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| This is my 'I just won money' face. Yesss :) |
America's Best Racing invited me out for a day at the Saratoga 150 races. My first thought was, can I bring my camera, and then of course, what am I going to wear?! The only thing I could think of was the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts goes to a polo match (not even a horse race... I am off to a bad start), in a polka dotted dress and matching hat, neither of which remotely resembles anything in my closet. She then acts inappropriately... something I would surely do, knowing nothing about race etiquette; the Jersey girl was bound to come out. I was happy to retire my normal 'photo' clothes and get girly (this rarely happens). I decided on a coral dress, and hoped for the best. Despite my lack of a proper hat, I was excited to try something new and take some photos, and I was off to the races!
I hopped on a train from Penn Station, brought some photo work, and enjoyed the view of the river as I headed upstate. I highly recommend hopping on a train and escaping the city once in a while.
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| Amtrak was my office for the morning, wifi and outlets, I was all set. |
The ambassadors from America's Best Racing, welcomed a few lifestyle bloggers and I to Saratoga with lunch and drinks. We walked around, checked out beautiful, green Saratoga, and then went down to the track for an up close look... it was pretty exciting! We were all full of questions about how the races work, how the horses are treated, how do we bet, etc. And they were happy to answer.
In no time, we were learning how to read the books, and placing bets. It looks extremely confusing at first, but once it was explained, it was surprisingly easy to decipher. However, even with all the knowledge, I was still drawn to place my bets on the name or color of the horse, or the favorite number my friend just texted me. And guess what, the random number texted from a friend is when I won!
Watching a race when you have placed your bets is really exciting and intense... I was so excited to watch my lucky number 3 go, and gain on each horse. Our ABRV ambassador, Chip, was standing next to me as I watched, the poor guy! I kept squeezing his arm and yelling every time my horse moved up. I am Italian, I tend to get excited ;)
We walked around more, met a jockey, got up close with some horses and trainers, and just checked out the whole racetrack area. There is shopping, delicious food, live music, dancing, drinking, cigar smoking... the festivities are endless! There is also this element of classiness and history that radiates in this atmosphere, I couldn't help but feel fancy and also intrigued to know more about this past time.
I am surprised I have never been to the races before, how did I miss this good time all these years? I cannot wait to go again. I will be assembling a crew for some race trips soon! Who's in?
I also now have a reason to go buy a statement hat. I have always wanted one of these, but never had a place to rock one.... finally I do, and they serve vodka, bring on the races! I have a new past time.
Check out my photos from my awesome day at the Saratoga 150 with @ABRV below....
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| If you sit on the left side of the train, you can see the river and nice scenery. |
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| Instagramming of course... |
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| Made new friends! Adriana and Stephanie were great company, and Chip was super informative and helpful. |
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| So green! |
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| Italian ice..... YES please! |
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| Adriana of Dog Hair is an Accessory in her perfect race attire! |
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| These horses were so beautiful! |
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| Add caption |
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| My partner in crime for the day, Stephanie of The Upstate New Yorker |
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| Hanging out... |
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| Cigars |
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| Heading out for a race. |
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| So graceful! |
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| And they are off! |
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| Fans get a chance to greet the jockeys. |
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| Placing our bets! |
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| The ambassadors from America's Best Racing... check out their hats!!! |
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| This is what 'winning' looks like! Yay! |
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| SMILES! |
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| Hanging out in the Carousel Bar at the end of the day. |
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| The book where you learn all about the days races and stats. |
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| Carousel Bar |
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| We headed back to check out the tour bus.... and have some beers! |
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| CHEERS! |
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| The ambassadors and the bloggers! Such a fun day with fabulous people!
Thank you America's Best Racing, Chip and all the ambassadors, for a fun day and introducing me to horse racing! I am certainly looking forward to next time! To learn more about America's Best Racing check them out here:
http://www.followhorseracing.com
Instagram: @ABRVTOUR
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ABRVTour
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericasBestRacing
See you at the Races!
Thanks for checking in with Kimberly Mufferi Photography and visiting my blog. I look forward to hearing your comments, please share them below.
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New York City photographer with offices in New York City and New Jersey, specializing in weddings, events, portraits, commercial, editorial, lifestyle, head shots, travel and fine art photography. Kimberly Mufferi is a professional photographer based in New York City and New Jersey, working throughout the East Coast and internationally.
For more of my photography work please visit my website: www.kimberlymufferi.com
or to contact me please email: Kimberly@KimberlyMufferi.com
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