HORSEPLOP.COM
General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Fuguzzi on August 15, 2023, 01:15:52 PM
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Rainy, gloomy day here in the NE, so let's reminisce a bit....
Please tell us about your all time favorite racetrack/s which no longer exist sadly. 1 or 2 please and harness only unless it was a dual racetrack...
For me it is Rockingham and Foxboro my growing up years in the game and drivers I idolized - principally Bruce Ranger and Billy Parker jr The feel and smells of the grandstands, the dining rooms just everything.....
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Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt
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greenwood
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Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt
Best backstretch ever like a city and farm rolled into one great grandstand and of course the cloud casino
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Brandywine
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Green Mountain and Hinsdale. Met a lot of good people and good horsemen.
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Green Mountain and Hinsdale. Met a lot of good people and good horsemen.
Spent the 2 week June meet at Hinsdale in 1983 working for Locky Raymond. Groomed a 1,500 claimer named Lazer Beam and he won 5 races in a row in 2 weeks pacing around 2.04 great days knew a racetrack girl during that time who went crazy whenever she heard the soundtrack to Pyromania thanks Def Leppard
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Atlantic City and Brandywine
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Atlantic City and Pompano
Six IL. tracks that nolonger exist.
Plus the many many mid-west County fairs that no longer have racing.
But I am so glad that I was able to enjoy them while they were here!
Damn it has been fun!
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Nice thoughts tmbz1
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The Grand Circuit, not the mess they call it now. Syracuse Mile, both when it raced during the State Fair and the when it was a stand alone meet.
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Sportsman's Park and Maywood Park.
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Since Monticello is presently in a coma, I loved this place in the 60s and 70s especially Saturday nights. Yes the drivers were playing a lot of games but the atmosphere was great. Even the town on Broadway was fun. Great deli and Chinese restaurants. You could have a leisurely dinner there because the first race went off close to 9:00 P.M.
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WASHINGTON PARK AND AURORA DOWNS
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Since Monticello is presently in a coma, I loved this place in the 60s and 70s especially Saturday nights. Yes the drivers were playing a lot of games but the atmosphere was great. Even the town on Broadway was fun. Great deli and Chinese restaurants. You could have a leisurely dinner there because the first race went off close to 9:00 P.M.
For sure monti back in the day. Please, i could write a book As a young boy, I mean like 10, we would go every Sunday Jimmy Allen, Joe Romano jr and Joe Ricco were my favorite drivers I would stand in the grandstand and stare across at the paddock and wonder "went on in there" by 1976, I started getting the answer. when we had our first horses. Lol Chinese restaurant Kyle used to drag me there every chance Loved a free meal
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Liberty Bell... a victim of Garden State Park and that massive fraud called Robert Brennan.
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First Jersey securities. i remember the TV commercials
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One of the lowest scum bags of all time, on the levels of Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried in a different time frame.
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Goderich
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Garden City in St. Catherines Ontario.
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Brennan at Garden State Park was a real awful person but he built a beautiful facility. What a shame what happened there.
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Most tracks for me are still around. But I think its hard to beat Lexington during the grand circuit meet. Race during the day, and the sales at night. The whole town is buzzing. Similar to Saratoga now.
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Tempted to say Monti, then Rosey, but I dont want Historic Track during the real Grand Circuit to be forgotten. Thats when Haughton, Dancer and others would move horses into the open access stable area for races like the Titan Cup trot . For a fan not yet in the business, it was great! Saw Spartan hanover, mohanannon express, dream of glory. On the pacing side Columbia George, Truluck, Most Happy Fella.
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Goderich
Feagan country
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Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt, Roosevelt
Yes. We used to live about 8 minutes away and from 1974 through its close we would sit in the clubhouse box on the finish line 3-4 nights/week (spiffed the seat seller good $$ to make sure they were always waiting for me.) When they closed it down and were tearing it apart my wife went over there and purchased those two seats (and had the help of construction people delivering it to our house.) We had those seats in our backyard till 2007 when we moved West, but would not have the room for them anymore. When one of our horses was racing we made sure to be near the gate downstairs to not miss a photo opportunity if they won.
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Liberty Bell... a victim of Garden State Park and that massive fraud called Robert Brennan.
Since Monticello is presently in a coma, I loved this place in the 60s and 70s especially Saturday nights. Yes the drivers were playing a lot of games but the atmosphere was great. Even the town on Broadway was fun. Great deli and Chinese restaurants. You could have a leisurely dinner there because the first race went off close to 9:00 P.M.
Horrible what happened up there! The Jews years ago brought all the domestic help and they bred like rats. Now work place is full of shines. Real fucking shit hole.
