Monday, December 26, 2011

Bill Dwyre: Santa Anita opener brings a sense of renewal - latimes.com

Spectacular Santa Anita racetrack
Bill Dwyre: Santa Anita opener brings a sense of renewal - latimes.com:

"Horse racing has been written off in many quarters as a dying sport, but the start of Santa Anita's annual winter/spring meet suggests a sport very much alive as buildup to Triple Crown races begins."

Willie Shoemaker
The opening of Santa Anita was a big deal when I was growing up, even though no one but my granddad played the horses very much. My dad followed jockeys more than horses, as one might follow a baseball team. Willie Shoemaker, Eddie Arcaro. When we did go to the track, mom bet colors, not horses. Interesting, in retrospect, that horse racing was such a big deal without the gambling element. I think it was the spectacle. And, of course, the location of Santa Anita, with the San Gabriel mountains in the distance, is spectacular.



I've lived in Oregon longer than I've lived anywhere. But stories like this in the L. A. Times this morning remind me that my soul is still in Southern California. (It's the weather, stupid.)

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