Question for Residents of Louisville, Lexington, Saratoga, etc.

[Rackonteur]

Do you find yourself dreading the influx of racegoers every racing weekend or week? Do you want to flee the invasion of people who seem more interested in getting drunk and carousing till all hours than in watching the horses,getting so drunk they can’t find their hotels/B&Bs/etc. and resort to trying to knock down neighbors’ front doors thinking it’s the place they rented for their stay? Do they pee on the sidewalks and people’s porches, and barf in the driveways and parking lots? Are the local police overstretched and unable to answer every complaint from residents? Does the money the event brings in really help the local economy, or does most of it go to international hotel and restaurant chains and big security companies hired from out of town for the duration?

I have a reason for asking and will be happy to reply to anyone who asks, but right now I’m just trying to learn if this is a worldwide phenomenon or if it’s more cultural/geographical. I grew up hoping that at least one day I’d get to go watch the Kentucky Derby, or the Preakness or Belmont or Hambletonian, or Royal Ascot or the Grand National or THE Derby. Now I’m not so sure.

[Texarkana]

Not a resident, the race meetings at Churchill Downs, apart from Kentucky Derby week itself, don’t disrupt the flow of the entire city. They have racing several months out of the year and I’ve spent a lot of time there for racing and non-racing purposes. The Derby turns the town upside down, and many folks DO resent that. But at the same time, the whole city takes part in the festivities.

Lexington seems to handle the race meetings really well IMO and they don’t seem to disrupt life apart from traffic around the entrance. The locals I know embrace the racing; but I’m not a local. The crowd is generally a “horse savvy” crowd. The fact that the track itself isn’t walkable to the city proper seems to give partygoers a chance to sober up before flooding the city.

Saratoga is a different animal, being a much smaller town with only one month of live racing. I haven’t spent enough time there to gauge the local perception, but it seems positive.

Drunken debauchery is MUCH worse at steeplechases than at a typical day of flat racing IMO (barring major events). The steeplechases have embraced the upper middle class, college-age tailgating crowd as their chief proprietors.

[LaurieB]

I can only speak for Lexington (as a resident) but aside from an increase in traffic in the area when Keeneland closes for the day the influx of racegoers isn’t much of a problem at all. Sure people get drunk and some act stupid, but they are mostly in the parking lot with the tailgaters and the tour buses, not in the grandstand or near the horses. And since “downtown” or any residential areas are quite a distance away from the track, the only people the drunks would be likely to pee on is each other.

Yes, the money makes a big difference to the local economy (as does the business brought to town by the Keeneland sales.) I would guess that most people who come for the races eat at the many wonderful local restaurants rather than the chains. They also shop and buy gas, and visit the nearby bourbon distilleries. Having the racing here is a huge plus to living in Lexington, not a detriment.

[STB_Tissa]

I live about 2 hours from Saratoga, so all my experience is as a visitor and my short time as a groom at the harness track.

The city of Saratoga Springs is approximately 29 square miles, has a population of 27,763 according to the city info page, and there is only one major interstate type roadway, Route 87 (aka The Northway). Routes 29, 9 and 50 are the three largest routes that go right into the city.

Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga Casino Hotel (the Harness tracks new name) are across the street from one another and both are basically in residential back yards. The Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, Fasig Tipton and the Oklahoma track are across Union from the Race Course. Rood and Riddle is maybe a mile or two from the Race Course. Other major attractions include Saratoga State Park, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Polo, the natural springs, the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame and Saratoga Lake, and all of those are about 5 miles from the tracks. All that to say, there are MANY attractions in a relatively small area.

On Travers Day, August 26, there were also two car shows, a Luke Byran concert at SPAC, open house at the Dance Museum, a musical on Broadway (Rt. 50), Harness racing, and a benefit at the Eagles. That’s a whole lot of people in one small area on one day.

Anyone who has or works at a business that benefits from all the people coming in for the various events around the city I’d have to guess is happy about the increase in traffic while the Thoroughbreds are in town. I’ve heard that some residents hate the Thoroughbred meet because they think racing is cruel, though I’d bet you’ll get that in any area with a track. This year was especially bad because of a record number of breakdowns. Oddly enough, many don’t even seem to realize there is racing nearly year round at the harness track.

Many people who are local but don’t live in Saratoga Springs, will do just about anything to avoid downtown during race days. The rest of the year it’s very easy to get anywhere you need or want to go in the city, but when the Thoroughbreds are in town it’s a lot more difficult. My experience is it’s the pedestrians that make travel downtown much more difficult. My daughter goes to a camp 20 miles from Saratoga and we take Rt. 29. I’m not sure of the mileage, probably only about 3 or 4 that are downtown and near the track, but it’s hell driving that little stretch on race days.

Personally I love racing, I’d love to get the chance to go to both tracks more. I worked at the harness track one winter for a few months, and I’ve been to the flat races twice. I’d really love to be in town in the more backstretch areas of town during the Thoroughbred meet. Broadway and the touristy areas I’ll leave to the summer crowd during the meet.

[JER]

@Rackonteur

right now I’m just trying to learn if this is a worldwide phenomenon or if it’s more cultural/geographical.

Maybe you should include ‘Cheltenham’ in your thread title. :lol:

During the Festival, racegoers are everywhere.