Horse Racing In Bangkok!

[DirkGently]

Does anybody know if the horse tracks are open on 12-08-07? If so, which track is open?

The reason I ask is that it is H.M the Queen's birthday and I was wondering if it would be biz as usual.

Any advice would be great.

[DirkGently]

Is it really just me that likes a bet?

[POMPOOEYMAN]

I WONDER IF YOU CAN HELP ME WITH SOME INFORMATION.

HOW MANY TRACKS ARE THERE IN BANGKOK.

WHEN DO THEY USUALLY RACE.

AND HOW DO YOU BET IN A COUNTRY THAT OUTLAWS GAMBLING.

I HOPE YOU CAN ANSWER SOME OF MY QUESTIONS AND I AM SORRY THAT I COULD NOT ANSWER YOURS.

THANKS POMPOOEYMAN

[DirkGently]

At first glance Pompooeyman, your post comes across as rather facetious. Missing question marks and silly smilies gave me that impression, but maybe your just new in town.

As far as I know there are two tracks in BKK, both close to Silom. One of which you can see from the skytrain.

To the best of my knowledge there are races every Sunday, at either one track or the other.

As for question 3, I will try not to mention Pattaya, girls, a legaly defined age of for a prostitute in a country that 'outlaws' prostitution or, for that matter, a country where lottery tickets are on sale. Anyway, you go to the booth and state the name of the horse and hand over your money.

It's a great day out and you just don't know who you will be rubbing shoulders with.

[GreenShone]

I used to watch hourse racing, but I feel silly wearing a HAT.

[p_brownstone]

Does anybody know if the horse tracks are open on 12-08-07? If so, which track is open?

The reason I ask is that it is H.M the Queen's birthday and I was wondering if it would be biz as usual.

Any advice would be great.

The Racing on Sunday, 12 August will be at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club on Henri Dunant Road - starts at 12.15 but gates open around 11.00 I believe.

I am not sure if you have been before but unless you can arrange to be invited by a Sports Club Member you will only have access to the Public Stand which is not a particularly nice place, since most of the rece-goers are from the lower end of Thai society. Even the Members enclosure is not as upscale as on a usual non-race day since it is crowded with "Racing Members" , largely up-country Owners and associated hangers-on who are olny eligible to enter on race days. Lots of flashy Gold and Diamond jewelry, necklaces and watches, and that's just the men.

Oh - and armed Military Police in attendance just in case.

You certainly won't mistake it for Ascot or the Melbourne Cup.

To answer the other Posters questions:

Racing takes place on alternate Sundays at the R.B.S.C. and at the Turf Club in Nang Lerng, except when the day is Wan Phra in which case it is usually held on the preceeding Saturday (this week for example, 27 July, racing is at R.B.S.C. but on Saturday 28th.).

All betting is on the Tote system, although both Courses have a lot of illegal - private - bookmakers.

You can buy Form Books on the day but they are all in Thai and pretty useless anyway since the results of many races are - shall we say - pre-ordained.

The "Horses" are really "Ponies" by International height standards.

Patrick

[DirkGently]

Thanks Pat, that was just the kind of time and date advice I needed. You really seem to know what is what. Any tips?

Thanks, I have been before and find the 'lower orders', as it were, to be part of the experience. The idea of flash watches and people being judged by their mobile phone would add nothing for me.

I will putting bets on any name with 'green' in it in honour of the most bizzare post ever from Greenshone.

[POMPOOEYMAN]

Thanks to everyone with the advice.

I have been racing all over the world but never in thailand.

Please do not think i am being fecicious when i ask questions like how do you put a bet on.

If you have never been try placing a bet in dubai without having a mobile phone and a foreign bookmakers account.

I can't wait to get stuck in. Does anyone know the different bets the tote does.

STAY LUCKY !

POMPOOEYMAN

[t.s]

a freind of mine wrote an article for newsweek about 3 or four years back based on facts provided by a foreign jockey trainer explaining how bad the fix was on thai horse racing.

the trainer/jockey was forced to leave the country rather hurriedly shortly thereafter with only the clothes on his back.

corruption is more ingranied in thai horse racing than government. (the two are often related of course)

Rigging the Races

Thai horse racing is a big business--and terribly corrupt. Worse, no one is willing to bet on reform

By Joe Cochrane | Aug 19, 2002 | 1080 words, 0 images

At first glance, Satish Sehgal might seem to be a horse-racing psychic. He has an uncanny ability to pick the winners at any of Thailand's racetracks. Seated with a program booklet at the posh Royal Bangkok Sports Club one recent Sunday, Sehgal took seconds to dissect the field just before post time of the third race. "Here--these 10 horses are going to finish way back in the pack," he says, marking them off with a pencil, "and among the remaining five, one of these three will win." Minutes later the horses cross the finish line--exactly as he predicted.

Sadly, Sehgal is no psychic. Rather, he is in the loop about one simple fact: Thai horse racing is rigged. The industry, which is one of the biggest in Asia, stands alone in terms of corruption. Many powerful horse owners regularly collude to pick the winners and losers, making millions of dollars in gambling profits at the expense of average fans. "It's criminal," says Sehgal, an Indian-Thai who is a prominent member of the Royal Bangkok's general committee. "They all know each other, so they can call each other and see which horses are trying."

unfortunately the article is on a pay service, so this is all i could find

Edited July 27, 2007 by t.s