It is a somewhat grand structure that has gone through many owners, opened to great acclaim, for several years hosted the County Fair stolen away from nearby Prescott, closed, sat idle and now, under yet another new owner, is said to be back in business.
But regardless of that not-so-vaunted history, it reminds me of a time many decades ago with Baseball Steve (before he'd found his love for baseball) and our respective wives.
We had been to one of those extravagant Sunday brunches and decided to introduce Steve to the Gentle Art of Horse Racing.
Enroute we stopped off at his house to pick up a bottle of what he passed off as champagne.
(He was still drinking in those days.)
Me, snarkily: "Is this real French champagne, Steve?"
Steve: "If it isn't I blew three dollars a bottle."
This merry band of rollickers then journeyed to a track in North Phoenix with the name emblazoned on the building: Turf Paradise.
(Its somewhat seedy interior belied the sobriquet.)
And we played the ponies with our extravagant 2 dollar bets for the afternoon, sometimes winning, more often losing.
Finally it came down to the last race and while studying the racing program Steve saw the name of one of the steeds: Water Brownie.
He decided to place his final bet on this horse in spite of the fact that it was the longest of longshots.
We tried to talk him out of it but his determination was strong.
And whaddaya know - the valiant Water Brownie won that race!
As my hazy memory recalls, Steve collected about 75 dollars for his 2 dollar bet.
The story comes up from time to time and the legendary name Water Brownie lives on.
(Ah, yes, I remember the day . . . .)
Good story.
ReplyDeleteSteve in Germany.
When I go to the track, I but the racing sheets and study all the horses. I pay attention to their last races, their times at various distances, who the jockey is and who the trainer is.
ReplyDeleteThen I bet on any horse whose name grabs my attention.
My method almost never works.
There's still a track not far from where I grew up. They do harness racing.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to a racetrack. When watching the Triple Crown races on TV, I used to pick my winners by how EAGER a horse looked walking to the gate. Good thing I wasn't betting.
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a grand venue. I've only been to one or two horse races in my life, and I don't think I won a darn thing. (I also didn't lose much, though!)
ReplyDelete