Okay, today, I went to the races. I went to Epsom. Tomorrow is "the Derby" (pronounced "Darby") which Lord Derby started in 1780 under an oak tree in Epsom. His horse won the first one, anyway.
So, like tracks all over Britain and the States, the day before the big 3-year-old race (sometimes with a filly -- I was at the Kentucky Derby the year, 1980 or 81, when the last one won), the 3-year-old fillies run in an "Oaks," named after Lord Derby's tree.
Today was the Oaks. I went, had a seat (didn't imagine I could stand the 5 hours -- I covered 11,400 steps today -- "heart healthy" plus), and had fun.
But, before getting there, I had an misadventure (feel free to say "of course"). I left the flat hoping to get the 1120 train out of London Bridge station. London Bridge is 6 stops away on the Jubilee line (the fastest one in London Tube). I got there about 5 after and looked at the board that said "1120 to Tattenham Corner [the racetrack]" with the platform indicated as "-". I ran and got brunch (a delicious bacon toastie [irony sign]. Came back and still no platform.
1120 came and no platform yet. And then it disappeared! F***.
I asked an attendant and he nicely told me to go into the other hall and look.
The other hall, it turns out, was upstairs and around the corner. I was sure I missed it.
I never saw a sign with a platform, but then I saw the sign over Platform 15 (I had been standing at platforms 1 through 3) that said "1120 Tattenham Corner" and many people were going through the turnstile to it. I followed. The train wasn't quite full (it filled at the first stop), but I made it. You know, Brit Rail, no problem being like 6 minutes late. But I made it.
Now, here's the shot from my seat, including the friend I made there.
As you can see, we were NOT alone. Far from it.
Ladies Day at Epsom is famous for its hats. Here's the link for photos with LOTS of hats (my wife asked about a certain woman and I responded "what bosom?").
I cashed a show ticket (i.e. money back, but not much) on the first race.
It went that way the rest of the day. It was tough getting to bet -- here's the hall under the grandstand (yes, there are a lot of people, many in fascinators [our word for the day] there).
You will note that almost all these people have drinks. MY drink highlight (theres a picture somewhere, but can't get it from my phone to the gallery) of the day, for my daughter, who loves Pimms (I'm not sure why; for those of you who don't know, it's gin-based but with something like a licorice taste) is this guy carrying a cooler of Pimms on his back -- making drinks with a hose and a tray of fruit around his waist. Ponder THAT.
Here's a shot from near the track of the horses going by.
Here's an entertaining tidbit -- see the line to the women's room.
See two women in the men's room. Yes, really. Is there a correlation between alcohol intake and this?
The big race, the Oaks, was won by a 50:1 shot, Qualify, who beat the favorite by a nose with a burst in the stretch. Do I need to tell you I didn't have Qualify? and I *had* the favorite? Ah, well...
One last picture here -- here's my seat. The three women next to me were fun -- the one next to me, Lara, spent some time in Rochester. She had the winner in the 4th race, a 7:1 shot, and was pretty intense rooting it down the home stretch.
Then back to London (it was an hour ride each way, plus a '10 minute walk' [the racetrack used M distance in calculating this] from station to track]) and a final spaghetti dinner, fixed by J, at the student flat. I have no usable pictures of that.
Home, now, tired. With part of a day in London before a 1 o'clock coach trip to Gatwick. Wish us well. I plan one more before leaving.#
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