TheLoneRider
a seeker in search of Easter Eggs
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Horse Racing at the The Royal Bangkok Sports Club Sep 8, 2018

Horse Racing at the The Royal Bangkok Sports Club

Location: The Royal Bangkok Sports Club, Bangkok, Thailand
Website: www.rbsc.org

Just Curious
My Dad used to race horses together with his friends - that's what I grew up with. I'd hear them talk about horses, being at the track, winning and losing, the could-have-beens and the should-have-beens. I even remember one guy, Tito Romy to me, a brilliant guy who co-wrote an important legislation in the Philippines, who gave everything up to do a fulltime career in horse racing. Mention a horse name to him and he'll tell you how many wins, when it ran, what kind of track the horse was good at, winning time, etc. Amazing! I wanted to see the world he sees. But horse racing never really interested me. But there is a lot of hype about horse racing. There are even a handful of good movies about horse racing - Secretariat, Seabiscuit, Hidalgo, etc. When I heard a hostel guest say he was going to the races, I got curious and asked if he could tag me along. I wanted to see what I was missing.

Heads Up on Conventions
Getting to the races was painless. You could walk it from the Siam BTS station. Approaching the venue, we came upon vendors selling race programs and renting out binoculars. Entrance tickets were B50, B100 and higher for the VIP area. We took the B100 for ringside viewing. Betting was done right in the premises. Minimum bet was B50 and max was B40k. Spectators can only see the homestretch so there's a big jumbotron to see the horses when they're off from the other side of the hippodrome. Races were 35 minutes apart and the course was 1200 meters long. The horses ran on manicured grass - not on soil. According to my companion, the horse breed in this race are British horses. Apparently, in horse racing, there are 2 breeds - British which are larger, and Arabian stallions. They don't get mixed up in a race. Most of the attendees were old males - perhaps it's their diversion for the week. There were a few females but it was clearly a male sport. Racing is done every other Sunday.

Betting
On the 2nd race, I placed the minimum bet - B50, in the hope it might get exciting for me. My horse came third to the last. So much for excitement. After the 2nd race, I thought I've seen enough and went ahead of my companion.

Ending Thoughts
I got a sense of the excitement amongst the veteran afficionados who probably waited 2 weeks to be there. For me though, it was too much of a waiting game - 35 minutes between races. Besides you don't get to see the entire race...only the part where they near the homestretch. So you get about 10 seconds of viewing before it ends and another 35 minutes of waiting begins. It's like fishing or surfing...a lot of waiting for something to happen - but that's just me. I was never a gambling man. It's one case of "done it and moving on". Whatever the magic is will have to remain a mystery.

--- TheLoneRider
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street vendors selling race cards and renting binoculars
vendors lining up the street
admission gate
horses being warmed-up
horses with jockeys
horse and rider entering the track
crowd building up
majestic skyline on the race track
huge jumbotron for the spectators
horses heading to the starting gate
betting stations
waiting for the race to start

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Bangkok Blogs by TheLoneRider
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  2. Bangkok for Passport Renewal Mar 17-21, 2021
  3. Bangkok with $19 Dec 8-11, 2018
  4. 30 Days - Goodbye Bangkok Nov 8, 2018
  5. Revolving Peoplescape of Bangkok Oct 8 - Nov 8, 2018
  6. Food and Friendship at Dalad Vietnamese Oct 8 - Nov 8, 2018
  7. Movie Review: First Reformed (2017) Nov 6, 2018
  8. Doing Online Work at The Work Loft Nov 5, 2018
  9. Window Seat [His Precious] Nov 1, 2018
  10. Surreal Odyssey at Bangkok Float Center Oct 29/31, 2018
  11. Bangkok Halloween with Rinna and Steve Oct 27, 2018
  12. Push-Ups Oct 22/24, 2018
  13. Pad Thai at Thip Samai, Bangkok Oct 16, 2018
  14. Birthday Walkabout Oct 16, 2018
  15. Coming to Terms with Donations Oct 14, 2018
  16. Feelin' Da Blues at Adhere the 13th Blues Bar Oct 12, 2018
  17. Visiting the Grand Palace of Thailand Oct 12, 2018
  18. A Web Mandate in Bangkok Oct 8, 2018
  19. 29 Days in Bangkok: Thank You and Goodbye Aug 27 - Sep 24, 2018
  20. Calling the Bangkok Police Sep 23, 2018
  21. Movie Review: Mindfulness and Murder (2011) Sep 22, 2018
  22. Yoga Inversions at Now's Fitness Gym Sep 19, 2018
  23. Flow Yoga with Teacher Kea at Now's Fitness Sep 18, 2018
  24. Movie Review: Under Construction (2015) Sep 15, 2018
  25. Walking Tour of Little India Sep 15, 2018
  26. Vinyasa Yoga with Teacher That at Now's Fitness Sep 14, 2018
  27. Abs Workout with Teacher San at Now's Fitness Sep 13, 2018
  28. Vinyasa Yoga with Teacher That at Now's Fitness Sep 14, 2018
  29. Abs Workout with Teacher San at Now's Fitness Sep 13, 2018
  30. Exercise Ball Workout with Teacher Bie at Now's Fitness Sep 11, 2018
  31. Exploring the Amphawa Floating Market Sep 9, 2018
  32. Exploring the Tree-Engulfed Wat Bang Kung Temple Sep 9, 2018
  33. Parting of the Maeklong Railway Market with a Passing Train Sep 9, 2018
  34. Exploring Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Sep 9, 2018
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Bangkok Map
Google Map

