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Published: April 15th 2007
The astute judges...
The word on the street is Phi Hai Yen #8 is a certainty. Why not, it's Saturday???
KFC for lunch, races in the arvo and the Western derby in the evening!!!Just like being back home.......Almost!!!!
Arrived trackside an hour early, which wouldn’t have been so bad except that it was stinking hot!!!(Common occurrence in these Asian countries of late) This gave me the chance to have a good look around, search for a cold beer and seek out some hot tips from the locals!
The races themselves are run very similar to races back home except for a couple of things or I’ll coin the common Vietnamese term “same, same but different!”
The horse’s look more suited to giving children rides at the local show than competing against each other on the race track!! (May have to look into bringing one of Errol’s nags over from home. it might go alright…..might!!) As for the jockeys, they'd look more suited in Batman and Robin costumes than in jockey silks!
The crowd in attendance on this hot, uncomfortable, Saturday arvo consisted of 4323 males, 3 females and one westerner.
Race time was nearing so after conferring with the locals who didn’t speak a word of english and studying a form guide
The mighty Phi Hai Yen!
Odds on, get on!!! It's better than bank interest! $1.50 for a win. (for every $1 you bet,you win an extra .50cents for those not racing minded!) that I couldn’t read horse number 8 “Phi Hai Yen” got the pick. A couple of nods, points, winks (the horse winked at me in the parade ring) and that was enough to sway me to invest 100000 dong on the nose. The dangers to my horse were Hong Long Hung, Hung Phi Long (glad I wasn’t calling the race!) and also had to keep an eye out for the smokey Carole King..The only western named horse on the card!!
And they’re off!!!!
I didn’t have a clue who was winning or who was losing or where the bloody hell my horse was for most of the race until the last 50 meters of the race! (Sort of like the Melbourne Cup back home really!) When I finally could work out what was happening I was in some trouble. Poor old Phi Hai Yen had his colors lowered today by outsider Phuong the Ngoc but not without incident.. As I was focusing on photographing the thrilling finish a horse did a beeline towards me and crashed through the railing only10m away. I didn’t see it coming but I heard it and saw people running (normally not a good
Second favourite is a joke!
He's looking a little nervous...I've got him covered sign!) I didn’t shit because I’m pretty tough but everyone else did……honest, I didn’t really!!! ;-) Horse and rider all okay but dad or the owner didn’t look to happy with the poor little jock…He should be playing in the swings not racing horses for christ sakes!!!
After losing a few more hundred thousand and finding out my winning system of following the jockey who won the first couple of races was actually the color of the horse, combined that some of the locals were getting a little edgy as the afternoon progressed as their pockets got lighter, mixed in with the constant sound of people spitting. It was good time to go home!!! Westerners are seen as walking ATM machines in most of Asia so I didn’t want to tempt fate and stay to the finish.
So apart from 2 minor differences mostly it was the same same. Trainers, members area, owners, high rollers, battlers, stewards, drunks, winners, losers and of course has what every race course in the world has...... hard luck stories!!!!!!
www.albyadventures.com
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Knobhound
non-member comment
Keep up the good work Alby! Didnt know you had it in ya.