mary-jane got married.

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[JimboSHU]

My parents used to take my sister and I to the horsetrack when I was younger. I thought it was fun and still go as an adult. I think it's fine for a family outing. I also went to greyhound racing in Florida when I was younger.

[jax]

At Monmouth Park in NJ Sunday is family day. They have free pony rides, face painting etc. I went recently with my kids and they had a blast. My 4 yr was the only winner with a horse called River Monster. All that Sesame St. paid off.

[HordeKing1]

Here's the blurb from the intern placement office (for first year students)

"Backstretch Employeee Assistance Team, Inc.
Elmont, NY
Student will provide individual and group counseling to the employees of the Belmont Park Racetrack. The student will participate in the the day to day operations of an EAP [employee assistance program] that addresses the needs of...[this] underserved disenfranchised population."

Reading what I wrote, I see that I implied that Belmont was depressing etc. From the blurb above, it seems that this is the case, but I've never been there so I can't say from personal experience what the atmosphere is like there.

It was the Meadowlands that I found grimy, depressing etc. Bear in mind, that I watch people and interpret their behavior as I've been trained to do. Although, I suspect that given the extreme nature of the observed behavior, you don't need any special training to see what's going on.



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[mdr55]

Yikes..I do the same thing!

[monsterone]

In my opinon it's a rather depressing place; smoke-filled, grimy and reeking of despair. Lots of people looking like they lost their last penny, on their hands and knees searching through discarded betting slips. Not a terrific working environment or a place to bring young kids.


not to discount what's said, but hk, this discription applies to otb more to than an actual track. there is something eletric about having the horses racing in front of you.

i believe the racing season in the east is around 2 months for each track. if your parent iis dragging you to the environment stated above there is much more going on than the deplorable situation going on.

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[mdr55]

I went to the racetrack today. The parents who bring their kids seemed like they were having a good time watching the horses. As for the seemingly hardcore or high betting gamblers, if they weren't winning, you could tell how they fared easily.
It seems that moderation is the key. If the parent who brought their child was losing bigtime, then it would be a different story and you would be able to observe the overall interaction with their child.
But like HK said earlier, i've noticed that some of the workers who work there, don't seem to be in the happiest of moods and other workers are quite friendly. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[mdr55]

Just came back from the Pace championship at the Meadowlands. And boy was this placed PACKED!! OLD and YOUNG, Adults and kids, WOMEN of all shapes and sizes (nice!), high rollers and low rollers. They had a live band play for most of the night, gave out t-shirts and had a raffle for tix to metrostars and bruce, children activities, games and fare in the padlock for people with families, private parties, etc. the place was rocking.

[walking joint]

i loved going to the track with my parents when i was a kid. me and my dad still go together now and it brings back those memories. like someone else said i would bring about $20 and bet $2 per race and if i won i would bet it all on the last race. i liked watching the horses in the circle about 20 minutes before the race. my dad would always point to the horse that pooped and told me to choose him because now he is light on his feet.

[East Side Dave]

Oh hell yes, snipples. My dad used to take me to the track all the time and I'm not the one doing 6 to 8 years. Sucker!

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[Marist Mike]

I went to Monmouth with my family about a month ago and this whole group of fat guys with beerbellies got into a fight..security did what they could but the one dude got past them and laid a hook right into the dudes face...I think something happened with one of their wives and the guy made a remark....I don't know....I was just walking by..it was very funny..and the one dude's daughter was cute..very cute

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[keithy_19]

Why not? As long as your not gonna waste all your money and be a bad example to your kids, I don't see the problem.

