Racing With Class

Racing season is upon us, and I’m not talking NASCAR. Though exhaust fumes may fill the air and RVs may clog the highways on their way to see Kyle Busch kill an afternoon going in circles, these races are being run on dirt by our equine friends. And while I would never suggest that horse racing is classier than NASCAR (I’ve got family in Tennessee I need to keep on my good side), I will say that I think it’s easier to feel a connection to the horses than it is to really pull for a few thousand pounds of metal driven by a dip-lipped adrenaline junkie. You dress up, don your best hat and put some cash down for the sweet horsey whose name you like best. And at Sunday’s 2012 Wells Fargo Dallas Symphony Derby, from noon until 5:30 p.m. you can do all of the above while enjoying an impressive buffet and bidding on items in both silent and live auctions, all in the name of the Dallas Symphony’s education and outreach programs. Watch the races from a prime spot at the finish line at Lone Star Park, 1000 Lone Star Parkway in Grand Prairie. Tickets are $150 — far less than gassing up the RV and heading to that other racetrack. Visit dallassymphonyleague.com for info and tickets.

Sun., April 15, 2012