While I was traveling through Buenos Aires I had the opportunity to stop by the horse track that is located not far from the center of town. It is called San Isidro Hipodromo, and is a pretty cool horse track. I didn't grow up going to horse races, but after going to the University of Kentucky I became addicted to going to them. Keeneland horse track was located really close to the University of Kentucky in Lexington, and it is one of the best tracks I have ever been to. When I heard that there was a track in Buenos Aires I had to go and check it out.
I ended up going with two friends that I had met in Buenos Aires on a Saturday night. I went with Dan from Australia and Eugenia who is from Bs As. Neither one of them had ever been to a trac
k before so I was really excited for them. Eugenia ended up driving us to the track so it was really easy to get there. It cost like 5 pesos for general admission so it wasn't that expensive. It turned out to be a great alternative for me, because it was cool to see what locals do and where they hang out. The horse track is not on every tour guide and "must see" lists in Buenos Aires, but I knew that we'd have a fun day by drinking a couple of Quilmes and betting on a couple horses.
We had arrived with 5 minutes before the betting windows close for the 3rd race. I usually just lay a bet down no matter what just to do it to see if luck is on my side. I basically give the house my money, because I never win the first race. Dan, who bet on a long shot to win, hit the first race and won 90 pesos. We celebrated a little bit after that, and Dan bought a couple of Quilmes and dinner at the track for the 3 of us. It wasn't a bad way to start the day!
We stayed for about 6 races. There is about a 35-50 minute break between each race. So it could be a long day if you stay for all the races. We ended up walking around to different seats and checking out different parts of the track. There isn't a bad view from any seat in the whole place. The races throughout the day varied in length, and also changed from dirt to grass almost every other race. I didn't picked a winner the whole day, but Dan and Eugenia both hit a couple of races. I told them it was beginners luck, and I was really happy that they had a good day at the track.
The track is not really about winning or losing, but about having a good time. As a budget traveler I don't recommend you to spend money that you don't have on gambling. But as a form of entertainment and a cool alternative to site seeing I'd recommend heading to the track. The biggest race of the year is in December and is called the Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini. This is supposed to be the best day to head to the track!
How to get to San Isidro
If you don't have a car though there are 3 buses that take you from downtown out to San Isidro They are line 60 from downtown and lines 15 and 21 from the PanAmericana Highway.
You can also take the the train that leaves from Retiro (barrio Recoletta) headed to El Tigre and is called Ferocarril Mitre. It is 1 peso and you have to get off at the San Isidro stop. This is a pretty easy and cheap way to get there.
The other option is a taxi. The taxi's aren't that expensive in Bs As, but the bus and the train are cheaper options. The address to the track is:
Av. Márquez 504 San Isidro(1642)
Provincia de Buenos Aires. Argentina.
When does the track have races?
The track runs twice a week for the entire year. Most races are on Wednesday and Saturday. The web site for the track does not have the schedule in English, but you can still read the month and the numbered days on this calender to see when the races are scheduled. http://www.hipodromosanisidro.com/home_f.htm. The site shows up in Spanish, but you can click the top right hand corner to switch it to English. To get the the schedule you have to click on the menu bar: Carreras> then click on Proximas Programas.