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[SatCam]

It's worth it. Admission on a friday or saturday is like $2 for kids

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[Rancor6666]

fuk the poor haha i get the prefered seats with the clean people who actully go to the race to have a good time not take the family to blow their life saveings on one fukin horse cause they cant read the sheet. but thats just me. and y bring the kids if they cant bet they dontknow whats going on. its like when guys bring little kids 2-7 years olds to sports games. all they is cry, want to go ot the bathroom, and want to go home. i bust my ass at 2 jobs to get my 1/2 way decent tickets at anywhere from 30-50$ a seat and i got theseloser kids infront of my crying and leaveing by teh 2nd quarter or first period or 3rd inning. its bullshit. you cant bring them into bars or OTB so why can they come to the track.

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[stickyfingers]

and my friends that's how aneurysms start

there's nothing wrong with taking your kids as long as you are a good role model and show them that it is for entertainment and not for financial gain

Monmouth Park is actually pretty nice and you can reserve a rather large picnic area for group outings, the train stops right there and its a good time, you can bring your own libations and they provide grills as well....Belmont has pretty much all the same things listed above but you don't have to reserve an area, there is plenty of room.....I have suggested this as an event in the past and now i'll take the time to do so again.


Just came back from the Pace championship at the Meadowlands. And boy was this placed PACKED!!


that's good to know....I've been a fan of harness racing for a while now and it really bothers me that The Meadowlands Pace was a $1 million race and it got hardly any press coverage at all. Guess what? The Belmont was worth the exact same amount. I didn't see anything on ESPN on the background of the trainers or drivers and all that jazz. I had to watch the replays on FSNY @ 12 midnight to see anything on it



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[Aggie]

This is an interesting question to me since the summer I worked (interned) at the Meadowlands was my first ever time to a racetrack. I saw and dealt with A LOT of kids that summer.

I agree with a lot of what was said in here - it can be a fun time and a memorable experience for your child, and at the special events they are expected to be there or they wouldn't spend all the money on kid's entertainment - but it is also a grimy, raw kind of place that some kids may dislike or see things they shouldn't see.

There's a difference between taking a kid to see a live race and to the lower levels to watch Simulcasting. That is a scary place that my boss even told me to avoid when I could and to try and be with a male when I was there. I can see maybe bringing a kid once a year or as a special treat but there's a problem if your kids know their way around the track and are trying to scam just as much as their parents (there was always a group of these little schemers).

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[mdr55]

Went to Delaware Park this past week. The race track was very old-school and I must say seeing thourougbred (spelling)is very different from harness racing. First race is at 12:45 p.m. Not too many kids there when I went and there was slot machines there too. I noticed that there were many older people at the track as opposed to the meadowlands which host it's race at 7:30 p.m.


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[TooCute]

It was the Meadowlands that I found grimy, depressing etc. Bear in mind, that I watch people and interpret their behavior as I've been trained to do. Although, I suspect that given the extreme nature of the observed behavior, you don't need any special training to see what's going on.

I'm sorry, but are you nuts? Have you actually been to the Meadowlands in the past 20? I find racetracks (like the Meadowlands) to have an excellent family atmosphere - but then, it's like any sporting event. You're going to have your drunks and your gamblers and your seedy bars.

People do bet on horses, but as someone else posted, are you sure you aren't thinking of OTB? The stands themselves are no more "grimy" and "depressing" and have no more people on their "hands and knees" than any other sporting event. I don't really see many parents taking their kids over to the hardcore betting windows, and they aren't allowed in bars anyhow - that's what paddock park is for!

I do recall one time a friend had a party at the Meadowlands and we all got $20 to bet as we pleased - I made $2 on one race and that was it!

I think that a racetrack is an excellent place to bring your kids, assuming that you are a responsible parent. But then, if you aren't, there isn't really any place you should be taking your kids anyhow.

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[Reephdweller]

I think that a racetrack is an excellent place to bring your kids, assuming that you are a responsible parent.


I agree, I think that at the heart of it as with many things, if you're not a responsible parent, or don't take the time to show your kids right from wrong than no matter where you take them your child could be influenced by negative things.

I don't think it's bad to take your kid to a racetrack, but I also think that if you do, you should explain to your kid the negatives of gambling.

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