It's all very good to have a "plan" but if you don't have tools and certain "comfort" items, you are going to spend the day fumbling. I've shown up at the track with things that I didn't use after all or I showed up without the most important things of the day. Make up a bag or list before the day you go to the races. Just showing up with your wallet and a Daily Racing Form under your arm won't do.
The first thing you will need is a folio of some sort. You will need something to catch those odd bits of paper (some are called bet tickets), take notes, hold your program while you get a beer, etc. I bought mine during the Breeder's Cup, and although one pocket is so tight as to be nearly useless, I can carry little things like an odds chart or my loge seat ticket. There is a secure place for my membership card and a built in calculator. Even a handy spot for an 8 1/2 x 11 note pad and a thoughtful pen loop. I would opt for a zippered version so nothing falls out. Don't forget a few pens or pencils and a highlighter. I also brought a few of those plastic sticky tabs to mark my place in my program.
You will need a bag you can carry all day. (Guys: a messenger bag is not a man purse. It's a casual briefcase.) Some tracks will restrict backpacks and oversized bags on certain race days so pick one that is about the size that would normally handle a laptop plus a few extras. Make certain your bag's strap is going to be comfortable all day. This bag is going to handle the portfolio and all the junk you will collect at the track. Tracks love to give things away. Most of them fit in my bag, but this weekend the beach umbrella just wouldn't fit. That necessitated a walk back to the car. I noticed I wasn't the only one not willing to walk around with a 3 foot long object that could be used to beat a clear spot along the rail.
Make an odds chart. Starting out you will not be able to remember that 8-5 is going to pay less than 2-1 but 9-2 is a horse that stands a pretty good chance of winning and paying better than either of the other two odds. I copied mine from the internet, printed it and did a poor man's lamination using clear packing tape. (This form of lamination will become your friend as you add other charts in your mix later.)
Get a membership at the Daily Racing Form online. It's free. You can print just the races you need from their website after paying a small fee for that day's card at a particular track. This is a great buy and less bulky than the newspaper edition. It will fit in your folio. The Daily Racing Form in its newsstand guise can be difficult to maneuver if you don't have a box or loge seat. Tables at tracks are hard to come by and are often taken up by the early birds who never give them up throughout the day. (Never remove the Daily Racing Form from a table. That paper is saving someone's seat.) Printing the Daily Racing Form ("DRF") at home also puts it on better paper. You can highlight and use markers without the bleed through.
Go online and check for the track's discount program. Santa Anita has The Thoroughbreds Club. Most of these clubs are free. Some, like Hollywood Park, let you sign up online. Most want a driver's license number to key the card to and you need to sign up in person. Get to the track early the first time to sign up. You can save money with free goodies, free admission offers, win contests and discounted entry.
Check the track's layout online. I prefer to pay a bit extra and sit in the clubhouse. It seems a bit quieter there and less crowded. You can also check parking and entry fees, whether the program is included in the price, where you will eat, etc.
Many tracks have a turf club. This club is much more expensive and usually has a strictly enforced dress code. I don't mind a couple of extra dollars to sit in the clubhouse, but paying fifteen to twenty dollars more to sit in business attire while listening to people drop hundreds, even thousands of dollars on single races while I'm there making little two dollar bets makes me feel a bit out of place.
Many tracks have a turf club. This club is much more expensive and usually has a strictly enforced dress code. I don't mind a couple of extra dollars to sit in the clubhouse, but paying fifteen to twenty dollars more to sit in business attire while listening to people drop hundreds, even thousands of dollars on single races while I'm there making little two dollar bets makes me feel a bit out of place.
Open an online betting account. There are several. I have one listed in my links here. I often go with just enough money to buy beer and lunch. I lay my bets at home using my online account. It's a stress free way to bet. You can check your bets carefully before committing and even cancel on a second thought. You don't have someone breathing down your neck waiting for you to finish your bets.
If you have the internet and an online account why go to the races? I go to the races to enjoy the fun of watching the races live. I could watch races for Santa Anita at home using CalRacing's simulcast but it's not the same as being there. Ask anyone who has been offered tickets to the Lakers, or the alternate of sitting at home and watching the game. Whether they have money on the game or not, they want to be there to feel the emotion. I could've stayed home and bet on the Breeder's Cup, watched the replay a few hours later on YouTube, but I would've missed the historic emotion that followed the spectacular win of Zenyatta in the Classic. In sports you never know when something historic might happen. The use of the online betting account is to keep you from betting too much and with too much emotion. Spend the twenty before you leave the house and don't take another twenty with you....yet. Many handicappers would disagree with me stating that things change right up to post time, but you're not there yet. You wouldn't understand a change in situation if it walked up, introduced itself and bought you a beer.
If you have the internet and an online account why go to the races? I go to the races to enjoy the fun of watching the races live. I could watch races for Santa Anita at home using CalRacing's simulcast but it's not the same as being there. Ask anyone who has been offered tickets to the Lakers, or the alternate of sitting at home and watching the game. Whether they have money on the game or not, they want to be there to feel the emotion. I could've stayed home and bet on the Breeder's Cup, watched the replay a few hours later on YouTube, but I would've missed the historic emotion that followed the spectacular win of Zenyatta in the Classic. In sports you never know when something historic might happen. The use of the online betting account is to keep you from betting too much and with too much emotion. Spend the twenty before you leave the house and don't take another twenty with you....yet. Many handicappers would disagree with me stating that things change right up to post time, but you're not there yet. You wouldn't understand a change in situation if it walked up, introduced itself and bought you a beer.
You might want to find an inexpensive pair of binoculars. I have a small pair that have a magnification of 10x25. They are compact, fit in the bag and give me a good view of the field, but they are not necessary since most tracks now have some sort of big board to watch the backstretch action on. When you do break down and buy a pair, skip the monster version that puts you in the saddle with the jockey. You'll think you're carrying around the horse after an hour or two. Plus they are god awful expensive. Remember, we're trying to keep it cheap here.
Take money for parking, entry, program, lunch and a beer or two, but not enough to do anymore betting if you have an online account. If you don't have an online account, take a twenty just for that purpose. Leave any card at home that is connected to an ATM. These evil machines are found at the tracks and beg you to do expensive withdrawals, betting the last bit of your paycheck, leaving you to starve until pay day.
Ok, you've got yourself together and have yourself armed for battle. Go have a great day at the races.
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