Golden Gate Fields Racetrack
Category: Arts & Entertainment [Edit]
1100 Eastshore Hwy(at Harrison St)
Berkeley, CA 94710 (510) 559-7300
- Good for Kids: Yes
71 reviews
Neighborhood: Downtown
"This club puts on the best live shows in the East Bay: Fishbone, Wisdom, Eek-a-Mouse, Barrington Levy, Buju Banton, Jennifer Johns, Lyrics…" read more »
31 Reviews for Golden Gate Fields Racetrack
I don't even bet on the horses (yet) but still love going to the track! It's good people watching and Sundays are the best with $1 dogs and beers.
After checking out GG Fields, I don't miss Bay Meadows any more. The food vendors are more diverse (pizza, Mex, BBQ, etc.) and there's a better view of the track.
Until the September opening...
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HALLELUJAH!!!! PRAISE THE HORSE!!!!
This is where the ghetto fabulous go to say their hallelujahs for $1 hot dogs and $1 budweisers on a Sunday afternoon and to praise the horse that brings them the money. This place is like a church for the rancheros, geriatrics and blingified oaktowners.
Mommy likes this house of worship, can I get an AMEN?
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You just can't go wrong on $1 Day: $1 beers & $1 hot dogs (not all beef). This is a great place to drink in the sun and people watch. I was here on the last day of the June races and an 80s cover band, Tainted Love, was performing. I hope they don't close this place like Bay Meadows.
"You're going to die, die, die, die, DIE!" Or so the raucous kids behind us thought during the final race of the day. Were they referring to the horses? The jockeys? The fans shivering as the sun set behind the grandstand? Creepy.
Look, if you're just looking to have fun blowing $20, there might be more fun to be had elsewhere, because there's a lot of dead time between races, but if you've got a good friend to bring along, and if one of you understands what's going on, a good time could be had here. If you've got a lot more to blow, you can always bet on the races going on across the country. I would definitely plan on putting a minimum bet on each race, just to make things interesting, give yourself a horse to root for, you know?
So I went on a dollar day Sunday. I hope y'all like sodium and liquid sugar as much as I do, because there's nothing like $1 hot dogs and pepsi (and beers, though that won't be for me until August).
Oh, oh man, I can't believe I almost forgot about the totally ballin' bugler. Oh man, aside from the traditional "Call to the Post", he'd totally bust out 80's hits. And after he finished, when he got applause, he's totally raise his bugle in the air. Total rock star.
Bring sunscreen.
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My employer sponsored a team event recently at the Turf Club and a great time was had by all! I'm usually "down below" so this was a real treat. The facilities are very nice and the buffet was excellent. And the seating "behind the glass" was pretty cool. We even got to go down after one of the races and have photo taken with the winning jockie. And when we were all done, it was just a short trip home.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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05/10/2008
I'm not much of a gambler, but it is fun to watch the ponies run and have just a few dollars riding… Read more »
Yay for dollar days! Hotdogs AND beers for a buck? I'm there. I seriously ate at least 4 hotdogs, and I'm not about to wager a guess as to how many beers were consumed. It was a beautiful day and it was great to be outside. I had an awesome time people watching and gossiping with my sister in law.
Minus one for my husband getting all stressed out when his horses didn't win. Wait a minute---they race HORSES here???
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And I went back yesterday for the last race of the season. I won! Nearly $140 bucks!!! Whoo Hoo!!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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06/09/2008
OMG, I had such a blast!
It was a perfect Sunday afternoon at the track. The sun was shining and… Read more »
a slap-happy, bet your pappy, sit on my lappy good time!
(go on dollar days only, and bring your sunscreen.)
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Whether you are hanging with the crowds, leaning across the fence, jockeying for the best view or you are sitting in the turf club, sipping your drink and being waited on hand and foot, Golden Gate Fields is a great place to go and spend some time.
My kids (they are in their 20's) love to go on $1 Sundays, sip on their cold ones and place their $1 bets. It's fun!
