To visit Keeneland was always of great interest to me especially after finding out that it's one of the finest places for thoroughbred racing within Kentucky! It was just a 2.5 hour drive from downtown Cincinnati. Apart from just being able to go through the experience, the concept of placing bets for horse racing was nothing new to me. I grew up with my grandfather raising horses to earn a living. He was telling me how he used to have nothing but his horse. This passion of his was obviously passed on to my dad and my aunts. I grew up cheering for my dad's horse on tv during the weekends. I remember visiting stables, watching my dad work on those breeding diagrams and helping him think of potential horse names. That even became an issue at some point. Some believed that naming the horses after our names might have some sort of link or an impact on us when a horse gets sick, loses the race, or dies. One of my dad's first horses was named "Real Queen" I remember cheering for this horse which won several times. It died at some point though and since then, dad never used our names anymore. :-)
I was fortunate I had friends who didn't mind checking out Keeneland. Some didn't mind going again. So Arthur, Joan, John, and I tried out our luck for the afternoon. True enough, it was one of the most beautiful race tracks I've seen. We got to witness some viewers with their fancy attire. We didn't mind the intense heat just so we got a great front view. The entire concept of trying to predict which horse will win was intriguing. There were different options (race, place, pentafecta, trifecta) which were so much more than the alternatives we have back in Manila. Being able to bet and claim the cash earnings on the same day was kinda cool! We took turns placing the group's guesses. We were able to double the amount. Too bad we didn't have time to celebrate using the winning amount but we decided to donate it for a good cause. :-)
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Welcome!All about the traveling Queen who wanted to share with the world the little and great discoveries that have brought her joy.
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