Horse racing??

I remember waaaay back in the day on the first of our family cruises (my kids were very young) they had "horse races"? Wooden, decorated, numbered horses....am I crazy? What was it all about...I remember someone's "horse" would win and they would carry it everywhere on the ship and people (my little kids) would get so excited when they saw them.....tell me your story!

I remember someone bringing their horse to dinner, lol. Never learned how it worked though or at least I can't remember. It was back in 2004.

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I remember waaaay back in the day on the first of our family cruises (my kids were very young) they had "horse races"? Wooden, decorated, numbered horses....am I crazy? What was it all about...I remember someone's "horse" would win and they would carry it everywhere on the ship and people (my little kids) would get so excited when they saw them.....tell me your story!

I haven't seen it onboard in years. They had an owner's auction of the 6 horses. Sometimes people would pool their money as they would go for 100's of dollars. The owners could name and decorate the horse for the big race later in the week. I never bought horse but served as a jockey for the regular races. They gave out free drinks.

I haven't seen it onboard in years. They had an owner's auction of the 6 horses. Sometimes people would pool their money as they would go for 100's of dollars. The owners could name and decorate the horse for the big race later in the week. I never bought horse but served as a jockey for the regular races. They gave out free drinks.

Jockeys always seemed to be the pretty girls in skimpy outfits that matched the horse

Jockeys always seemed to be the pretty girls in skimpy outfits that matched the horse

Bahahahaha. Maybe for the owners race. To be clear I volunteered to serve as a jockey for the regular races for the free drinks. It was poolside so most had swimwear on.

I remember waaaay back in the day on the first of our family cruises (my kids were very young) they had "horse races"? Wooden, decorated, numbered horses....am I crazy? What was it all about...I remember someone's "horse" would win and they would carry it everywhere on the ship and people (my little kids) would get so excited when they saw them.....tell me your story!

Did you sail with Sitmar Cruises "waaaay back in the day" perhaps??

It's still common on cruises in Australia/Pacific region

Bahahahaha. Maybe for the owners race. To be clear I volunteered to serve as a jockey for the regular races for the free drinks. It was poolside so most had swimwear on.

Yes, owners race.

Great fun. Wish it was done more frequently. I think some newer CD's just have never heard of it.

We were just talking about the horse racing. My husband and I would always bet on a horse and it was really quite fun!:)

When our children sailed with us we bought a horse with our family. The kids did decorate it and took it with them everywhere! My brother had broken his leg and so the horse was called - "Break a Leg" and raced the horse with his crutch. Our daughters dressed up like nurses and though we didn't get first place, we met many people and had a ball. This was on Empress of the Seas back in 2003.

I really miss this! It may have been on Princess but I remember holding on to my $2 and running down to the front of the theater to place my bet.

About 4 years ago, we were on a RCI cruise and they actually had horse racing in the Centrum where there really wasn't enough room. Both my husband and I volunteered to be jockeys (most probably didn't have a clue what was involved). It wasn't the same.

I definitely remember it on a carnival and maybe my very first cruise (ncl). Both were before 2005 and ships were much smaller so you used to see the same people all the time and they would have their horse with them all week. I remember betting being involved and that is why they had them around so that more people would bet on them.

Anyone have any photos? I've heard about this for the 10 years I've been cruising, but haven't seen it personally or any photos.

Basically it was an onboard para-mutual betting "game." They would auction off "horses" early in the cruise and the owners would hype up their horses for the next few days to get as many folks to bet for them when the race was held - usually on the last day of the cruise. Folks would place their bets and get a ticket just like a real horse race. The "race" consisted of the rolling of a large die (one of a pair of dice) and each horse would go in turn and advance on a large game board the corresponding number of spaces on the die. The first horse crossing the finishing line would be the winner and holders of the winning tickets would be paid accordingly. The winning owners would get a percentage of the purse.

I expect that when ships got larger it probably became too much to handle AND the cruise line wasn't getting a cut! There may also have been regulations put in place that may have put an end to it as well.

It was definitely a lot of fun though. Thanks for remembering!

I haven't seen it onboard in years. They had an owner's auction of the 6 horses. Sometimes people would pool their money as they would go for 100's of dollars. The owners could name and decorate the horse for the big race later in the week. I never bought horse but served as a jockey for the regular races. They gave out free drinks.

Exactly - we did this way back when on the Horizon. Pooled our $ and bought a horse. Named him and decorated him. Carried him all over. Still laugh remembering taking him in the elevator to dinner with us. What fun! Race was held in the theatre. We didn't win the race but won a prize for best decorated - recooped the $ we spent on the horse. I seem to remember spending around $100 total.

Horse racing on Carnival (1970s). Horse racing on ships goes way back, maybe 100 years or so.

Did you sail with Sitmar Cruises "waaaay back in the day" perhaps??

Guess not that far back as I have no idea what Sitmar is :/ lol

Basically it was an onboard para-mutual betting "game." They would auction off "horses" early in the cruise and the owners would hype up their horses for the next few days to get as many folks to bet for them when the race was held - usually on the last day of the cruise. Folks would place their bets and get a ticket just like a real horse race. The "race" consisted of the rolling of a large die (one of a pair of dice) and each horse would go in turn and advance on a large game board the corresponding number of spaces on the die. The first horse crossing the finishing line would be the winner and holders of the winning tickets would be paid accordingly. The winning owners would get a percentage of the purse.

