Thirty Two Inside, winner of the Kids To The Cup race, Amelia Baldree presenting trophy to winning trainer Jerry Hammond.

The first Kids to the Cup Day at Fairmount Park proved a rousing success. On Monday, June 25, 2001, 10 members accompanied by seven parents attended the races and enjoyed tours of the backside, track, steward's room and other various parts of the racetrack.

Arriving bright and early at 9 a.m. Pat Barrett, a Placing Judge, took the group on a backside tour. They started out touring the new barn at Fairmount Park that was built at a cost of $300,000 last year by William Stiritz, former CEO of Ralston-Purina. This new barn houses 40 horses and includes ceiling fans for each horse, a fly system and water sprinklers to keep them cool. In this barn the group met Scotty, a gray racehorse who greatly welcomed the attention.

The group watched a farrier change a horse's shoes, and then present each member with a souvenir shoe (with real racetrack dirt!). In one of the stalls near the shoeing was Lonely Lady, a mare running in the ninth race that the kids got to meet, pet and wish good luck.

At the conclusion of the barn tour, the group headed back to the Racing Office where Lori Oostdyk spoke about careers in racing and the importance of a college education. Next Pat Barrett took the group into the Clubhouse and up a series of stairs that led to other important parts of the track such as the announcers' booth, stewards' office and dark room.

KTTC members then toured the "Colors Room" where jockey silks are kepts. Here they learned that each jockey has a valet (pronounced "val-et" as opposed to "val-lay") that organizes silks the jockey will wear that afternoon. The group was informed that if an owner doesn't have his own silks, the jockey wears the silks of the trainer.

In the "Jock's Kitchen," where many track personnel, and jockeys, eat, the group got autographs from Fairmount jockeys such as John D. Hundley, Michael C. James, John C. Pabon Jr., John Woodley, Michael B. Durha, and Lindell Wells. They also met "the guy that pushes the button and lets the horses out" - starter Edgar Snyder.

After nearly three hours of getting their fill of the racetrack, it was time for lunch at the Black Stallion Café, courtesy of Fairmount Park.

Soon after the 1 p.m. first post most of the exhausted parents sat in the shade while the kids, still full of energy, ran from the paddock to a good vantage spot along the rail near the finish line. Following the second race the group was invited by Racing Director Bobby Pace into the paddock to see the horses saddled for the third race. Ironically, the KTTC group almost picked the Trifecta from this race, our pick was 3-5-6 and the result was 3-5-4-6. (Note: The "squish name" horse won! Whiskeygrunkagain!) Oh well.

The day wasn't over yet. For the fifth race the group watched the action from the Placing Judges room as the officials worked to keep track of the horses at each point in the race, including the all-important finish where a photo was required to separate third from fourth place.

The group knew they couldn't leave the track without meeting Cynthia Herman, "the Julie Krone of Fairmount Park". Cynthia welcomed the group into her jockey room where they talked about racing and the Kids to the Cup program. Cynthia Herman-Medina and her husband Nelson have had a kids day at the track for the past three years but it was not held this year due to problems at the track over harness racing purse distribution. The group watched the sixth race in Cynthia's room and she showed them her boots, silks, helmet, and identification number.

For the last two races Bobby Pace sat by our seats and enjoyed listening to the kids' "handicapping secrets"–which involved using the horse's name, foaling date or other methods. Member Marie Arnold's strategy of picking number 3 in each and ever race proved effective as that number won four times and placed three.

Finally, the long day ended. But the group had enjoyed themselves tremendously. In fact, plans are already in the works for the 2002 Fairmount Trip.