BENSALEM, Pa. -- As a surprise for her 85th birthday, Catherine Williams' family took her to Philadelphia Park, a thoroughbred race track, in Bucks County for one simple reason.
"I like to see the horses," Williams sa id from the park's picnic area.
She would be the first to tell the others in attendance, most of whom congregated in the clubhouse far from the live action, that they were missing out.
At a race track with nearly unparalleled access to the paddock and the winner's circle and a picnic area just a few feet feet from the home stretch, last Saturday's was an indoor crowd.
Hundreds of patrons with their simulcast programs and Daily Racing Forms gathered around televisions and explored their wagering options. And you'd be surprised how many ways there are to put your dollar on the line.
From the confines of Philadelphia Park, you could bet on races at 38 tracks on Saturday alone. The tracks ranged from as far away as Australia and as close as a couple hundred feet over your right shoulder.
But it was what happened at Philadelphia Park itself, on that one-mile dirt oval that separates Philadelphia Park from the Turf Club on Market Street.
Previously considered the minor leagues of thoroughbred racing compared to the New York, Kentucky or California circuits, the reputation of Pennsylvania racing changed with the emergence of Smarty Jones onto the national scene.
Born in Pennsylvania and trained by Philadelphia-based John Servis, Smarty Jones was stabled at Philadelphia Park and won his first race here. He would later go on to win his first stakes race here as well, before winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes this year.
While signs of Smarty's success are found all over the facility in the form of banners and memorabilia, a different three-year-old stole the show Saturday for the few who ventured outside to see her.
Ashado, trained by New York's top trainer, Todd Pletcher, went off at 1-5 odds and cruised home for an easy victory in the $250,000 Grade 2 Cotillion Handicap, the second-biggest race on the Philadelphia Park racing calendar.
Topping the undercard, 3-2 favorite Abbondanza took the lead at a blistering pace and held on to win the six furlong Gallant Bob Handicap in 1:08, just one-fifth of a second off the course record.
The day had everything from $4,000 claimers to the superb Ashado, who is now on her way to the $2 million Grade 1 Breeders Cup Distaff. It had everything from the $2.40 return on a $2 bet on Pletcher's filly to a $9,244.40 payout for a $2 trifecta in the third race.
As members of the media and precious few fans took the opportunity to stand just a few feet from Ashado in the winner's circle, most of the crowd was already delving into previous races at dozens of other tracks across the nation.
Saturday at the park was marketed as a day to enjoy great racing, family fun and the beauty of the picnic grove in the fall." But with the exception of the Catherine Williamses of the world, it was never about anything other than the betting.