Came on a Sunday when they have dollar beers and hotdogs. My first time to play the horses and it was a great time. Would love to go back with someone who knows how to bet. At least I picked the winner a couple times.
Don't be fooled by the $8.00 valet when you can park just a couple hundred feet away for a dollar. Great views of Oakland/Berkeley hills and of course the Golden Gate bridge.
I love any race track, and my only reason for not giving this one the 5th star is that I practically have a near death experience when I have to take a left at the end of the Gilman exit off 80. Granted this is only for the horsemen's and clubhouse/turf parking, and while it's not the responsibility of the track, it's never a pleasant experience pretending to be Frogger.
On the better side of things, the views from this place are fantastic. You have Albany hill on one side, and then the Bay on the other. The view from Turf club bar of the Golden Gate Bridge is probably one of the best you can get. Although, I've heard a sports writer said the best view is from the men's bathroom in the turf club...I wouldn't know that but the view from the women's is pretty damn good.
The track has also recently installed a Tapeta racing surface, which is synthetic (carpet fibers, silica I think, etc...) and much safer for horses and riders, and also means that rain isn't as much of an issue during the winter meet as it once was.
One piece of advice is to remember that this place is right smack dab on the bay, so bring a coat as you'll almost certainly have a nice cool breeze all day long.
YES YES YES
Sunday Funday at its best.
1$ everything
beer, admission, hot dogs
YES YES YES
This is a good warmer upper before I go and watch the Kentucky derby later this year.
Fun fact for you.
Kentucky derby is the oldest major US sporting event
So yah..initially the draw of the dollar days at the races is what enticed me.
I mean...what doesn't sound awesome about dollar dogs, dollar admission, dollar parking, and best of all dollar beers?
Well...after last Saturday I realized that that is for the peasants. For the lower class. For the peons. That is because I spent the day in the Polo Club, hobnobbing with the upper echelon of people. The richies. The hoity toity hat wearing, big spending, private table going people.
Sure my Bloody Mary wasn't a dollar. It was $7.50...but it had cheese, salami, peppercini, olive, lime AND celery. It was a frickin salad. Sure I didn't get to stand in the lovely sun enjoying the race from the ground...but I had a great view from above, in addition to having a private TV on my table to watch the race and football at the same time.
Alright, I'm not a snot. Our friend works there and has the hook up and it happened to be my roommate's birthday celebration. But for a minute didn't you think I was kind of a bitch?
I've been here before...Ill come here again. It s a beautiful track. This particular dollar day was a snow day, so you could bring your toboggan and sled? But who wants to do that when there are ponies to be bet on!!
Highlight of the day. Standing in the paddock near the horses watching the 8th race. My horse won! The number 2 horse won!!! Czechers won!! It was the only choice to bet on...cuz I lived in Prague..it makes sense...Wait? Czechers didn't win? But I bet on him...oh..he was number 3? But my ticket says number 2. Ah well...figures I'd win by betting on the wrong horse.
Woo ponies!
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I'm not much of a gambler, but I do enjoy a good prime rib buffet and a huge Jameson on the rocks for $6.75. I also enjoy enjoying those two things while I'm with my friends. Good stuff. Happy birthday, Jenni.
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FYI: Next 2 Dollar Days at Golden Gate Fields
January 1, 2008
January 12, 2008
$1 parking
$1 admission
$1 beer
$1 program
$1 beer
$1 soda
$1 hot dog
$1 beer
Did I mention there will be $1 beers? Okay, so they're like 10 ounces, maybe 8, but dude they're a buck!
P.S. If you bet $2 on a horse to place (even at 36-1 odds), you are not going to leave the tracks with enough money for a brand new car. Maybe enough for an order of regular nachos with extra jalapenos, but no brand new car. Just managing expectations, that's all.
