Hollywood Park at the Finish Line

I found out about a week ago that Hollywood Park, where I first saw live horse racing, will close at the end of the year. It seems the land is too valuable, and that developing the land will prove more feasible in the long run.

Now known as Betfair Hollywood Park, the track and surrounding land was purchased in 2005 by Hollywood Park Land Co., and with a business name like that, you just knew what was on the horizon. Looks as though they’re planning housing, commercial centers, parks and an entertainment complex. The Hollywood Park Casino (cards) will remain.

I remember going to Hollywood Park when I was in college. As we drove through Inglewood, we were approached at every stoplight by people selling tout sheets with “guaranteed winners.” I forget what they wanted for their tips, but I think it was something like $5.

Of course, being poor college students, we didn’t have $5 to spare. In fact, we only brought $10 or so to wager – two bucks on a race, to win, or across the board. We'd drive away, the touts yelling obscenities at us in every language imaginable.

The thing is, we knew nothing about the science of horse race wagering. It meant nothing to us to read the Daily Racing Form because we weren’t regulars and had no idea what the previous results of each horse meant. All I knew was that if the horse looked good, I would bet on it. The problem was that ALL the horses looked good. I mean, they were thoroughbreds, for crissake.

Anyway, we tried all sorts of methods to pick winners. The craziest was going to the restroom. As we peed, we’d count the seconds it took to empty our bladder. One-two-three-four … all the way to the end of the race post positions, then we’d start over. Whatever number we ended up on was the post position we’d bet on.

I peed away more money than you can imagine. The only time I ever got to go to the payoff window was when one of my horses came in third. I collected $2.80 on my $2 bet (but I did get my $2 back as well).

But y’know, it was fun. I saw some good races there, including the Hollywood Gold Cup. Never saw a Kentucky Derby winner or potential participant, however. The greatest horse I ever saw was the big, black gelding, Native Diver, who won the Gold Cup three times in a row.

I also saw Willie Shoemaker and Eddie Arcaro race, and I ate a lot of hotdogs there. And yes, I cut class to go to the races. But shhhh, don’t tell that to the wife.