Saturday was third Triple Crown race and my friends and myself did not miss an opportunity for theme dressing and going to an all-day outdoor party. It's kind of our thing.
A true recessionista, I used my mom's beach hat, which we adorned with a flower, feather and ribbon from the fabric store. It looked phenomenal. It was the Summer Bird of the Belmont Stakes.
We all met at my apartment that morning, and the entire day turned out to be one giant race of catching trains, keeping up with each other, back and forth to the betting stations, and making it back out that night for SGS's birthday. The Boozemont Stakes, maybe?
I set a timer at my apartment so that we wouldn't miss our desired train. And when the buzzer rang at 12:30PM, we were off! Let the races begin!
It was a scurry across 34th Street to Penn Station. We got separated from the guys, then couldn't find them inside the station. Hearts were racing, time was ticking, and we couldn't see a thing under our huge hats. Finally Nate called and said they were already at the tracks. Ok thanks guys, we almost missed the train waiting at the ticket booth.
So the girls raced down to track 18, where the engine was revving-up, people were running, and there were the boys - hailing us down at the door of the train. It was a scene straight out of the 1930's.
The cabin was packed with other Belmont goers, dressed in suits, hats and depression-era clothing. It was train ride back in time.
Once we arrived it was another race to find a prime spot to watch the horses and have a place to sit for when we were busy eating hotdogs and pretzels, and gathering info for the upcoming race. All throughout the day were the pre-races which the boys continued to bet on. And they also continued to lose.
However, that did not damper the excitement of the day. It was race after race, each time getting more intense in anticipation for the big one. Nate put it quite eloquently, "We were at a drinking-fest, when a horse race broke out."
As far as our race, we were neck and neck, with some falling back to take a rest from time to time, some stayed steady, others sprinted then crashed, but there was still no clear winner. Only time would tell.
Finally around 6:30PM, it was time for THE race. The boys had their money on Kentucky Derby winner, Mine that Bird. I had my money on the hotdog I was snacking on. (I'm not much of a gambler - I like to get something tangible for my money.) So I rooted for the boys' choice - maybe they would be in a good mood from their win and buy us some post-race celebratory drinks.
Everyone was standing on the benches, screaming, waving their betting papers in the air. Over 52,000 people wagered more than 9 million dollars on the track. Calvin Borel, jockey of Mine that Bird, thought he had it in the bag.
But suddenly, Summer Bird rallied wide into the stretch and raced vigorously with Mine that Bird and Charitable Man, and came out first! It was a surprise to all - and a disappointment to the guys.
We made it back to the trains in the mad rush that followed the race. After a 30 minute nap, we were back in the city and only had a few hours before we were scheduled to rally again. Almost all of us made it back out - the other two racers just couldn't keep up with the big studs.
SGS's birthday celebration was a race around the island of Manhattan. First to the Upper West Side's Empire Hotel, and then down to Happy Ending in the Lower East Side. One of our racers made it back uptown for a early-morning swim in the Central Park fountain, and then to some secret brownstone at an undisclosed location. Let's just say he got a little off-track.
Sixteen hours from the start of our festivities, the racers called it quits and retreated back to their respectable stables. I would say our Belmont Stakes' day proved to be a marathon - and we were all winners.
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