On my first ever trip to the track, while standing in front of a big, mysterious board full of changing numbers and surrounded by older gentleman in giant glasses, Swifty (HRF Co-Founder Adam Wiener) made a sweeping “welcome to Fantasy Island” arm gesture and said “Welcome to your future”… truer words have never been spoken.

As it turns out, the intriguing large board that drew players like moths to a flame was the tote board… a.k.a your new best friend.

Generally, the tote board is thought of as the giant board in the infield, but smaller tote boards can be found all around the track, including in the clubhouse, the paddock and in any outdoor seating/picnic areas. The board itself contains the following information:

Race Number
MTP – (minutes to post, or how long before the race starts)
Post Time – (the time the race is set to start)
Time of Day
Track Condition – (fast, firm, muddy, sloppy, etc.)
Pools – (amount of money wagered)
Odds
Will pays – (what multiple race exotics will pay)
Fractions – (fractional times of the race)
Final Time
Unofficial/Official – (when the results of the race have been made official)
Pay Outs – (the best part!)

I could write up a better twirl on the tote board, but our friends at TVG have already put together a nice video…

See you around the tote board!