It only happens once a year for a few days, which is both a pity and part of the reason it's so exciting.  Horse-racing is back at Atlantic City Race Course over the next week for the only five days of the year.

The famous racetrack once attracted large crowds and celebrity horsing enthusiasts like Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack buddies in the 50's and 60's.  But the track fell on hard times during Atlantic City's casino era and finally closed as a full-time race course in 1998.

Atlantic City Race Course is now used as a simulcast facility, showing races from around the country to a small, but devoted group of regulars.  But there's no excitement in simulcasting.  It's always seemed rather dull and uninteresting to me as a casual fan of the horses.

What's exciting is the horses!  The smell, the look, the pageantry, the shear beauty of the horses and the grace and athleticism they show running around the track is what makes horse racing so special.

Well, for a few days, Atlantic City Race Course is about to feel that excitement again during their 2013 All Turf Festival.  You see, part of the agreement to allow simulcasting is the stipulation that the course must host a few days of live racing each year.

Don't blink or you'll miss it, because this will be the only live racing at Atlantic City Race Course this year. The excitement is back, but only for a short while.

If you want to reconnect with the excitement of live racing or introduce it to your next generation, it is post time, my friend!

Here is the schedule of events at Atlantic City Race Course for this year's All Turf Festival, taken from the race course's website. Tell me your memories of Atlantic City Race Track in the comments section below.

2013 ALL-TURF FESTIVAL

APRIL 25 - 28 & APRIL 30 - MAY 1, 2013

  1. 6 Turf Races Daily featuring the 8th Running of the $50,000-Added Tony Gatto Dream Big Stakes
  2. Gates open at 11:00 am • 3:30 First Post daily
  3. FREE ADMISSION & FREE PARKING
  4. FREE Handicapping & Newbie Seminars with “Hudg” beginning at 2pm in the Paddock
  5. NEW OPEN-AIR BAR in the Beer Garden
  6. NEW Outdoor betting pavilion
  7. Children welcome

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