Leopardstown races are, however, sponsored by Bulmer’s Cider, something that made them instantly popular with our group. I don’t really know why alcoholic cider isn’t a product easily available in the states, but it’s not. This trip has been a long introduction to exactly how easy it is to drink an alcoholic beverage that is mainly produced from fruit, and retains a very sweet taste. And since they were the sponsors of Leopardstown, there was a large Bulmer’s tent, with the style we all knew (apple) and two flavors we’d never seen (pear and berry). Needless to say, they made money from our group.
On a typical Thursday night, the first race starts at 5:00, with a race every half hour until the last one at 8:30. The races all vary in the number of horses racing one another, but the competition gets better and better as the races go along. You can bet with any number of the bookies that set up posts in front of the grandstand, or you can bet with the Daíl (pronounced “dole”), which is sponsored by the racetrack itself. We were warned about using bookies, as their odds could change seemingly at a whim, while the Daíl never changed the odds on you. I wasn’t brave (or stupid) enough to risk my money with the bookies, so I bet with the Daíl for two races.
After perusing the racing sheet for the evening, two things became abundantly clear. One, I felt like I was in Guys & Dolls, and at any moment Nicely Nicely was going to put his hand on my shoulder and start singing to me about the benefits of his horse right here (there was no horse on the sheet named Paul Revere, unfortunately). Two, I had no idea what I was doing. I’m not a gambling person, but I will occasionally play poker with chips, winning and losing amongst friends. But horse racing is completely different. Unlike card games, you have absolutely no control over the races. It was sort of terrifying to put my money behind a horse that I didn’t know anything about.
The racing sheet did provide some good information, and it was pretty clear which horse I wasn’t going to bet on. I decided that it was in my best interest to pick a horse to place, rather than win, because that increased my chances of getting some dough back. The first horse I picked was named Black Witch Woman, and I put €3 on it at 3 to 1 odds. The racing sheet said he’d been doing well, and it was his time to shine. This race, somewhat to my surprise, was only three-quarters of the whole track, meaning that the starting point was off where we couldn’t really see, but the finish would be right in front of us. That meant that I had a first row view of my horse coming in 6th out of 7. Not exactly the best way to start my gambling career.
I decided, despite my moment of failure, to try and bet again. I watched a few races, then opted to bet on the last race of the night. 8 horses were racing, and I read the racing sheet in much the same way as before. I decided on Aladdin’s Cave due both to racing sheet’s recommendations and the reference to the Disney film. I put €2 on Aladdin’s Cave to place at 4 to 1 odds. This time the race was a full loop, so I got to watch my horse immediately fall the back of the pack as they surged through the first quarter of the track. I groaned a little, trying to console myself that it was only €5 lost and I would probably never bet on a horse again. But as if sensing my disappointment, Aladdin’s Cave broke into the single greatest moment of horse racing history (Okay, not really, but I was still excited). Working the field like a pro, Aladdin’s Cave and his jockey broke from third to last all the way up to the front of the pack, winning the race by at least two lengths. I, and the other two people in our group who picked Aladdin’s Cave, went nuts the whole way.
That’s when I realized exactly why people get addicted to horse racing. I had put down a mere €2, which became €8 in a matter of minutes. And not only did I come out on top, the horse I picked had an amazing comeback that blew everyone else out of the water. The sheer thrill of victory was incredibly intense, and I could easily see someone fighting to get back to it again and again. But I was just happy to have won. I hindsight, I should have bet on Aladdin’s Cave to win, which had something like 11 to 1 odds, but I’m not that brave (or cocky).
Leopardstown, at least in the summer, is much more of an event than just a horse race. All summer they feature live performances after the races, so we were treated to the musical stylings of Duke Special. Duke Special is an incredibly odd looking man, with dreadlocks that go past his shoulder blades, and a purple crushed velvet suit with yellow shirt. His music was sort of a folky pop (read: boring), but the crowd seemed to enjoy him. I was just mad that Shan McGowan of the Pogues would be performing in mid-August and we wouldn’t get a chance to see him.
We weren’t sure what to do after Duke Special was finished until we learned there was a club on the Leopardstown premises. Club 92, also known as the Club of Love, was open to all Leopardstown attendants, and featured dancing until at least 2:00 in the morning. If someone had told me that I would be dancing to Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” with six other study abroad students at 1:00 in the morning at a racetrack before I had left to come to Ireland, I would have called them a liar. But there I was, and it was the perfect end to a winning night.
Yay Guys and Dolls!
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