![\"DSC00675\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/DSC00675.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 On the way to my seat I pass the \u2018Cross Over\u2019<\/strong> \u2013 a path through the bleachers where all the horses and jockeys travel \u00a0on their way from the paddock to the racetrack \u2013 I stop to watch the parade for the first race.\u00a0 \u00a0To \u00a0my amazement even \u00a0the horses are wearing little silk hats on their saddles in the shape of a joc . . ., no wait, that is<\/i> a \u00a0jockey, my gosh they \u00a0are small.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen a jockey bigger than that on my neighbor\u2019s lawn.<\/p>\nI finally make my way to my seat.\u00a0 When I bought my ticket over the phone, I was told that my seat was in the \u2018pole \u00a0position\u2019<\/strong>; I thought the pole position in racing was a good thing \u2013 not so much.\u00a0 Fortunately, my poor pole position \u00a0seat \u00a0was minimized by my lack of betting acumen, so I never really needed to see the finish line at the end of the race, as my horses were in no particular hurry to get there.\u00a0 The picture to the right shows that long after the race was finished, I was still waiting for my horse to round the club house turn. \u201cAnother beer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, think I\u2019ll have one of those Mint Julep<\/strong> things, you know, kind of get into the spirit of things?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not at Churchill Downs<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDo you want some fruit and an umbrella with that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cHey, are you saying that it\u2019s kind of a girlie drink?\u00a0 I thought it was a \u2018racing drink\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSir, there\u2019s a line behind you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cFine, I\u2019ll take one . . . and a shot of tequila!\u201d<\/p>\n Guess I showed her who\u2019s a man!<\/p>\n With a bratwurst, a beer (Oh yeah, I got another $9 beer) and my racing form, I sit down in my pole position seat and \u00a0watch the people parade<\/strong>.\u00a0 I must admit that the ladies do a great job at \u2018dress up\u2019 \u2013 I guess that\u2019s in their DNA; most of them look great.\u00a0 The guys?\u00a0 Not so much, although a couple of \u2018dandies\u2019 (left) did stop and pose as well as a guy (right) in a seersucker jacket \u2013 Sears made it, a sucker bought it. There were a few party fouls perpetrated by ladies who tried to pour their 12-gallon bodies into an 8-gallon dress and top it off with cheesy chapeau; consequently \u2018Where the Turf Meets the Surf\u2019<\/strong>, became \u2018Where the Hat Meets the<\/strong> Fat\u2019<\/strong>.\u00a0 Thankfully, no pictures are available.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, I didn\u2019t win a race all day, but with great weather, great refreshments and great scenery, I managed to eke \u00a0out a good time.<\/p>\n For those worried that I may have been driving under the influence on my way home, worry not; I took the train; not that I was being so responsible, I just couldn\u2019t remember where I had parked my car and OK, I accidentally got on the bus to the train station.\u00a0 It was just as well, I couldn\u2019t find my keys.<\/p>\n Disclaimers: The Del Mar Opening Day<\/strong> experience was wonderful, my seat wasn\u2019t as bad as it looked, the horses were awesome animals (just not the ones I bet on), the jockeys are courageous athletes, I did see a few over-weight people there, but they all seemed very jolly and, the beers were in fact $9 each, but I only had two of them (honest, Officer).<\/p>\n We are looking for more subscribers – know any?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Bob Sparrow \u00a0 \u00a0 On the way to my seat I pass the \u2018Cross Over\u2019 \u2013 a path through the bleachers where all the horses and jockeys travel \u00a0on their way from the paddock to the racetrack \u2013 I … read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Aside from a few pre-historic creatures with faces you could bounce a trifecta<\/strong> ticket off of, the crowd was generally \u00a0very \u00a0young \u2013 I kept wondering, \u2018Do their parents know they\u2019re here . . . dressed like that?\u2019\u00a0 And I found that most of \u00a0these 20 and 30-somethings paid, even for a single drink, with a card, not cash.\u00a0 I understand that that generation \u00a0really doesn\u2019t \u00a0use a lot of cash, but I\u2019m just hoping they were using debit cards and not credit cards; otherwise those $9 \u00a0beers, with interest, were \u00a0costing them about $10.75.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 Here\u2019s me \u2018tearing it up\u2019 \u2013 my ticket that is, on some nag with a catchy \u00a0name that ran \u00a0like she was headed to the glue factory.\u00a0 You can see that the guy sitting \u00a0next to me was \u00a0less-than-amused with my racetrack antics.<\/p>\n