Did Rolla ever explain why Roosevelt Raceway didn’t want to give him any stalls when he first started out? Did Rolla ever explain why the Yonkers owner kicked him out? Rolla said Tannenbaum wanted a $20,000 payment to allow him to race at YR but why was Rolla singled out? Rolla wasn’t some big successful driver although he had some early success at RR. And how did he openly fix so many races without being arrested or suspended? His entire story is very questionable to me.
Rolla has explained all this from his prospective. What he fails to absorb is the simple adage, "live by the sword, you die by the sword. Larry was just another guy, doing what he could to survive in the horse business. When Larry's mom told her employer, Tommy Lucchese how well lary was doing, staying out of trouble, Tommy rewarded him with a gift of $20K to buy some horses and start a stable locally, at Roosevelt Raceway. Lucchese also contacted the president of RR and told him to take care of Larry.
So, larry was a unknown young dude with a small stable of overnight racehorses on the grounds at the world's premier harness racing facility during harness racing's pinnacle of popularity. Everyone else had to go out of town for a couple years and work their way into respect worthy of Roosevelt Raceway. Larry also had a "P" or provisional drivers license. Nobody, not a young Houghton or Dancer could drive at RR with a P license. Only Larry.
So Larry is winning races and getting recognized. All the regulars at RR know Larry is untouchable. That he is with Lucchese and Levy. So, nobody does anything to stop him from winning.
Now, the meet is over and goes to Yonkers. Yonkers and Roosevelt were very much rivals as they were common businesses in the same sport. Both tracks were owned by ego-maniacs with deep ties to the Mafia.
So, Larry is in to go at Yonkers. He is driving the best horse in the race and should win for fun. He gets caught in traffic and is under a straggle hold, climbing up the back of the race winner. Tananbaum, the Yonkers track owner now has a pawn from a rival owner and mob affiliation, looking like he stiffed the shit out of a horse all the wiseguys bet. Rolla has no protection at Yonkers and is told to vacate the grounds in 72 hours. Yonkers would not accept his entries going forward.
So larry had to go to C and D class tracks to race with no Rabi. He was starving to death and needed to earn. According to Larry, this was the beginning of his career as a race fixer.
So, in Larry's mind it is all the fault of Tannenbaum for barring him from Yonkers. That drove him to a life of crime. 60 years later, you can still see the resentment in his eyes, the bile cumming up his throat, the hate in his face every time he mentions Tannenbaum.
As and outside observer, I see it more objectively. Rolla was in a position that the greatest harness racing talents in the world took decades of paying their dues and proving their worth to participate at Roosevelt Raceway. Larry got his by being the son of person who worked for Tommy Lucchese, the Don of the most powerful mafia family in NY.
Once he was at Yonkers and now under a rival owner and man with his own Mafia ties, he was told to fuck off and don't come back. Tommy Lucchese was at that time terminally ill and unable to help Rolla.
So, again , Larry puts his entire demise on Tannenbaum. He also blames him for the premature death of his father. He says his dad died of a broken heart caused by Tannenbaum.
60 years later Larry is still telling this story at age 85 when he should be looking for peace. He is a troubled soul and I wish he has an epiphany of life soon.
