So.....curiosity piqued - where'd your love of horseracing start? I have friends and family that are into a wide variety of pastimes, but I can't say I know many that are into the ponies.

Maggie took me to Belmont. I didn't figure I was going to get into it -- I had some pre-conceived ideas about "horse girls," and I'm not exactly what you'd call a nature-lover. I'd been thrown off a horse when I was a kid, blah blah blah. But whatever, I *loved* it.

It's the way the track mixes very high status with very low. The wise guys, the old ladies with cigarette-stained teeth and faces like Shar Peis with the owners and guys who send their paid escorts to the high roller windows. The guy who takes my bet, winks and wishes me luck...Mohammed, who gives me tips in the paddock--I have no idea where he gets them, but I swear they're always good.

Jockeys. Did you know that pound-for-pound they're the strongest athletes going?

And then, the horses. Holy shit. They have personalities as distinct as people. And they're like strong like tanks. Like really, really fast tanks. My first day at the track, I saw a horse bust through the rail. He got spooked and he broke through the rail like it was a toothpick. One of the track ponies took off after him...I could go on and on.

You ever been to the track?

No. I've never been. You can bet that I'm planning on going now though. I'm sold. Thanks for the intro.

Our main contact with horses is riding up in the mountains (we live in Boulder and there are numerous stables all along the front range and in the back country). I've just never consider the sport of horse racing much.