05/02/2026
I grew up going to the track as a little girl with my aunt and grandma on Saturdays. I always bet the long shot, the grey horse or anything with double letters in its name because that’s what my grandma did and she won a lot.
Back then everything was cheaper and the exactas paid way more! It’s changed a lot over the years as most things in life do. It gets flashier, more prestigious and expensive with every year and most people around here aren’t convinced that’s a good thing because it can often feel like the track where they came from.
🐎
People often complain that our famous racetrack was built on $2 betters and they would be right. People feel left out of a place they can no longer afford. And sometimes I feel all those things, but I cannot help to feel at the same time such enthusiasm for everyone else around the world getting the chance to experience what we have in our own back yard every other day of the year.
I love that people get to experience our city in a way they never would any other time. I love the pride we have, not just in a horse race, but in the place we call home. A place where people are authentically friendly and are proud of where they come from. I love that so many people get to experience what I got to grow up doing regularly because it really is something.
There is no other place I’d rather be this time of year and there’s no other place I’d rather live. And I’m so happy for a tiny moment in time, some people get to feel what we know, on the first Saturday in May, there is no place like this place.