Retirement: Trips & Travel: Track Trip 2019

July 11 - 14, 2019

Track Trip 2019

Three Tracks In Three Days

In mid-July I met my buddy Keith in Baltimore where we rented a car and drove an hour and a half north where we set up "base camp" in Wilmington, Delaware for assault on the Mid-Atlantic tracks. Friday we set out for the Jersey Shore and spent the day at Monmouth Park. Saturday, we stayed local at Delaware Park where it was Delaware Handicap Day, their biggest day of the racing season. Then Sunday we headed back to Baltimore and Laurel Park. Spent the day at the track then drove to the airport and flew back to Fort Lauderdale. It was a great racing adventure!

Track Trip 2019 Highlights

Thursday July 11: Travel Day

The first day of the adventure was our "travel day." Kim dropped me off at the airport about 10 am and my flight left right on time at 11:05. We arrived a little early, around 1:30 pm and I knew Keith would be arriving soon. Sure enough, within ten minutes I received his text that he'd landed. He met me downstairs in the baggage area and we hopped on the rental car bus. Picked up the car and set the GPS for the 90 minute drive to Wilmington, Delaware where we were booked at the Residence Inn Downtown. I honestly was surprised that the city was bigger than I'd imagined. Once in our room we asked about a dinner spot and the sweet girl at the desk directed us to local tavern where we both enjoyed a crab/grilled cheese sandwich. Headed back to the room and by 10 pm. We had a "residence" where Keith was in the "living room" and I was in the adjoining bedroom because he likes to keep the TV on all night and sometimes snores. Well, his TV didn't work so we called and our gal at the desk moved us to a nicer, bigger room. But it was an open layout so I had to "endure" the night time noise - which wasn't such a big deal :)

The Residence Inn

As my grandson would say, DEEEE-licious!

The "new" room layout

Friday July 12: Monmouth Park

Day 1 of the Track Trip saw us leave the hotel in Wilmington and drive 90 minutes to Oceanport, NJ to spend the day at the races at Monmouth Park. The drive was smooth and we arrived at the facility about an hour and a half prior to first post. We explored the layout, had our picture taken and Keith bought the Racing Form. He settled in at a bar along the stretch while I headed off to the gift shop to purchase a new Monmouth shirt - you'll note I have on my black Monmouth polo in our first photo above, but switched to the new navy shirt for the day (see the subtle difference in shirts below). I've had a solid summer on the Jersey Shore handicapping, hitting more than 40% winners, but today was a little slower as I went 2-for-6 with a small profit. BUT, I did hit the "BEST" of the day and we enjoyed our stay at the track a lot. When I'd visited here in 2014 for the Haskell I'd had dinner on the first day of the trip, a Friday like today, at a restaurant I found right on the ocean, Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant. So this past Monday I'd made reservations for us. We were about 40 minutes early, but they sat us right away and we a a great view of the ocean as we enjoyed our dinner. I was nearly certain I'd opt for the same dish I'd had five years earlier, "Lobster Mac-a-Rooney" - it was on the menu and it was delicious. After we finished we walked out to the boardwalk and took in the ocean before we headed back to Delaware and arrived back at the hotel around 10 pm.

We've arrived at Monmouth Park

The iconic "old school" grandstand

The infield tote board

Today's program

The main floor of the grandstand

They're Off At Monmouth Park!

Bankruptonthebeach provides the first WIN of the day

Celebrating the initial winner of the day

Panoramic view from the second level box seats of the grandstand

Band of Angels WIRES the 8th, the BEST BET of the Day

Showing off the winning score on the big bet

Modeling the new shirt in front of the annual Haskell sand castle

Rooney's Oceanfront Restaurant

The dinner view

YUMMMY!

