OK.... My day at Belmont.
First time I travelled with this group of coal crackers from Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Met at the Mohegan Sun at 7am Running on Dunkin. Coasted down I-80, the Whitestone and Cross Island. I suggested bluelotting, grabbing a space next to Cross Island entrance and shuttle bussing around the far turn and down the stretch to the general admission gates. Fortunately overruled due to a red lot parking pass. More on that later.
Crazy traffic pattern that forced us to U-Turn to get into the gate.
My first venture was to grab my customary 12 souvenir glasses. Clubhouse gift shop empty, 2nd stand tells me they sold out Friday.
I go to info booth. No help. Am stunned. Have all the glasses since 1976. I\'m thinking of settling for $60.00 for 4 White Carnations and dumping the drinks. As I negotiate with 2 young ladies who have taken sympathy on a despondent old fella with a Saratoga hat and California Chrome colored tie, I catch a break.
The girls accost a NYRA official. He pulls out his cell and declares he will find the glasses for this 44 year Belmont Stakes veteran. After coming up empty, he decides I can buy 4 glasses from the White Carnation Girls for $12 each. I pull out the \"What\'s in Your Wallet\" credit card. They don\'t take a credit card. I pull out 3 twenties. They have no change. They give me the 4 glasses for $40 and I think I hit the lottery! I ask for a bag to place them in. NO paper or plastic on premises. Mr. NYRA official takes my seat and section and delivers a bag with wrapping paper within 5 minutes. Pretty Nice and I was impressed.
Project #2 was buying 100 $2 Chrome tickets for some ebay speculators in the Mohegan Poker room. After the 1st race, I head to a teller. Machine breaks mid-punch. I had already given the teller $200. (my bad) and I have only 50 good tickets, a couple of torn ones and the rest probably jammed in the machine. Repair guys show up. Machine won\'t work. I\'m telling the line behind me to disperse but they are agitated and I am called names far more colorful than my tie. They call for supervisor. He says they need to take all the tickets below and run each code to figure out which ones are missing.....ETA for my tix: One hour.(All this for $8) I say cancel the whole batch and return my $200. They look at each other....DUH!!...Small conference and I win. Go right to the next teller and have tix in hand in 3 minutes.
My Samsung Galaxy 5 was the only phone getting service in Section 2b so I effortlessly bet all the races via Twinspire. I texted back and forth with Frank D and thanked him for pointing out Strath on the forum. I didn\'t max that one but did play some verticals. Missed the feature by ignoring those who had saw the virtues of the Commish. Considering, I had MC, Tonalist, WS and CC underneath, I still have not figured out how I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Such is racing.
Also screwed up the late pik 4 (have had much past success on this wager.) Considering, I had the 10th race winner, Tonalist and singled the 8 in the 13th, how do you do this? While I calling myself Dummy, Moron etc.
my Coal Crackering buddies are explaining that Eddie Stanky and his Polka Band would have been an upgrade to Frank Sinatra Jr.
We head to what we think will be a 1 hour parking lot departure. Little did we know Officer Moses was on duty parting the Red Sea Parking Lot. We literally started the car and drove right on to the Cross Island. Home by midnight after a dinner stop. Still had cash in the account, four souvenir glasses and a bunch of @2 worthless tickets that we will laugh about for years to come.
I give NYRA a passing grade. Just to note to some rookie attendees, I am a big fan of overcrowded ladies rooms....especially if you spend some time in the men\'s room. . Think about it.
Bob