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Best deal is the trifecta: $1 beers, hot dogs, admission. However, this is also a great 2nd or 3rd date destination. My advice: pay the extra cash to sit in the Turf Club and tip the guy who assigns tables so you're on the finish line. Good food, great view and loads of fun. Women love this place & Sunday Brunch is a winner. (Pun intended)
I swear, after a couple of cocktails, girls seem to pick winners by mistake or by the name/color of the horse. Even if you're a serious handicapper, don't argue with them. They're probably going to be right. When their horse wins, it's orgasmic for 'um!
Win big $$$ then go splurge on dinner. Park in the back so you can check out the view towards the City-GGB-Marin. Breathtaking.
Where the Bay Comes to Play.....or at least gamble on some pony's baby!
Golden Gate Fields is Definitely an experience to try out.
It was my first time here on Saturday and i had a great time.
We got there around 2pm, just in time to catch the 4Th race of the day!
My biggest betting regret ever was not dropping down a large bet on a gut feeling for a horse to win. Instead i watched my friend place his bet on his horse, sat, and watched the horse that i was gonna bet on win. =/
CLOWN, CLOWN
Anyways, after that i started betting and came close to winning some but of course those damn photo finishes always went with the other horse!
I watched my friend place a bet on a horse and when his horse came out on the track, it came out limping. My friend was like "oh hell nah" LOL
I will say this. You don't need any experience what so ever to place bets on horse racing. I just looked at my program and saw a name that i liked and where it was bred at and put money on that horse to win. That simple.
I really got to go there during the $1.00 days because beer was $5.00 bucks. however, we got drunk there, had fun and just enjoyed the day.
The two highlights of the day was seeing the fog from the bay roll in on the track and the track announcer announcing the race was off when we couldn't see shit and having him mentioning that he couldn't see crap in the fog lol.
The second was seeing one of the last horses to finish have no jockey on it because he fell off around the track and my drunk ass friend and i looking at each other like WTF?? and hearing him say "WTF, we got horses running wild here!!"
clown, clown.
I give this place 5 out of 5 stars for a first time experience of fun, gambling and getting a free GOLDEN GATE FIELDS T-Shirt for being there! Check it out if you already haven't!
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Golden Gate fields should be a dump. It's in the Berkeley/El Cerrito ghetto with some pipe swinging hustlaz surrounding it on all sides. Certainly on your trip you will hear some certified East Bay Pimp Limp terminology like, "Dayom pardna allz yallz can affore tree dolla to get up in this bitch HEIAH!"
Anyway...
This is actually a much nicer track than Bay Meadows. It's shocking, but true. When Bay Meadows is out of season and you need to see live racing you need to get your ass over here. I was at the last dollar day in Dec. (see picture I submitted from that day). I had a TBX hit, an EBX hit, and a place bet hit but I still finished $10 down. DAMNIT!
They have polytrack now instead of dirt. This takes the randomness out of wet weather "dirt" races. It's rubber instead of dirt and it runs well even in wet conditions. Keep this in mind when betting, poly is a new animal.
Unless you want to make some new gangsta friends, I suggest using valet parking and paying for a clubhouse admission. You'll miss a lot of $1 day specials unless you like walking, but I haven't been mugged in the bathroom or anything and I've been several times carrying a load of BETTIN DOLLAZ.
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This was my first time at a racetrack. My review is based on the Turf Club, and I didn't have to spend a cent to get in, eat, or drink (work holiday party). It was a BLAST!
The service there is attentive and friendly. They even have people there that help beginners learn how to bet! It is a bit of a complex process at first. The facility itself is clean, new, spacious and the windows go on and on forever. The view on the side facing the bay is breathtaking... the architect did a fantastic job of taking advantage of every part of that amazing vista.
The buffet was bleh, but it was free. Good salad, decent prime rib, horribly dry chicken and fish. Dessert was yummy, though (I had the chocolate mousse and a slice of banana creme pie). The drinks are really good there, and the bartenders are super nice.
With company functions, they take you down to the winner's circle to watch the race that is named after your company. I got to watch our race right up close! It's really something to see and hear the horses thundering past. Awesome for my first horse racing experience!
All and all a most excellent time! I'd definitely be back. Pay a bit more for the Turf Club... it's worth it!
