Collecting Racecourses
There are a lot of ways to enjoy an afternoon at the races: own a horse, meet friends an have a beer together, betting, people watching…..Some (rare) species of racegoers like to travel and see the races all over the world.
Why?
The rules of races are nearly identical worldwide. Provided the racecard is written in Latin letters, it is relatively easy to understand it, even in such exotical languages like Finnish or Malayan. On the other hand, it is interesting to explore the differences. Because of the British and French supremacy over big parts of the world you will find horderacing nearly everywhere. Even in south America it is more popular than in Spain itself, the former colonial ruler. In this way you may find new interesting destinations everytimes. Often it is possible to combine “classical” sightseeing with the races. But visiting racecourses never is a part of organized tours. So you are forced to come in contact with the locals. Normally you meet friendly and helpful people on the way to the racetracks and, of course, at the races. Sometimes there is the opportunity for things/actions that would never be possible at home: view a race from the steward`s tower, talk with jockeys and see their facilities on the racecourse, be a passenger on the starting car for the trotters etc. Great hospitality.
Among the football fans there is a group called “groundhoppers”. They visit soccer stadiums, some of them are organized in clubs. We are “racecourse hoppers” and this is more difficult because the number of racecourses is much smaller than the number of football stadiums. For us this is the best hobby in the world.