Off to the Races!

Hipódromo de Palermo Horse Races Buenos Aires

The mare’s name was “Kill Me Now”. Without a doubt, this was the horse I would be betting on.

Minutes later, bet slip crumpled in my clenched fist, I was at the railing, screaming at the top of my lungs: “KILL ME NOW!” “Please kill me now!! Come on, come on KILL ME NOW! It would make me so happy.”

We didn’t win a thing the whole day long, but when you’re only making three-peso bets, it hardly matters. Jürgen and I always have a good time gambling, and the Hipódromo de Palermo was a great place to do some light wagering. Constructed in 1876, the complex is huge, with a lovely neoclassical central tribune. We kept to the free seats, and spent a little time wandering around, checking out the horses.

Equestrian activities are a big part of the Porteño social life, from racing to polo, and also a strange game called pato, which used to involve ducks, before the advent of all those bothersome animal rights organizations. If you’re in the mood for a fun day at the track, horse races are a frequent occurrence in the summer, until early May.

Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo

This Post Has 5 Comments

  1. Angela

    John was just saying he wanted to go to the horse races here. Looks like a lot of fun. I’m surprised they let you take photos. Some friends were visiting me a few years ago and went to the hippodrome. They were told by security to put their cameras away (a bit like your Belgrano experience). Glad they didn’t stop you. The photos are beautiful, as usual.

    1. Juergen

      Angela, you didn’t even know what I had to go through to take those pictures. Just kidding. But I did had a thing with security there twice. They didn’t want me to take pictures of the area where they present the horses before the races. Bastards!

      Thank you for the compliment! Makes my day 🙂

  2. Jime

    I loved all the photos and their names, “Sad Looser” jajajajajjajajajajja and then “super sad looser” JAJAJAAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJKAJJAJAJ
    why on earth you wanna find a “murderously-inclined porteño” ????? jajajajaj

    You made me laugh a lot with this post! 😀

  3. laiba

    The pic of the short jockey and tall blonde is priceless. He’s staring straight ahead, which just happens to be at her breast level. No question this motivated him to ride to victory!

  4. Raul

    Some friends were visiting me a few years ago and went to the hippodrome. They were told by security to put their cameras away (a bit like your Belgrano experience). Glad they didn’t stop you. The photos are very beautiful. I will see soon ! Thanks

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