...And I have discovered a very British tradition that I love: Horse Racing. A day at the races is a thrill, the betting, the drinking, the races, the horses, and the picnic. It can´t get any more British! I loved it and I can´t wait to do it again!
Careful organisation and attention to detail to guarantee success: If you can´t be chaffeur driven -let alone helicoptered in!- then the best option is a little group in a minivan. I saw full coaches too with the ultimate picnic: posh tables and chairs, gazibos and silverware...
We settled with the minivan option... nicely parked at the side of the main car park, on a perfect spot near the trees for the table and the chairs... homemade food accompanied by Asda 2-for-1 snaks and plenty of bubbly and wine. This set the mood for the first race at 14:10pm. 7 races in total, different horses and different prizes and you place your bets before each race.
You get all the information about the horse, the jockey, when did the horse last run, when did the horse last win, where has the horse travelled from, its weight, the handicap (weight added to the horse if the jockey and/or the equipment makes it too light compared to other horses in the same race, so all horses weight more or less the same) and the number. All horses have peculiar names: Aunt Fanny, Xtension, Braveheart, Ocean Transit, Perfect Flight, Spanish Bounty, Purissima... to name a few!
Once you´ve analysed all this information you then check the odds: 40/1 means for every pound you bet you get 40 if the horse wins. Odds go from like 100/1 if it is very unlikely the horse wins to a 4/1 if it is very clear it will win, then you get only 4 pounds for every pound you bet...
There are also several ways to bet: minimum bet is 2 pounds. The most common bets are to win -you only get the prize if the horse comes 1st- and you can bet "each way" so you also win if the horse makes 2nd or 3rd place, but you only win one quarter of the return. There are also more complex bets called reverse and I can´t explain, I got lost!
Anyway, indeed a great day out, learnt lots, lost 20 quid, and had great fun! That´s even though we had to do the picnic inside the van... british summer hey, rain rain rain!
all the ladies...
and the gents....
me and my girl... 
and the horses at full speed just about to cross the finish line...
oops... some wrong with the camera...
friends from work
with Vicens and James... VICENS happy birthday!!! 07-july
