The Belmont Stakes

Saturday, June 7 is this year's Belmont Stakes. I have been going to the Belmont Stakes for many years. I don't know how long. It first started out with just me and my husband. We just used to drive over to Belmont Park, park the car, pay the admission and go in and see a day of horse racing. We used to stand by the fence, down by the track where the horses run. Then, my husband found out you could buy seats and he decided that we should do that from that point on. It was a really good idea because Belmont Stakes day is so packed with people, there's really no place to sit down and rest. One year, for some reason, he couldn't go. I went by myself. I had asked one or two of my friends if they wanted to accompany me but no one was available. Over the years our outing to the Belmont Stakes has grown and the size has varied. An individual can purchase up to 10 tickets. The ticket distribution is down by lotto. The order form goes into a bin and either yours is drawn or it isn't. This year my order was for 10 people. I'm the one in charge of purchasing the tickets because I'm on the mailing list so I get the order form automatically. Ten people going is so obnoxious and I think it caused me from having my name drawn even though it's done randomly, supposedly. I was there when the next-to-last Triple Crown Winner won in 1977-Seattle Slew. He was the last living Triple Crown winner who died in 2002. This year I think there's a real contender for the Triple Crown. My point is this: I haven't received the tickets yet and it's getting so close to the Preakness, it's this Saturday. They usually come right around now. I'm very worried that I'm not getting them this year and really, really pissed off.

After the racing day is over, we all trek over to a fantastic Italian restaurant nearby. The whole thing has become a ritual. Even though I hadn't received the tickets, I made the reservation in the restaurant because reservations fill up quickly on Belmont day. I was making the reservation for the 10 of us and the guy on the phone asked me to give him a credit card to hold the reservation. That was okay, but then he said he was going to put $100 through on the credit card. Honestly, I never heard of anything like that. Usually, you give the credit card # to hold your reservation, and then, if you don't show up he puts the charge through. I told him no, that I had never heard of anything like that and that he was the only restaurant in NY that does that. He told me he didn't know he was the only one. I asked him what would happen if I cancel the reservation. He told me he'd give me a credit. Don't think I believed that for one little second. I told him we go there often, (not true, we go once a year, occasionally twice a year) and that every time i make a reservation he gives me a hard time. He said that putting the charge through was there policy for parties of 10 or more. I told him to make the reservation for 8 people. When I get there, if I get there, I'll tell them to set 2 more places.

Well, it all may be a moot point anyway. It doesn't look like I'm going!