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Ty for all your anti Semitic and anti black bullshit really brightens every one's day
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Yes. We used to live about 8 minutes away and from 1974 through its close we would sit in the clubhouse box on the finish line 3-4 nights/week (spiffed the seat seller good $$ to make sure they were always waiting for me.) When they closed it down and were tearing it apart my wife went over there and purchased those two seats (and had the help of construction people delivering it to our house.) We had those seats in our backyard till 2007 when we moved West, but would not have the room for them anymore. When one of our horses was racing we made sure to be near the gate downstairs to not miss a photo opportunity if they won.
I had one of the green and white road signs that I donated to the Harness Museum for their Rosey exhibit a few years back
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Garden State Park.
Loved the escalator ride to the upper floor and having a drink at the Libations bar. Miss that Crystal Paddock.
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Ty for all your anti Semitic and anti black bullshit really brightens every one's day
He is telling the truth tho. Jews ruined harness racing but I am not racist at all but just being honest. For me the Jews kill everything with their business acumen and me me me mentality to run everything into the ground and milk every last penny they can. It’s sad but true.
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He is telling the truth tho. Jews ruined harness racing but I am not racist at all but just being honest. For me the Jews kill everything with their business acumen and me me me mentality to run everything into the ground and milk every last penny they can. It’s sad but true.
Your post is so absurd on its face and so hateful in nature, ( like most of what you write ), that all you have done is embarrass yourself. Not even worth addressing.
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On second thought, shit for brains, why don 't you explain to the rest of us how people like George Segal, John Cashman, Stan Bergstein, Jerry Silverman, Ron Gurfein, George Morton Levy, Ben Slutsky "ruined harness racing"?
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Why give a gutless scumbag a platform?
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Well said, I shouldn't even go there with him tmbz1
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Well said, I shouldn't even go there with him tmbz1
Was Spencer Ross Jewish ?
Maybe someone trying to get in the business was upset because he had 100 jobs being so good at his craft.
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Yes he was Very nice man
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Was Spencer Ross Jewish ?
Maybe someone trying to get in the business was upset because he had 100 jobs being so good at his craft.
Along with Karl Milstein
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Ty for all your anti Semitic and anti black bullshit really brightens every one's day
you’re welcome
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He is telling the truth tho. Jews ruined harness racing but I am not racist at all but just being honest. For me the Jews kill everything with their business acumen and me me me mentality to run everything into the ground and milk every last penny they can. It’s sad but true.
You’re a smart guy Larry I see you study history like I do. Sad what is shit hole Monticello has become.
You can’t talk sense into some of these people they are preoccupied with their one to five shot running out of the money.
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On second thought, shit for brains, why don 't you explain to the rest of us how people like George Segal, John Cashman, Stan Bergstein, Jerry Silverman, Ron Gurfein, George Morton Levy, Ben Slutsky "ruined harness racing"?
I suggest you get your nose out of the program and read about history.
What the fuck do those people have to do with the ruination of Monticello please explain?
There are some good Jewish people out there, I’m just stating facts that you can’t dispute or in denial about. I’m not going to get into name-calling with you.
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You are 100 percent correct that jewish people, destroyed the town of Monticello, ran out on mortgages, destroyed property values, etc - no argument, but Jews in general did not destroy harness racing. Thats my point
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You are 100 percent correct that jewish people, destroyed the town of Monticello, ran out on mortgages, destroyed property values, etc - no argument, but Jews in general did not destroy harness racing. Thats my point
WELL I'M JEWISH AND HAVE MY OWN PERESPECTIVE ON THIS. JEWISH PEOPLE ARE THE MOST DESPISED AND HATED CULTURE IN THE WORLD. I WAS RAISED TO BE ON TOP OF MY MONEY BUT CHOOSE A DIFFERENT PATH. I DON'T TALK MUCH WITH MY PARENTS BECAUSE THEY ARE FROM THE SCHOOL OF ITS EITHER THE JEWISH WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. SO I CHOOSE THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE WHILE MONEY IS NICE TO HAVE, ITS JUST NOT GOING TO MAKE ME HAPPY. JEWISH PEOPLE DIDNT RUIN ANYTHING. THERE MIGHT OF BEEN ALOT OF JEWISH PEOPLE OVER THE YEARS THAT DID DAMAGE BUT NOBODY CAN SIT BACK AND SAY ALL ONE GROUP OF PEOPLE RUNIED SONMETHING. JEWS OF THE YOUNGER CULTURE TODAY ARE GETTING AWAY FROM THE OLD TRADITION OF MONEY AND OF ALWAYS LOOKING TO GET ONE UP ON THEIR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. AGAIN, I'M JEWISH AND CERTAINLY NOT GOING AGANIST ANY OF MY COUNTRYMAN, BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. DON'T LET A SMALL GROUP OF JEWISH PEOPLE DAMANGE YOUR MIND INTO THINKING ALL JEWISH PEOPLE ARE BAD BECAUSE THEY ARENT.
