5:45 – The crush of people congregating in the Piazza del Campo is overwhelming. And I don’t mean that in the figurative, pretty way. I mean trying to navigate the mob entering the Piazza is literally useless – it is as though everyone is wearing roller-skates and someone very strong in the back of crowd is pushing us along. My girlfriend mentions something about the bathroom. I laugh.

6:10 – We finally make it into the center area along with about 50,000 people. The race track surrounds the perimeter of the field. People spin in slow, tiny circles watching the procession of pageantries preceding the race. I have never been to Times Square on New Year’s Eve, but I imagine this is what it is like, only hotter. My girlfriend comments, “Good thing the race starts at 7:00. I really have to go to the bathroom.”

6:30 – My friends and I all lay 10 euro on a different contrade to win. I choose Seashell. Throughout the course of the race, I refer to my horse as “Seashell.” This is likely very demeaning, although maybe less so than “Goose” and “Tangerine,” which isn’t even a logo, rather the color of a jockey’s shirt. Tangerine did not win the race.

7:00 – The Bishop is parading around the track on a cart drawn by oxen. Oxen, as a general rule, move rather slow. As he passes, the crowd waves the flags of their respective contrade wildly. The Bishop is halfway around. It becomes abundantly clear that 7:00 is a “suggested” starting time. My girlfriend says, “At least the race only lasts two minutes.”

7:50 – As a lavish procession finally ends, the horses solemnly proceed to the starting area. Without prompting, an intense silence falls over the crowd. No whispering, no drinks being sipped, no cars in the distance. Everyone is concentrating on the assignment of starting positions. After each horse is named, the crowd goes off like a explosion with cheers or gasps.

(Note: I learned afterwards that the starting position is one of the most important elements to the race. While the more affluent districts have a distinct advantage – a rich contrade such as Giraffe may have half a million euro to spend on the best jockey and the best bribery – each district is assigned a horse from a pool of entrants by an impartial government body. Meaning you can buy everything but the horse. Hence, a poorer contrade stuck with a horse who isn’t fleet of foot must decide whether it is smarter to try to win the race or try to make their most hated foes lose the race. This is where the starting position comes into play.)

8:40 – As there are no traditional starting gates, the riders have been jockeying for position at the line for over half an hour. After two false starts, the crowd is becoming impatient. My girlfriend is sad.

(Note: I later learned that what the jockeys are really doing at the line is making deals with other jockeys to sabotage other contrade’s chances of victory. And make no mistake: sabotage is exactly what it is. There are no rules prohibiting physical contact between riders, and jockeys are routinely knocked from their horses, who go on to run the race without them. It is not the first jockey across the finish line who wins – it is the first horse. No, the ASPCA is not invited.)

9:20 – Out of nowhere, the race finally begins. It is hardly a close call, with Goose taking a hefty lead. After the first lap, Tangerine is knocked from his horse (seemingly unharmed). The crowd (particularly those from the Goose contrade) are euphoric. On the final lap, however, Seashell begins closing the gap. By the final turn, he is nearly even with Goose. I am cheering wildly.

9:22 – Goose crosses the finish line first, and the a portion of the crowd erupts. A group of Seashell fans in front of me are devastated by the loss. (One cannot fathom how important the race is until you see women sobbing on each other’s shoulder.) Two members of our party are euphoric at the victory as well: my friend Brendan, who won 80 euro from Goose’s victory, and my girlfriend, who upon exiting the bathroom commented, “Now that was fun.”

- by Dan Murphy of [redacted] fame