The Jersey Shore

What a great first day

Saturday July 13: Delaware Park

Day 2 of the Track Trip we stayed locally as Delaware Park was only twenty minutes from the hotel. But I must say I was surprised, again at how big the city was and how "far" the track was from the hotel. I was VERY anxious to visit the track today. Nineteen years ago when I took Jeff on his graduation trip, "Track Tour 2000" we'd been here and I remembered walking through the glitzy casino and when we walked into the grandstand of the track it was ancient with seats that looked like they hadn't been repaired or cleaned since the 1940s! Not so today! First, the casino is now both a casino and sports book and it is MAMMOTH - just gargantuan. When we walked out into the massive grandstand ALL the seats are modern, plastic seats and every one has a clear view of the panoramic track. Just a beautiful, old-style track facility. Reminded me in many ways of Tampa Bay Downs. We both felt very fortunate that our trip timed out perfectly to be here on THE biggest day of their season, Delaware Handicap Day. There was a good sized crowd when we arrived some hour before post time. But by mid-afternoon the place was PACKED. To be fair, the grandstand was not, everyone was inside enjoying the A/C and the various games and/or watching the races on the big screen TVs. But when the stakes events went to post a good crowd gathered outside. I won two of four selections at Delaware and eight of eighteen on the day (played Monmouth & Saratoga also). Certainly it was T-H-E highlight of the day when my BET of the Weekend came in the featured, Grade 2 $750,000 Delaware Handicap. Elate was a prohibitive favorite and was sitting mid-pack as the field approached the far turn. And then she made one of "those moves" that only a racing fan can understand.....in the blink of an eye she blew by the field and had easily made the front and then ran home under wraps to win. So exciting! And immediately after that race I won two more big graded stakes/big bets. We headed back to the hotel and walked back to the same tavern we'd visited the first night for dinner. It was after ten by the time we got back to our room and we began packing for our departure the next day. Two days, two great adventures.

The massive Delaware grandstand and apron

Today's racing program

The tote and well-manicured infield

One of the MANY simulcast areas

And they're off at Delaware

Capla Temptress provides the first win and first stakes win of the day AT Delaware

The backside of the grandstand from the tree-covered paddock

Elate runs away with the feature

Celebrating the big win of the BEST BET of the Weekend

First of two big simulcast stakes winners

Another big winner

Sunday July 14: Laurel Park

The third and final day of Track Trip 19 saw us check out of the hotel, drive to Baltimore (about 90 minutes) and settle in at Laurel Park for a full day of racing. Today promised to be a long day what with having to leave Wilmington by 10 am, then a full day of racing, and our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 9:30 pm, landing around midnight and an anticipated arrival back home around 1 am. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed being at Laurel (I'd been here a year and a half ago for the first time with my buddy Jim Anderson). But it was an even longer day because neither of us had many winners on the day. I played Monmouth - because I handicap all their live cards, as well as the local Laurel card. There were five stakes today at Laurel and locally I was a solid 2-for-5. But at Monmouth my only win came in the final race, so it was a "long day" from a handicapping perspective. Soon after arriving - and the drive was very smooth and easy considering we were driving through the metropolitan corridor - we explored the facility. The Stronach Group (which owns Gulfstream and Santa Anita) have poured millions into the facility, but it's very obvious where they HAVE renovated and where they have yet to begin work. We settled into the trackside restaurant where the very amiable waitress welcomed us to stay for the day. I enjoyed a 3/4 of a club sandwich as we watched and wagered on the races. Walked around some of the facility, but it was SOOOO hot outside, and the sun was very bright making it difficult until the shadows had grown over the apron to enjoy the races from trackside. Scored with one of the stakes events which provided the racing highlight. About 6 pm we left the track and headed to the rental car return facility and dropped off the car. The shuttle was waiting for us and we quickly cleared security. We sat down for a little food (I had two egg rolls) at the food court and chatted with a couple and their two little boys who were about to head home to Las Vegas (they had a friend who was a horse owner). Time passed quickly and we boarded around 9 pm. Took off right on schedule. I worked on developing the final day's photos for this web site and that took most of the 2 hour actual flight time. Landed at midnight and then we had to be re-seated because we were about three feet short of the gate. Wow. Stopped, everyone got up and for what ever reason the door didn't open for nearly ten minutes. Sigh..... Neither of us had checked bags so we walked through the terminal and easily found Kim's car that she'd parked in the garage before she flew to Erie, Pa the previous day. Home about 1 am to end a great adventure.