Horse racing in Chiang Mai

Posted by admin on April 19th, 2010 filed in Attractions, Living here, tourist tips

If you fancy a bit of betting and a day out watching the sport of kings, few people know there is horse racing every Saturday just a few minutes from Chiang Mai. Yep, everyone can win or loose a fortune at the Kawila Officer’s Club, just north of the Superhighway where it meets Chiang Puak Road.

There is a huge grandstand from which to watch all the action which is filled with food vendors barbecuing satay skewers and chicken legs as well as hawkers flogging beer, soft drinks and nuts. The awning keeps the baking sun off visitors’ heads and there’s a surprisingly refreshing breeze keeping spectators wits up. And when the race starts a frenzy overtakes the once placid crowd as a sea of weathered faces get contorted into a thousand different gradients between anguish and joy.

Betting windows are on the ground floor and you can choose all manner of different ways of wasting your hard-earned cash. But the form guides are all in Thai so it’s probably worth bringing a local along to ensure you don’t choose a three-legged Trigger destined for the glue factory.