The hype over this weekend’s Breeder’s Cup at Monmouth Park is quite amazing when you consider horse racing is for the most part a dying sport and the track itself has to fight to draw a few thousand fans a day during the middle of the summer at the Jersey shore. The “sport of kings” used to grab headlines on the sports pages with regularity and in old photos and videos you will see men in suits and women in dresses packing the stands.
Of course things change over time and only on special occasions do large crowds visit Monmouth Park, a treasure I first discovered as a 17-year old.
That first trip produced a winning daily double and even an exacta or two…probably the worst thing that can happen to you. I actually thought I had picking winners figured out but many years later I know that was truly a case of beginners luck. Despite that I would always make a few visits a summer and even remember a fall when the track stayed open late which was great for us locals.
I used to love the pace of a day at the racetrack. You had time between races to head down to the paddock and watch jockeys climb aboard their horses, walk around the circle and then head out to the track with shouts of encouragement from bettors always looking for an edge. The bugler would then play the call to the post and you’d get excited with anticipation. A few minutes later you tore up another losing ticket but it didn’t matter because a bad day at Monmouth Park was better than a good day at work…or school. Now with simulcast racing available it seems like the time between live races is devoted to trying to find a winner at another track and that slow pace has been replaced by our need for constant action.
One of my fondest memories was when Julie Krone was setting the racing world on fire and the most popular jockey around. I took my then 2-year old son to the track and put him on my shoulders as she climbed aboard her mount in the paddock. Brandon shouted out “good luck Julie” and she stopped, smiled and spoke to him for a few seconds. She then went out and lost with a 2-1 favorite which of course I had bet. However after Julie made the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1989 I got her to sign it for my son and she remembered that cute little boy…he still has the autographed picture.
The rest of America may only discover Monmouth Park this week but for many of us it’s been right in our backyard for a lifetime and I hope it remains forever.
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