Bangkok, Thailand

hotels in Bangkok HOTEL

Adventure Hostel Bangkok - N7 BTS train stop, dorm rooms, great for solo travelers, laundry, roof deck, entertainment center, kitchen, all-day tea-coffee, fridge, clean
1541 Phahonyothin Rd. Payathai

restaurant in Bangkok RESTAURANT

Dalad Vietnamese Restaurant Dalad Vietnamese Restaurant - N7 BTS train stop, authentic Vietnamese cuisine, clean & hygienic, fresh green leafy vegetables
195 Soi Pradipat 19, Pradipat Road, Phayathai

spa and wellness in Bangkok SPA / WELLNESS

Bangkok Float Center Bangkok Float Center - experience a surreal sensory immersion as you effortlessly float on 10 inches of water, 5-stars from 524 Tripadvisor reviews
99/6-9 SHOW DC Retail and Entertainment Mega Complex (4th Floor)

gyms on On Nut, Bangkok GYM| gyms on On Nut, Bangkok YOGA

Now's Fitness Bangkok - gym equipment, yoga, Muay Thai, boxing, fitness trainer, cafe, healthy food
726 Soi On Nut 14 Rd, Khwaeng Suan Luang, Khet Suan Luang, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10250


Useful Information

Bangkok Cost Index

as of Sep 4, 2018: US$1 = Baht 32 = Php 53

  • Bht 60 sm, 90 big one mug draft beer
  • Bht 13 1.5 liter drinking water
  • Bht 220 one hour massage
  • Bht 60-80 muesli breakfast
  • Bht 60-80 tom yum soup in modest eatery
  • Bht 25-30 coffee
  • Bht 30-50 pad thai
  • Bht 350 Adventure Hostel lodging
  • Bht 20-30/load laundry, coin operated machine
  • Bht 7 bus ride
Transport Maps of Bangkok
  1. Chao Phraya Express, MRT, BTS, Khlong boats, Airport Link
  2. Bus Routes: 1-14
  3. Bus Routes: 15-30
  4. Bus Routes: 32-49
  5. Bus Routes: 50-70
  6. Bus Routes: 71-88
  7. Bus Routes: 501-516
  8. individual bus routes
Bangkok to Chiang Mai by Train from Bang Sue Train Station

For more train info: Bangkok to Chiang Mai trains - departing from Hua Lamphong - MRT (Bangkok)

(I'm using Bang Sue as a starting point because I was closer to it, but you may be closer to the Hua Lamphong station)

  1. take the MRT train to Bang Sue Station. Take the #1 Exit to the north provincial trains
  2. Proceed to Counter 2. You will see an information booth, a train schedule chart and the ticket counter. Choose the train and pay at the ticket counter.
  3. daily train schedule:
    • 8:48am - #7 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 7:30pm, not sleeper, B638
    • 2:06pm - #109 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 4:05am, sleeper
    • 6:31pm - #9 Premium Train, arrive Chiang Mai 7:15am, sleeper, B938 upper deck, B1038 lower deck
    • 7:56pm - #13 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 8:40am, sleeper, B768 upper deck, B838 lower deck
    • 10:22pm - #51 Train, arrive Chiang Mai 12:10pm, sleeper, 3rd class B270 (non sleeper), 2nd class B438, B728 upper deck, B798 lower deck

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