New Derby Infield Choice

[philcski]

Originally Posted by -BT-

b/c you're taking more space away from a section of the downs that is already over populated. As if it wasn't hard enough to walk through the infield on derby day you're gonna tent off a huge space for "private" seats? why spend 150 when you could pay like 200 something in sit in the grandstand, with a view? IMO this whole idea is trying to accomodate those people who are tired of standing in line to wager/use the bathroom in the infield on derby day. If you would like to tack on $110 to your day more power to ya

-bt-

Pimlico already does this setup, with the "Top of the Stretch" seats. I've sat in them multiple times and they're fantastic.

Just my opinion, but alot of the infielders aren't worth the $40 they spend to get in. They add $0 in handle and trash everything in sight. Who cares if there's 5k less of them?

[-BT-]

Originally Posted by philcski

Pimlico already does this setup, with the "Top of the Stretch" seats. I've sat in them multiple times and they're fantastic.

Just my opinion, but alot of the infielders aren't worth the $40 they spend to get in. They add $0 in handle and trash everything in sight. Who cares if there's 5k less of them?

yeah i know about the top of the stretch at pimlico, those seats are right on the fence of the turf course with some kind of view. From what i read of the article
"Churchill Downs announced yesterday that it will add a higher-priced restricted area that will take up prime real estate in the middle of the infield."

its gonna be a fenced off area on the bricks portion of the infield, which pretty much smack dab in the middle of the infield. The later in the day it gets the more drunk people get and they're gonna be pissed that they have to walk all the way around this thing just to go to the bathroom or to wager, i saw it happen first hand when the caged millionaires row. From the company standpoint you have to appreciate the way they're trying to squeeze the dime out of this event, but as a patron of the infield the last 10 years, this is gonna suck.

-bt-

[Diver67]

Unless you buy grandstand seats from Churchill Downs--which most people can't do--you can spend a LOT more than $150 and STILL not see anything. Our seats in 2006 cost us $495 through a broker and we were virtually at ground level on the apron. Add in the infield corporate tents and all we saw was a flash of horses going by in the stretch (if we were lucky and the people in front of us weren't too tall). We also had NO cover from rain. So the infield idea doesn't sound all that bad.

Frankly if I go again I'm going to spend the money for decent seats on Oaks day and then go to the Keeneland OT for Derby day.