Racing horses in Cologne
So I decided to go to the horse races in Cologne. Firstly, I love horses and secondly, I have not been to horse races since I was a kid from what I remember. I thought it would be interesting and as it turned out, it was a great way to spend the afternoon. It was a busy place. It is a fun and quirky atmosphere.
Horses being paraded about before the race
For anyone who has not been to horse racing – this is the process – or at least the process in Cologne. You pay an entry fee and get a program – it’s all in German so I was not even going to consider betting since I didn’t understand what I was reading. I made some guesses but they rarely turned out to be winners. So before a race, the horses in that race are paraded about in a small ring – first on their own and then with their riders. It gives the spectators – aka betters – a chance to check them out close up and likely to determine which horse to be on. They have stats in the program too but I don’t know much about horse racing to tell you much about them. Then the horses head to the racing track. So does the entire audience.
Horses are lead onto the track
It is actually quite amusing to watch a mass of people move back and forth through an area for each race. It’s quite a routine. There is not a lot of down time but in between checking the horses out and watching the race there is food to eat and drinks to drink and bets to make. Given that I am not much of a gambler I made some guesses on my own on winning horses based on such sophisticated things as uniform design and colours being worn by the jockeys, name of the horse, look of the horse … sometimes my horse placed, but most of the time I wasn’t even close. But the races were exciting and adrenaline producing. They didn’t last long but the entire process for about 9 races took about 6 hours.
The sterile betting hall
There were certainly some grizzly seasoned better who make this their regular thing. There were people of all ages and from all backgrounds. And you definitely got a feeling that it was a place to be seen. Sadly I didn’t have any really dressy duds to wear to stand out in this place of fashion and etiquette. But it was a fun day out … at the races.
This betting dog was so cute to watch as he calmly waited in the hall
Wow! Aren’t you the cultured person going to the races….good for you. Even if you didn’t understand the language/betting, it sounds like you had fun. 🙂
Thanks for giving me an insight into horse racing, which I’ve never experienced, but always wanted to. As always, I like your pictures, which tell the story.
I’m curious: is the entry fee reasonable?
Yup – only 6 euro which I think is very reasonable.