A Night at the Races - 7-12-25

July 12, 2025 - Tonight, the Bluffs had “A Night at the Races”.  It didn’t cost anything.  The place was packed.  As we entered the clubhouse, we were given $600 in play money and a betting sheet.  The sheet has names of two to four horses for six races.  They explained that before each race, you walk up to the betters table and place your bet with a minimum of $100.  The first race and second race were the daily double.  They give you a small sheet with your race number, the number of the horse you bet on and the amount you bet.  They then turn off all the lights and run the race from the 1955 Saratoga races on a large screen.  Everyone was screaming, hollering and hooting for the horses they bet on.  When the race is over, the film shows the win, show and place. If you had one of those, you go to the payout table and collect your winnings which were 3 to 1 for win, 2 to 1 for show and 1 to 1 for place. Then you go over to the betters table again and place your bet on the next race.  The rest of the races are run the same way. The last race, you must bet for the first-place horse only and the odds were 10 to 1 (there is no show or place bets).  After all the races are run and everyone is paid, each person adds up their money and the top three amounts win $100, $60, $40.  I did win twice for place and once for show and first on the last race. I made $5,700.  The top money holder was $35,000.  If only I had bet everything on the last race, I would have won first place, but I didn't. Maybe next time. It was a lot of fun.

Oh, we also had a Daily Double. Before any race is run, you bet on the first two races. If you picked the winning horse on the first race, you hold onto your small slip and if you picked the winning horse for the second race, you win the daily double. I don't know what the payout was because no one won it. 

Packed House Our Host for the evening

The Better's Table - Place your bets The Payout Table - they had lots of money

The Winners