P.S. Check out the amazing view from the bathroom!
P.P.S. I ended up winning $26, with a net profit of $15! I chalk it up to beginner's luck!
Hit the incredibly rare superfecta wager on a gloomy Saturday in January ($181.49 for a $0.10 bet); lucky for me, but, sadly, lost it all the next week. The track is a little out of the way from Berkeley, but it's not too far. I like their dollar days, and usually take advantage of it during their racing season (whenever Bay Meadows isn't in session).
I'm kind of big deal.....people know me. So much so that yesterday at Golden Gate Fields I had a horse running in the fourth race. Well actually it was kind of my horse maybe two times removed as I'm dating the daughter of the owner. A young maiden good on the Turf, a little nervous, and unfortunately our rider was having back issues the day before so we were all a little on edge about her chances at the 30,000 dollar purse -talking about the horse here people not my girlfriend.
I've never bet on the ponies before but I'm told a that boxing is a good way to start. This way you pick two or three horses to finish 1 and 2nd and any of the six combinations gets you a win. Unless of course the odds change after you bet, unless of course the vet at the gate decides that your horse is to "unstable" to race, unless of course Mary Lou Retton decides to run out on the track then you would have had to have picked the ex-Olympic gymnast side bet to make any money off that one. Point being - what you think you know about your bet is all up in the air and anyone who thinks they have a "system" is full of horse shit. Case in point.
I box the 2-4-8. AND THEY'RE OFF!
I'm gonna cut to the home stretch just pretend you are watching Sea Biscuit and Toby Maguire is just about to cut Sea Biscuit loose and in this case Sea Biscuit is the 8 horse and I need the 8 horse to finish second for my ticket to pay off. As Golden Gate fields is pretty much empty all the time I'm alone down in the boxes jumping up and down and SCREAMING!!!!!
COME ON SPIDER MAN YOU WORK THAT HORSE!!!!!! YOU MAKE THAT HORSE RUN LIKE A RED HEADED STEP CHILD ON DADDY DRANK HIS PAYCHECK AWAY DAY AND IS GONNA GIVE AN ASS WOOPIN. RUN!!!!!! RUN!!!!!!! COME ONE BABY!!!!!!!
The 7 other sad patrons nursing their bud lights and broken dreams are staring at me but I don't care as it comes down to the wire the eight horse closes on second place and it goes to a photo finish.
I sit there is utter anxiety awaiting the announcement of the official results and wait for it............wait for it.........YES!!!! I hit my bet!!!!!! Woo hoo!!!! I bolt to the automated betting machine put my ticket in and wait to get PAID. WTF????!!!!! I lost money???? But my horses won......!!!!!!!! Apparently some guy in Florida bet huge right before the race went off and changed my odds and then Brian Boitano missed his triple sow-cow in retired homosexuals on ice at some festival in Berlin and that caused me to loose 34 cents on each dollar I bet.
OH MY GOD I LOVE BETTING ON HORSES!!!!!!!
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Good times! My first time at a horse track ever was GGF's "dollar day": $1 parking, admission, hot dogs, and bud light. All I can say is: Next dollar day, bring your friends! The races are exciting, betting is exciting, and $1 beer is VERY exciting.
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So close to actually doing a little sinful gambling here, until I saw that old guy on his knees, staring at the tv screen of race winners, and crying and praying. Some paths you never want to go down.
On the other hand, the dollar fried chicken drum sticks- heaven (well, if you put enough ketchup on it).
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What a fun way to spend the day!
We went on Derby Day and there was a free petting zoo and pony rides for the kids (I really wanted to but they had weight restrictions for the Shetlands, dang it)
It was really empty for the better part of the afternoon so we had the whole place to ourselves. The races were so fun to watch and the grounds where the track is are very well maintained an beautiful!
The line at the bar was obnoxious and they needed a couple other people behind the counter. The whole place seemed like a ghost town until you got the bar and all of the sudden it was a cut-throat line for a Bud Light. So weird!