 

I expect that when ships got larger it probably became too much to handle AND the cruise line wasn't getting a cut! There may also have been regulations put in place that may have put an end to it as well.

 

It was definitely a lot of fun though. Thanks for remembering!

WoW...that's very cool....Thanks for the explanation!

Basically it was an onboard para-mutual betting "game." They would auction off "horses" early in the cruise and the owners would hype up their horses for the next few days to get as many folks to bet for them when the race was held - usually on the last day of the cruise. Folks would place their bets and get a ticket just like a real horse race. The "race" consisted of the rolling of a large die (one of a pair of dice) and each horse would go in turn and advance on a large game board the corresponding number of spaces on the die. The first horse crossing the finishing line would be the winner and holders of the winning tickets would be paid accordingly. The winning owners would get a percentage of the purse.

 

I expect that when ships got larger it probably became too much to handle AND the cruise line wasn't getting a cut! There may also have been regulations put in place that may have put an end to it as well.

 

It was definitely a lot of fun though. Thanks for remembering!

I thought it was two dice, one for horse and one for spaces to move.

Also, I thought it was like bingo. Huge cut for the house.

I remember it on RCI years ago. I believe they raced at least once a day. We enjoyed participating and betting.

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"Dan Dan the Party Man" did horse racing on Radiance back in 2011. It was a VERY popular event! :eek:

WoW...that's very cool....Thanks for the explanation!

That is exactly how it worked. We did it on the Monarch many years ago. We bought a horse, called him "Five Card Stud". I was the jockey, husband was the trainer (decorator), and we had a blast. We were on a cruise with 6 other couples, who betted heavily, helped put the word out about our horse, which we too took him to dinner, on excursions, etc. We couldn't be caught without him. Best of all, WE WON THE HORSE RACE!! Our portion of the purse was over $1100.00, so it was worth it and the fun. We just got off the Allure, and the cruise director told us there had been so many requests for this horse race, that they are seriously considering bringing it back. Fingers crossed!!

That is exactly how it worked. We did it on the Monarch many years ago. We bought a horse, called him "Five Card Stud". I was the jockey, husband was the trainer (decorator), and we had a blast. We were on a cruise with 6 other couples, who betted heavily, helped put the word out about our horse, which we too took him to dinner, on excursions, etc. We couldn't be caught without him. Best of all, WE WON THE HORSE RACE!! Our portion of the purse was over $1100.00, so it was worth it and the fun. We just got off the Allure, and the cruise director told us there had been so many requests for this horse race, that they are seriously considering bringing it back. Fingers crossed!!

That's awesome!! Sounds like great time.

Horse racing, on cruise ships are still around. On my earlier Carnival cruises, it was just like people said. It used to take place on the last sea day around the main pool area, but it was a spectacle. Besides, the "big" owner's race, they used to have 3-4 preliminary races. It was an all cash affair, where you would place your $2 bets on any one of the six horses. The payoffs used to be "somewhat" equitable. If they paid back all the money, then you should receive $12 if you won. The normal payoff was anywhere between $7 - $12, based on betting activity for that specific horse.

On my last two Princess cruises, within the last 12 months, I have participated in their version of horse racing in the Atrium. Six horses, three dice, and audience participation. It is a fun event, as long as you know that the house is keeping the vast majority of the money bet. The betting ticket is $3. So, if they paid back all the money, and the bets were evenly spaced, the payout would be $18. I actually won the first race on both ships. My payout for each was $6. I stopped betting after that, and just watched. Each cruise had three races for the session. The highest payout for the six total races was $11. I estimate they probably keep half the money, on par with Bingo.

Basically it was an onboard para-mutual betting "game." They would auction off "horses" early in the cruise and the owners would hype up their horses for the next few days to get as many folks to bet for them when the race was held - usually on the last day of the cruise. Folks would place their bets and get a ticket just like a real horse race. The "race" consisted of the rolling of a large die (one of a pair of dice) and each horse would go in turn and advance on a large game board the corresponding number of spaces on the die. The first horse crossing the finishing line would be the winner and holders of the winning tickets would be paid accordingly. The winning owners would get a percentage of the purse.

 

I expect that when ships got larger it probably became too much to handle AND the cruise line wasn't getting a cut! There may also have been regulations put in place that may have put an end to it as well.

 

It was definitely a lot of fun though. Thanks for remembering!

That is exactly how it worked....... We just got off the Allure, and the cruise director told us there had been so many requests for this horse race, that they are seriously considering bringing it back. Fingers crossed!!

On our very first cruise on Navigator in 2004 they had horse racing and it was a terrific week long activity that culminated in the race....I believe they used a set of dice -- one indicated which horse and the other would indicated how many spaces that horse would move forward, until they had a horse cross the finish line.

I can only HOPE that some of the current cruise directors would bring back the game....it was terrific.