HORSEPLOP.COM
General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Meadow Ford on August 26, 2023, 01:04:31 PM
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Some of you may remember Clint Hodgins.
A big name tr/dr from the 60's and 70's,
and a real Racetrack Character!
He had a top FFA trotter. Regal something?
Early 70's.
Laurel Park.
Two year old trotting stake.
At warm up time it starts to rain.
Clint didn't bring his rain colors with him.
To warm up the horse ,but stay dry Clint borrows an all black rain coat from the groom.
Paddock Judge calls him in after the warm up trip, but before the race.
"Mr Hodgins distinquishing colors are required, We understand it is raining, but you can't race in an all black rain coat".
Clint doesn't want to get wet, but doesn't want to get fined by the judges either.
What would you have done?
What did Clint do?
I will post on Monday the answer to what (life of the party) Clint did.
Please,
Lets hear your answers to what you would have done
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Played cards with Clint at Brandywine and it seems once in a while a card got played from his sport jacket? - - - -
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Lucien Fontaine his greatest protege.
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Clint could measure a racetrack better than anyone back then or now. Seldom win a race by more than a half length.'
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tmbz1 tmbz1 tmbz1
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Lucien Fontaine his greatest protege.
Sure put a fire under SUPER WAVES ass. Maybe the fastest of his time. tmbz1 tmbz1 tmbz1
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I go back to the days of Nero, Nansemond and Albatross. Can you tell me about the one you mentioned above.
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Super Wave was a Jack Kopas horse
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I vaguely remember that couldn't understand what it had to do with Fontaine/Hodgins Kopas family great horse people.
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He wrapped himself in clear plastic bags to keep the rain out and still could see his colors. The guy was a bust out
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great clint story from yonkers droped his whip early around last turn hes moving 3 wide around a parked horse snears at the driver says give me your whip you dont need it clint got the whip and won the race he was quite a character
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He died busted just like he started out.
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He died busted just like he started out.
If I recall correctly, he drove Adios Butler to the triple crown and then the horse was sold; after the sale Eddie Cobb drove him.
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He died busted just like he started out.
Clint gave away more money than many of you will ever make !!!
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tmbz1
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He wrapped himself in clear plastic bags to keep the rain out and still could see his colors.
No, but may have worked.
Hint
From the paddock office Clint went straight to the State Vet's office.
Hint
The key is all black rain coat.
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He wrapped himself in clear plastic bags to keep the rain out and still could see his colors. The guy was a bust out
Here is another story , about Clint , you will like
When Clint was in his prime in NY in the late 60's , 2 young business men entered the business, bought a horse and gave it to Clint to train and drive.
First night the horse is in to go and had drawn the 8 hole at Roosevelt: the 2 guys show up in the paddock , with their program.
They approach Clint...and one guy said he has the strategy for their race
" You leave hard from the gate, and you should be able to find a hole 2nd or 3rd. Sit till just after the half , then pull..and you should be able to get by the horses ahead of you "
Clint was calm...and slowly took off his gloves. He handed the gloves and his whip to the guy doing the talking.........a nd then he spoke
"I think you should drive the horse...and looking at the quiet guy..said and while your partner is preparing for his drive , you should find a new trainer and a barn to take this horse after it races....I am going to tell the judges that I will not be training or driving this horses as of this moment "
And he walked away
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Yes!
Stories like this is why I read forums.
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Here is another story , about Clint , you will like
When Clint was in his prime in NY in the late 60's , 2 young business men entered the business, bought a horse and gave it to Clint to train and drive.
First night the horse is in to go and had drawn the 8 hole at Roosevelt: the 2 guys show up in the paddock , with their program.
They approach Clint...and one guy said he has the strategy for their race
" You leave hard from the gate, and you should be able to find a hole 2nd or 3rd. Sit till just after the half , then pull..and you should be able to get by the horses ahead of you "
Clint was calm...and slowly took off his gloves. He handed the gloves and his whip to the guy doing the talking.........a nd then he spoke
"I think you should drive the horse...and looking at the quiet guy..said and while your partner is preparing for his drive , you should find a new trainer and a barn to take this horse after it races....I am going to tell the judges that I will not be training or driving this horses as of this moment "
And he walked away
They used to tell the same story about Carmine and Buddy....intercha nge any asshole trainer/driver name.....
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Clint once told me. “Horses raised in Kentucky are beautiful but being they are raised on pretty flat land they have to be trained very carefully as the have very weak muscles “. Then almost like an afterthought he said.
“They are paper cachet bastards”….
