I went to Woodbine with Sonia and Brandon last Wed night. A chilly night it was. But the races run until Dec so I guess the horses don’t mind.
It was my first taste of Thoroughbred racing. My previous experiences have all been harness. Thoroughbred is wayyy much more exciting. The horses are packed in tighter along the rail since there is no carriage to consider. And it is a faster race. The runs down the stretch are more dramatic as there is more possibility for the closers to gain ground.
The gambling result? I am as poor at picking the thoroughbreds as I am with the harness horses. Which is to say I suck. But most of it is due to the fact that I usually bet triactors or superfactors.  Sonia and Brandon opted for the win/place/show type bets and were very successful. But picking the favourites doesn’t really inflate the wallet. But the winnings were enough to feed my fruitless risk bets.
I didn’t win a thing. I came close with the Superfactor in the last race. But of the 4 horses I selected, it was the favourite that let me down.
One time, and one time only, I bought a show bet. I bet on a 1st time racer in the 6th called Shy Wit. I made this bet before seeing the horse. Which was a shame. When the horses paraded in front of the stands, I couldn’t believe what a saw. A short little fellow at least 2 hands shorter than any other horse in the race. Such a small stature had no chance to win. He stumbled out of the gate and in the end finished about 5 seconds behind the pack. At 45-1 I didn’t expect much but thought I’d give the newbie a chance.
A great time all in all. It was cold enough that we didn’t sit outside up close to the action. And there weren’t many people there. Next year we’ll head over in the summer and see what it’s like when there’s a big crowd on hand.