(Blogger's note: This is an unfinished entry. I hope to convert this into an essay sometime in the future.)
I’m quite certain a postcard picture of Lexington's Keeneland would look much different from the racetrack I attended in late June: Grants Pass Downs in Grants Pass, Oregon.
The highways we took from Ashland to Grants Pass follow the majestic Rogue River, where local anglers feed on fierce and strong steelhead salmon making their way from the ocean to spawn and give rise to a new generation. Several mountain ranges rise, forming the valleys and plains of this place, covered with evergreen trees. Several rivers cut through this sometimes harsh and beautiful landscape. The scent of evergreen filters through the air. This area is nice, and there’s much to brag about.
Maybe what this place won’t brag of is its horse racing track. It looks like a converted high school football stadium, complete with a scoreboard that reminds me of the one from the stadium at North Junior High School in Henderson, Ky., where I played sixth grade football. The infield of Grants Pass Downs is no longer used for football. Now, it’s a motocross track. The seats are those on which mothers and fathers all across the land sat for hours, watching children play football or soccer or march in the band. Bring a seat cushion or prepare to adjust your rear all day. Grants Pass Downs looks – in a word – amateurish.
But don’t for a minute believe this track wasn’t worth the forty-five minute drive. From the previous paragraph, one might think I'm snobby about my racetracks. Not so.
The highways we took from Ashland to Grants Pass follow the majestic Rogue River, where local anglers feed on fierce and strong steelhead salmon making their way from the ocean to spawn and give rise to a new generation. Several mountain ranges rise, forming the valleys and plains of this place, covered with evergreen trees. Several rivers cut through this sometimes harsh and beautiful landscape. The scent of evergreen filters through the air. This area is nice, and there’s much to brag about.
Maybe what this place won’t brag of is its horse racing track. It looks like a converted high school football stadium, complete with a scoreboard that reminds me of the one from the stadium at North Junior High School in Henderson, Ky., where I played sixth grade football. The infield of Grants Pass Downs is no longer used for football. Now, it’s a motocross track. The seats are those on which mothers and fathers all across the land sat for hours, watching children play football or soccer or march in the band. Bring a seat cushion or prepare to adjust your rear all day. Grants Pass Downs looks – in a word – amateurish.
But don’t for a minute believe this track wasn’t worth the forty-five minute drive. From the previous paragraph, one might think I'm snobby about my racetracks. Not so.
The top picture is the winner's circle at Grants Pass Downs. The bottom is action of the June 28 $10,000 John Deere Bonus Challenge, a 350-yard sprint won by six-year-old Hannibal Lector.
1 comments:
I've always wanted to go to that. I miss it every year. Sixteen of them so far.
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