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TRIANA's MEXIBLOG |
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A Day At the Races
posted 12/10/04
We've been to several races now, but the first one was the most memorable. The track is straight, not like the oval tracks we are accustomed to. The horses race each other in pairs, running a specific number of meters. The track is a dirt track and there is dust everywhere. A dilapidated water truck maintains the track to keep the dust down without making mud. The track lanes are simply pieces of PVC pipe and the gate is operated manually. Someone pulls the rope and they are off. Betting is illegal here. Since everyone knows that, the police officers moonlight at the races, making sure that "no one is doing anything illegal." As money changes hands and names are written down the officers go somewhere else where they can't see the illegal betting. Of course they will call someone over to the patrol car to bawl them out just for show. One sees all kinds of people at the races. One cargo box van was there with an old man in a hospital bed and another in a wheelchair; the food vendors are there also, as well as men selling all kinds of candies and nuts beautifully arranged in wheelbarrows. People from the vicinity ride their own horses to the track, sometimes riding double or triple. Those horses are tied up in a special area or they simply stay with their owners, who mosey around the field visiting and letting other people's kids ride.
If the race horse owners don't have a horse trailer, the horse is simply loaded into the back of a pickup outfitted with panels and taken to the track. Of course there is a printed schedule…so-and-so from this ranch is racing so-and-so from that ranch at 2:00. Mexican 2:00. The 2:00 race usually takes place at about 3:15. I loved the low-tech genius of this setup…the official photographer was in the back of a pickup with his camera mounted on a tripod. A string, which is attached to the shutter is carefully stretched across the track. When the horses cross the finish, the shutter is tripped and in the event of a photo finish there you have the proof of who won.
The horses are loaded into the gate after being paraded down the track first so that the betters can choose their horse. When all is ready, the horses come exploding out of the gate and they fly down the track. What a rush! The race lasts only a few seconds and if you blink you miss it. We betted on one of the horses from our ranch, of course, who flew past his competitor with ease, putting the equivalent of $15 in our pockets. After each race is a "victory run" where the winner is paraded down the track and folks have photo ops. Of course, the official photographer is the one who does those. While all of this is exciting, I am aware of the hard life a Mexican racehorse has. They are not treated well although they are physically in top condition. Their training is often accompanied by blatant abuse such as whipping, shackling, tongue-tying and other horrific things that have long since been left behind in other countries. But there you have it, a day at the races. - Triana Elan |
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