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I am half Jewish and was upset and disgusted by what was said about us. It is true unfortuantely that the Jewsih poeple who opened camps, businesses and bought homes in Sullivan Cnty. during the 50s, 60s and 70s really left a lot of economic damage in their wake when they fled. But in no way did Jews destroy harness racing, The Anti _ Semites on here were making that point and I wouldnt let them. Let's stick to racing guys. Enough of this
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You are 100 percent correct that jewish people, destroyed the town of Monticello, ran out on mortgages, destroyed property values, etc - no argument, but Jews in general did not destroy harness racing. Thats my point
I agree 1000%! Jews are an asset when it comes to harness racing. Gural is a good example he single-handedly rescued harness racing in New Jersey. They could say what they want but he’s a great guy and one heck of a businessman.
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On second thought, shit for brains, why don 't you explain to the rest of us how people like George Segal, John Cashman, Stan Bergstein, Jerry Silverman, Ron Gurfein, George Morton Levy, Ben Slutsky "ruined harness racing"?
You left out Jeff Gural, and Al Libfeld,
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Hinsdale
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You left out Jeff Gural, and Al Libfeld,
tmbz1
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I see no one mentioned Green Mountain Raceway with harness racing. OMG I was there just once in the cold weather. The track had to be frozen because races were going in 2:40+. I swear this story is true. I bet a horse named Candy something at around 4-1. The gates open and the horse breaks. By the first time in the backstretch Candy is off by 20-25 lengths. Because of the frozen track or the winds, I don’t know, every other horse winds up breaking and my Candy horse wins in 2:42 by 5-10 lengths. I had never seen anything like this and never will again. My memories of the facility were good. The people were very nice and no smelly bums like you saw at Yonkers or Sportmans Park where throwing up on the apron was accepted as the norm back then.
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Saratoga harness 1979 dead of winter. many races going 2.10 to 2.12 on the pace add 4 seconds for trot I swear sometimes we would go through inches of snow winnners circle would have a foot they wouldn't even clear it Won a 10k with Bert Belanger catch driving on a freezing cold night 2.09 fastest mile of the night
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Interesting story on harness racing update about Liberty Bell, Brandywine and Garden State a while back.
https://harnessracingupdate.com/2015/05/08/disappearing-act-revisiting-the-sites-of-brandywine-liberty-bell-and-garden-state-2/
I have some history at those tracks too. Before I got into ownership I met Del Miller after he won a stakes race at Liberty Bell at a HoJo's of all places. He was super nice. I drove 5 plus hours one way just to bet Anxious Robbie at the Battle of Brandywine, and later on one of my horses raced at Garden State in it's short lived stay as a harness track.
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im back
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Interesting story on harness racing update about Liberty Bell, Brandywine and Garden State a while back.
https://harnessracingupdate.com/2015/05/08/disappearing-act-revisiting-the-sites-of-brandywine-liberty-bell-and-garden-state-2/
I have some history at those tracks too. Before I got into ownership I met Del Miller after he won a stakes race at Liberty Bell at a HoJo's of all places. He was super nice. I drove 5 plus hours one way just to bet Anxious Robbie at the Battle of Brandywine, and later on one of my horses raced at Garden State in it's short lived stay as a harness track.
Anxious Robbie Good little racehorse Alan Small trained him, right?
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Maywood Park
March early 60's
Spring Thraw.
Eddie Morgan Jr.(Tony's dad) won the fastest race of the night and didn't beat 3:00
Ten or so years ago I posted on Barn to Wire the date, drivers, horses, and times. If I can find the old Year Book I will post it again.
The paddock was on the last turn then, if you weren't going to get a check you just pulled up.
And yes I was there.
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Wow You mean they would actually give the horse a DNF? Crazy.
Ty for sharing.
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Anxious Robbie Good little racehorse Alan Small trained him, right?
Don't really remember who the trainer was. I was betting on horses not trainers back then ngc3 . I think I remember it wasn't a big barn so it's very likely you are right.
Another interesting fact from those tracks. Stanley Dancer won his last drive ever in a stakes race at Garden State.
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Was it a trotter? I remember Dancer said he would never drive another "hobbled horse" at his age after seeing Haughton get killed.
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Yes, Lifelong Victory a $350,000 winning son of Valley Victory.
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Makes sense
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Anxious Robbie Good little racehorse Alan Small trained him, right?
Anxious Robby came to IL. as a sire.
I had a couple nice colts by him.