[rontheman1964]

Funny. I was just telling a guy at work today when we would be driving home from Ak-sar-ben (before the days of simulcasting - after a family outing) how we would stop at Buger King and the winner (if there was one of us lucky enough to have won) would buy dinner for everyone on the drive home. What a fun memory after both of my parents have passed on.

Anyway, it is funny how similar my story is to so many already posted. Horse racing was a family tradition. We would travel as a family to the Nebraska track which was the current stop for live racing. Had lots of time in the car to talk horses or whatever. I placed my first bet at age 12. The guy who took my (and my younger brother's) bets would one day be the mutual manager at one of the tracks and we would often laugh about 12 year olds betting. ("Your money was as good as anyone else's; and your picks were better")

I spent many a day at Aksarben during its prime; getting a taste of big-time racing, the sights, the smells, the people, the action.....all of it drawing me in and making me love the game. Great horses like the guy mentioned from the Canterbury track (Who Doctor Who, etc) plus the Kemling horses (Amadevil, Roman Zipper, Prom Crasher) and great riders...John Lively, Kenny Jones, the Pettingers, even Hall of Famers started here...apprentices Garret Gomez and Mike Smith.

Also the charm and intimacy of the smaller bull rings scattered throughout the state. Getting to high-five Mike (Ziggy) Ziegler as he dismounted Betwiched after a winning ride that helped me cash a $100 exacta bet. ("I knew I had it the whole way," he said.)

Why this game? As stated by many, I like the intellectual part of the game. Reading the Racing Form is like reading a mystery novel. A novel you get to place bets on and then see it played out live in front of your very eyes. How can slot machines stimulate the imagination like this game? I wish the charm of horse racing could re-capture the masses and insure a brighter future for the sport. In reality, I think we all know the mindless pushing of buttons and watching reels race around in cirles will probably win out.