Auteuil Horse Track

Wine, Weather, and Winning (favorite things; week 2)
I had read about the Auteuil Horse Track in Hemingway's A Moveable Feast.  It captured his attention ---and now mine.  The weather certainly helped matters.  It was in the mid 70's on October 18th when we walked in the gate with our picnic lunch.  The first thing I noticed was the course.  In addition to the shear size, it is much different than anything I'd seen.  The horses run on grass (instead of dirt) and must complete obstacles (jumps over hedges and water hazards).  We saw just how dangerous it is firsthand.  On the fifth race there was an injured horse that was taken off the course in a horse ambulance (probably not an official term).  The following race a horse finished the course without his jockey.  Once we figured out the system we braved the betting windows and plunked down our euros.  My money was always on horse #12, regardless of his stats. It paid off in the final race.  My 4 euro bet netted me 32 euros. Enough to pay for my bets, my wine, and our admission.  I skipped all the way to the metro station.