To thoroughbred horse racing fans, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia is the place to go this winter. The Park offers live horse racing in the backdrop of the magnificent San Gabriel Mountains. Except for occasional tourists, horse racing fans are not there for the scenery but to bet and win on horse races. Thoroughbred racing fans also called handicappers are using race programs and tip sheets to analyze and bet on horse races. To the handicappers, winning a bet on a horse race is like smoking marijuana. There is the euphoria of watching the horses run in the oval track. When the horses run toward the finish line, the fans roar urging their favorite horse to edge ahead and win. After a race, fans with winning tickets are showing exhilaration by…show more content… These peer groups can be heard debating on their choices of horses to win. On some groups, one member within the group is in charge of placing bets on a race. On one occasion, I have seen a multi-generational group in which the women were giving money to the elderly man, who I assume was their father, to bet on the coming race. Finally, these racing fans come out in clusters of groups to the outside in front of the racing track to watch and cheer for their favorite horses. On President’s Day at 2 pm, the grandstand terrace was half-filled with fans of at least two thousand.
To increase the chance of winning, thoroughbred racing fans use handicapping guides to select horses to wager on a race. Handicapping guides are race programs, tip sheets, and newspaper-style racing forms that ranked horses. At close inspection, one particular racing guide, “The Daily Racing Form”, contains data such as a horse past performances, jockeys, owners, and trainers. On two occasions, I observed that most fans have at least one of these racing guides. Furthermore, I had seen several sections inside the grandstand that are like a cafeteria occupied by handicappers but instead of food, handicapping guides lay on the table. In this scenario, the fans look like researchers in a library. In addition to these handicapping sections, there are sections that are like a stock exchange where handicappers are standing, facing, and