Derby Racer
Website: Playland Amusement Park Homepage
Ride Type: Flat Ride
Ride Status: Running
Average Rating: 4.3125
TPC Overall Rank: Rides need more than 25 reviews to be ranked.
Reviews: 18
Last Review: 8/5/2008 8:48:00 PM
In User Top 10: 5 times.
User Tracker Count: 27 times.
 

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5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up archangels on 8/5/2008 8:48:00 PM
This ride is amazing. The horses now race like they use to (only the first and third in the row), and it seems to be going nice and fast. The sound effect of the galloping adds a nice atmosphere for this classic. I absolutely love it.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up coasterf42 on 6/30/2008 2:56:00 PM
Fear. Do you fear rides? When someone asks me this, my answer is usually "no." I thoroughly enjoy the smooth ride up lift hills such as Superman, Nitro, Steel Force, and Griffon, and find myself enjoying the view of the surrounding areas instead of cringing and sinking my spine deep in the train like most riders do. I used to say that I have full "confidence" in the industry and even our lawmakers in that they insure us patrons safe rides, even at the expense of some, if not a lot of, fun. Well, I proved myself wrong yesterday. Nestled at the end of a sleepy old neighborhood just minutes from New York City lies one of the few rides that makes me feel insecure, inexperienced, and frightened. 25 miles per hour was never so frightening. Not even on a Jet ski, in which 20 mph on a windy day provides Phoenix-caliber negative Gs, was I so scared of such a seemingly pitiful speed. At least on a Jet ski-ejection the landing would be nice, shallow, and watery, whereas a simple loss-of-balance on the Derby Racer could leave one plummeting 5 feet to a wooden platform! It never occurred to me, (do to my ignorance of not looking at pictures) even after reading all these reviews that the ride was more or less a fast carousel. I saw this thing giving out one its first rides of the day yesterday, and I thought "that looks cool," so I got in line. None of the coasters were operating at the time, and had they been operating, I may have actually skipped this gem, in pursuit of precious "credits." So, the ride starts up, and I'm feeling okay. My feet are in position, and I don't have to quite "lean to the left" yet. The ride seems to keep getting faster and faster, and lasts for a good long cycle. Perhaps I was a bit too tall to ride properly, but it felt like I had a hell of a time just sitting on the horse. My hands got sweaty, my upper body felt like it was wobbling, and I felt completely insecure-exactly what I DON'T expect from thrill rides. The ride itself was pretty enjoyable, although I can't admit that I wasn't a bit thankful when it was over! Lucky to have survived with no injuries or embarrassment, I walked away feeling perplexed and relieved! What does this ride tell us about the state of thrill rides? Can rides like this exist today, and will they exist 10 years from now? I am not sure, but I am sure glad I was able to experience this when I did.

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Ri_L on 8/18/2007 9:09:00 PM - User's Top Ride #1
Now were talkin! History and rarity aside, this is the most exciting ride Ive ever been on. If you close your eyes, youll really feel like youre on a racetrack. My only complaint is that they no longer let the horses actually race each other.

For best results, give your horse a good racehorse name before you set off.

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up mrceagle on 8/11/2007 12:57:00 AM
This is a very unique ride. Event the Carved Houses arent exactly like Those found on a traditional carousel. The ride is very exiting. a very fast spinning that gradually builds up and the forces you feel the whole ride. A must ride while at the park. My hat goes off to the park for preserving such an amazing ride.

5 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up degener8 on 6/9/2007 4:24:00 PM
Very rare and classic, gives you some great speed.

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Canobie Coaster on 9/18/2006 6:48:00 AM
The Derby Racer was a fun flat ride that is definitely a unique classic. Located to the right of the main entrance, the Derby Racer sits. Off the ride, the beauiful horses look spectacular. Generally a walk-on because of Derby Racers high capacity, Derby Racer is a walk-on. Obviously, the best horses are the outside ones. There are absolutely no restraints, just a loop you hold onto during the very long ride. Once the ride begins, you get lots of instructions from the ride operator including put your right foot up and your left foot down. During the ride, they tell you to lean to the inside when the ride picks up speed. This is no carousel because while the horses bob up and down, this goes 20-25 MPH. What a thrilling experience! Holding onto the loop for the entire ride can be a tad stressful because they run the Derby Racer for a very long time (at least 3-4 minutes). Playlands operators are very well trained and hop on and off the spinning platform during the ride. Overall, a very good classic flat thats fun. I did find that there were a couple off bumps during the ride, but its very well maintained for a ride of its age. I highly recommend this ride to anyone who can endure holding onto a loop for a long time with some pretty good forces. Horseback riders cant miss this.

4 Rating
+2 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Hercules on 7/27/2006 8:18:00 PM
Welcome to six minute abs! - Forget welcome to Derby Racer. Not only is this a very good ride, if you ride this thing once a day for 2 weeks, you will have abs like Chuck Norris. When the ride picks up speed lean to the left - oh yeah, feel the burn!!! In all seriousness, this is a definate classic and is well kept. This is not a carousel! Anyone who says so is wrong. This is an experience of a ride that is very intense and pretty fast. The sign says a horse racing simulation, and believe it, it is. The ride ops are very well trained also, as they swoop in and out, off and on the spining platform assisting those who are having trouble. And let me tell you, they will not tolerate someone getting off the horse before the ride is over. You will get banned from the ride for the rest of the day (I saw it with my own eyes). But, yes, like many other flats at this park, this is a must ride and an experience that will never be forgotten.

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up jdale on 10/4/2005 7:24:00 PM
This ride is a treasure, period! This one of only two rides of its kind (theres one at Cedar Point). Not only that, but its fun too! If your parents never would let you ride a horse, this is pretty much the closest youll ever get to riding a horse. Speed? Check. Horses? Check. Fun? Very Check! Its very cool looking when the ride operators jump on and off of the platform, even when its moving! If you like spinning rides, youll like this. If you dont, ride this and youll like spinning rides!

4 Rating
0 Rating Rate Down Rate Up Nehalem on 6/16/2004 6:11:00 PM
This ride is alot of fun, and I really love how the horses in each row move back and forth in their sockets so that they gain on each other and fall behind.

4 Rating
+1 Rating Rate Down Rate Up larrygator on 6/14/2004 12:23:00 AM
New review from 2007 where I lower the rating to an 8: The horses no longer race, and you have to ride with your feet in a fixed position, leaning into the middle. It has weakened the ride, but who can blame the park with its string of accidents over the past 4 summers.-------------------------------------------------------------
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Old review from 2004 when I rated it a 10: Im still kicking myself for never riding at Cedar Point and I almost forgot to ride these ones today. An excellent fun and relaxing ride. Im a pessimist and really feel a need to ride these classics sooner rather than later. My fear, some dummy wont listen to instructions and will fall and sue. Then theyll start seatbelting you on to a wooden horse

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