The Gold Cup

Having grown up in the industrial side of New Jersey the closest I came to a horse race was at the OTB on the corner watching the monitors.  So when I was invited to attend this years gold cup in The Plains Virginia I jumped at the chance.  Being a rookie I was not sure what to exactly what to expect so I threw on a Polo instead of a tee and we headed out.  Upon arrival it was hard to believe how many people were there, the place was packed.  Bus tours, campers and of course the hoards of personal vehicles filled the lots surrounding the track.  I was fortunate to be on Members hill as a guest, our hosts had a tent for some shade, a nice spread of snacks and plenty of adult beverages.  I had decided that I for today I would try and live like the equestrian set and do as they do.  I must say the equestrian set that I hung with were not as much about the horse races as they were about the food and beverage, emphasis on beverage. 

Upon arriving at the tent I met and thanked the host for having us and in the tradition of true southern hospitality I was offered champagne or mimosas to get my day going right.  What would a glass of champagne be without shrimp cocktail and snow crab cocktail claws.  After a couple of glasses of champagne and all of the raw bar. It was time to step it up a bit and start on the sandwich platters and I happened upon a pony keg of a nice pale ale.  With a full stomach and well on my way to a comfortable state of being it was time to venture out into the world of Gold Cup.

The First tent I came upon is an Audi tent with the brand new Audi R8 Spyder in bright red.  So I stand there for a few minutes trying to figure out how much I would need to bet, and win, in order to drive this car home.  When I realized that was just not going to happen I headed to the main food and beverage tent and figured what is a horse race without a mint julep?  I probably should not have had that particular julep but I suffered through it.  Since I was walking around I was on the search for two things, first the best hat and second seeing  at least a glimpse of a horse race.  I snapped a bunch of photos, not many came out well, and then headed to the fence.  The race was about to start, they started and then nothing for about fifteen minutes.  I took this as a sign that I was supposed to head back up to our tent.

Back at base camp I notice an all too familiar site and was grateful that I had returned.  The site was jello shots,  and they just happened to be more shot than jello.  And then our host came around asking if we wanted to bet on the next race, I said of course and I pulled Fantastic Foe, and he happened to win.  On that note it was time to grab a small sweet bite and roll out before the crowds.

All in all it was not much different than a typical day off in the city, Food, Drink and Gambling.  I cant wait to go back.

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