Happy Times/Happy Valley

Every Wednesday night crowds from Hong Kong leave their regular watering holes for a night at the races. Last night I made my first trip to The Happy Valley Racecourse, where I met a few girlfriends for a night of horses, cocktails and some light gambling!

My first ever bet!

The basic admission is HK$10 and provides you with standing room only at the track level. If you feel like splurging, there are seats available for HK$20 and up. Of course, standing in crowds on the track level isn’t really ideal for actually viewing the races, but you can see the woosh of the horses go by and feel the pounding under your feet (which is actually pretty cool). And you’re closer to the beer stands….

We weren’t there too long before it started raining (side note: it has been raining off and on for the past 2 weeks here in HK). Despite the rain, the races went on and we took cover in the stadium’s seating area. Sadly, because of the rain, I wasn’t able to get the really cool, close up horse photos I dreamed of getting – but maybe next time.

I placed my first bet (HK$20, big spender!) for race number 8 on horse 3, Super Marshal.  Sadly, Super Marshal came in 10th place. But hey, there’s always next week!

Despite the rain, crowds cheered for the passing horses.