Estancieros and
mayor-domos have camp race-meetings once or twice yearly at all the
larger polo clubs, and at Palermo and Hurlingham every class of society
in Buenos Aires may be seen on the stands.
At Palmero race-meetings are held frequently, almost weekly in fact, on
Sunday afternoons; and the stands are generally well filled. On days of
festival, when there is a special programme, the place is crowded, and
these occasions correspond, more or less, with the more important
meetings in England.
The course is of earth, and perfectly flat, so that the only thing which
interferes with the view is dust. The stands are magnificent and the
different grades of society are divided by railings, while at the back
of each may be seen the row of offices of the "Sport," which is the
betting system of the country.
This consists of tickets, which are sold at a fixed price, with the name
of one of the entries. After the race there is a great rush to the
offices, made by those who have bought the winner, to collect their
winnings, which are the total receipts, minus a small percentage,
divided by the number of those who bought the winner. In this way a very
hot favourite will pay very little more than the original purchase
money, while an outsider who wins will pay his backers perhaps ten, or
even twenty times their deposit.
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