It was such a great day and I really recommend going out to the track and placing a few bets for fun!
Wee! Go to dollar days and it's the bomb-dizzle. $1 hot dogs, $1 beers, $1 parking and $1 bets... $1 pizza rolls too but I'm not sure that will attract you or detract you.
I've only been here once but it was a blast. Be sure to go down and check out the horses before each race. Pretend you know what you're doing and say things that make you sound like a horse racing connoisseur like "I'm impressed by the stamina that horse displays" or perhaps "I haven't seen a stallion like that since Seabiscuit."
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What can I say? It's all about the dollar day. That's what got me and 3 friends to make the trek up to GGF. $1 entry fee, $1 programs, $1 sodas and beers, $1 hot dog and $1 chicken legs. $5 has never bought me such happiness. We even bet on a couple of the races and won some. But I wouldn't get too into the gambling. At one point, we saw a guy in front of us on his knees praying as the horses thundered around the track. That was a bit of a downer and sort of took the fun out the day as we then realized that some people were betting the last of their paychecks out there.
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Make a (weekend) day of it. Watch the game with the guys, have a few beers, enjoy the sun, and every twenty minutes or so you get to jump around like an idiot because you made your 3-6 box on a little $5 bet.
So much fun for a group, even if you have absolutely no idea what you are doing (actually, I think it is even more fun when you don't get into the complexities of it and just bet on the horse you think looks "spunky")
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Now I'm not a gambler, but I went here recently for a fundraising event and had SO. MUCH. FUN. My friend and I knew nothing of betting or horseraces (she hadn't even seen "Seabiscuit"), but we did our best, taking advice from other folks at the event and the tellers at the betting counter. Even the really old surly guy tried to help us out.
So what if we picked our horses based on their names and saddle colors? ("Lady Gemini! And she's wearing pink and black!!") On the fourth race my friend ending up winning $11! We were thrilled. For just a few $2 bets, that was a great time.
Would we go ever go back? You can put your money on it. :)
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I heart this place. But it's probably 'cause they pay my bills.
$1.00 Beer
$1.00 Hotdogs
$1.00 Sodas
$1.00 Programs
$1.00 Parking
Since Bay Meadows will be closing soon , the next closest racetrack is this place. Goldegate Fields is conveniently located next to the freeway, about 30 from South City. There is ample parking spaces and there is a great view of the San Francisco skyline as you walk to the entrance. There are plenty of people there trying to win big, people bringing their children to see the horses, and people that skip church to have a relaxing Sunday. This places gets packed but there are enough machines to place your bets. The staff is also very friendly, and they can help you with your bets. The best part of going here is that you don't have to spend a lot to have a good time.
The only thing about this place that throw caution to the wind is the amount of security that I saw. Being my first time there I was surprised to see the amount of security, since I don't recall any security at Bay Meadows except for at the entrances and exits.
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I always have a great time at Golden Gate Fields.
Some practical advice for track newbies:
1. A furlong is an eight of a mile. Remember this. And hell, why don't you just go ahead & measure everything in furlongs while you're there. It's not really necessary to do that, but it IS fun.
2. If you put money on a horse to win, & that horse takes a dump just before the start of the race, tear up your slip, because there's absolutely no way that horse is gonna win (& I'm dead serious).
3. The 1-2-3 finishers are the 'win', 'place', & 'show'.
4. When you bet an exacta, that's betting on two horses. If you "box" it, that means they can finish either 1-2 or 2-1 & you still win money. A trifecta is betting on three horses, & a superfecta is betting on four horses (you can also box a trifecta or superfecta).
5. Always bet with your gut. Like the ring of a particular name? Screw the odds & take a chance. Go down to the paddock & watch the horses before the race. If there's a longshot down there & he looks like he's itching to go (hopping around, clearly antsy), it may be worth it to throw down a few bucks.
And make sure you dig the characters while you're there. Seriously, this is the best place to come & see dirty old men smoke cheap cigars & dispose of their paychecks with reckless personal regard.
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