Crazy For Ever and Fresco Blue

One of B's friends, S, sent us an email a few days ago to invite us to the Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday. He said a band we really like, named Undisputed, was playing. Since we haven't seen S and his girlfriend, M, since February, and we really like Undisputed, and it was only a buck to get in, we went! I'm trying desperately to "have a life" right now. I think it's good for my mental health. All of this hurting and trouble moving around and stressing out over medical stuff and bills is weighing me down lately. I need to remind myself what the point in breathing is sometimes.

We left a bit later than we wanted, again, my fault. I haven't quite gotten the hang of it taking me twice as long to get out the door yet. On the way up, I tried snapping a picture of the NYC skyline while driving down the NJ Turnpike. The one to the right came out the best, despite it being so far away. I tried to zoom it a bit...didn't save right. :( It's still not the same without the towers, but you can maybe make out the Empire State Building in that shot.

We got to the racetrack and after minimal confusion, found our way in. This was my first time at the Meadowlands near the actual track. I have never seen a horse race before, unless you count the Belmont commercials on TV. The sound of the band led the way for us! Just follow the music!

We found our friends quickly and watched the show! It's been quite a while since we've seen Undisputed. They never cease to entertain. They play a good diversity of current music, a few classics, and they have good stage presence. Last year on my birthday, they played our favorite local bar/grill, High Velocity. During the show, one of the strings on the guitar broke. The musician, they call him "Gonzo," began fixing the string mid-song, came in for the solo with a string missing, and then finished fixing the string and jumped back in. We were thoroughly impressed.

I was amazed at how "family oriented" the track is. There were kids all over the place! They had a moon walk bounce house and carnival type stands (throw the bean bag to knock over the thingy, basketball hoops, etc). There were kids tossing a football, kids dancing in front of the stage, two little girls doing cartwheels and back hand springs - they were amazing! Those girls couldn't have been more than 7 years old.

Since S had never bet before, B walked him over to place his first ever bet. Our time there got more exciting after that. It's much more fun to watch the race when you're rooting for someone. By the 11th race, B put $2.00 on Crazy For Ever to win. He was a bit of a long shot, 10-1 odds, and guess what? Crazy For Ever came in 1st! B won back all the money we'd spent there so far! At that point I started trying to figure out how to read the program. I looked at B and said, "Put $2.00 on Fresco Blue to Show." The odds were 8-1, the commentary in the program said he's not the favorite, usually doesn't pull out first, but he shows up a lot. So I figured well, betting Show he can come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd and I'll still win something. The name caught my eye, the stats didn't turn me off, so we put $2 on #7 Fresco Blue.

We watched the next race intently. We watched #7 appear in first place half the race. Then he held second place through most of the rest. The we watched #7 fall into 4th. I half-pouted and said, "Well, for my first time betting, it was fun!" We walked back to where M was sitting with two of her friends. We said we were going to get going since the races were over. M said, "Didn't you bet on Race 13?" We said yeah, we all lost. She said they hadn't done race 13 yet. Huh? Apparently, we were watching race 12. Duh!

If that's not funny enough for you, let me add on. After we all thought we lost, S threw his ticket away. Now, after finding out that the race he bet on hadn't happened yet, he went searching the garbage can's for it. M and I stood back and let the boys enjoy their "dumpster diving" session. I was so glad I kept mine to scrapbook. I thought I was gonna scrapbook a "loser" as a momento. I have a literal second chance!

Race 13 got underway. Fresco Blue was riding 3rd place after the first quarter. By the half mark, our #7 was in second! Go Fresco Blue! At the 3/4 mark, Fresco Blue had taken 1st position! Along the final stretch it was neck and neck between four horses. The commentator was running away with who was where to the point we could barely keep up! Then, the race was over. We waited for the announcement of who the winner was...and waited...and waited. Then, "In first, it's Fresco Blue!" WooHoo! My first on a whim horse race bet and I won 1st place!

Then I realized why it doesn't pay to play it safe and bet "Show." At least not for $2.00, anyway. I cashed out at the window and was handed $2.40. My horsey came in first place and I won a whomping 40 cents. What a bummer! Hehe, I'll come back and try again next time I have $2 to spare. Ya never know...I might get lucky!