Maybe he had one just break down ???
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Clint once told me. “Horses raised in Kentucky are beautiful but being they are raised on pretty flat land they have to be trained very carefully as the have very weak muscles “. Then almost like an afterthought he said.
“They are paper cachet bastards”….
Maybe he had one just break down ???
Plain stupid.
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Well, he had a jog track in canada that was made with dips and rises in in so he was not just talking.
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Well, he had a jog track in canada that was made with dips and rises in in so he was not just talking.
What does that have to do with a comment about fields in Kentucky.
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Mr. Clint Hodgins takes a young guy(me) to school.
Early 70's
Atlantic City Race Course.
Clint draws in the back tier.
I draw the three hole.
Shortly before the gate opens the 2 makes a bad break.
Clint from the back tier shoots the 2 hole, times the gate just right, and hangs me around the first turn.
I was so mad I swore I would never let that happen again, and it hasn't. From then on, if the horse just inside of me makes a bad break, I move in so no horse ever again from the back tier will ever beat me to the first turn.
Twenty years later I had learned my lessons well, and it was me first up the back stretch from the back tier.
Could Clint and I have been fined for scoring out of position?
Yes, but if you time it right and not make it to obvious they most likely won't say anything.
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No, but may have worked.
Hint
From the paddock office Clint went straight to the State Vet's office.
Hint
The key is all black rain coat.
Doesn’t matter sick gambler with a bad attitude. Nobody liked the ahole
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Some of you may remember Clint Hodgins.
A big name tr/dr from the 60's and 70's,
and a real Racetrack Character!
He had a top FFA trotter. Regal something?
Early 70's.
Laurel Park.
Two year old trotting stake.
At warm up time it starts to rain.
Clint didn't bring his rain colors with him.
To warm up the horse ,but stay dry Clint borrows an all black rain coat from the groom.
Paddock Judge calls him in after the warm up trip, but before the race.
"Mr Hodgins distinquishing colors are required, We understand it is raining, but you can't race in an all black rain coat".
Clint doesn't want to get wet, but doesn't want to get fined by the judges either.
What would you have done?
What did Clint do?
I will post on Monday the answer to what (life of the party) Clint did.
Please,
Lets hear your answers to what you would have done
Mr. Hodgins went straight to the State Vet's office.
He asked for and got a role of white adhesive tape.
He had the groom wrap a couple bands around his biceps, a couple over his shoulders, and a couple bands around his chest.
Bingo!
Distinquishing colors and everyone is dry and happy.
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I go back to the days of Nero, Nansemond and Albatross. Can you tell me about the one you mentioned above.
Jack Kopas drove Super Wave up until the time Clint got behind him. Was aged paced of the year at least two maybe three years in a row. Almost unbeatable at four and five. Larry Malar, Race Secretary at Roosevelt stated that he paced the fastest last eighth he had ever seen. Fastest ever out of Shadow Wave. Down the ROAD on a Half and FOUR Wide on a Mile. He was a great race horse.
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After RR closed and Donnie Sider fell out with his uncle, Buddy Gilmour, Donnie ended up with a few of his own horses and landed in my barn at YR The Kopas's would send him 1 or 2 horses to help keep him going. One of them was Fog Patch - marble gray out of Laag - solid 33k claimer and I had one in that class too. The two horses were separated by 1 stall Kopas Stable always a top notch outfit
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They used to tell the same story about Carmine and Buddy....intercha nge any asshole trainer/driver name.....
WOW ! On a first name basis huh.
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WOW ! On a first name basis huh.
what do you mean "on a first name basis"?
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What does that have to do with a comment about fields in Kentucky.
Some of his owners bought Ky breds. He built that track to “use and stretch their muscles”.
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Doesn’t matter sick gambler with a bad attitude. Nobody liked the ahole
I dont think you knew him very well. He always drew a crowd which he was not entirely fond of.
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I dont think you knew him very well. He always drew a crowd which he was not entirely fond of.
He drew a crowd of people laughing at his bs because he wanted attention and was an ahole. Everyone laughed st him. Whack job
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Clint was very old school, everybody has their own thoughts on how to train, drive, select horses. His ideas were from a different era, 4 or 5 trips just to get them tired. He was a nice guy and a good horseman. I would like to have some of the new generation of super trainers to break, train and race some of the foul bred things we had back in the day. Even the great bred horses were far different than todays.
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Clint was very old school, everybody has their own thoughts on how to train, drive, select horses. His ideas were from a different era, 4 or 5 trips just to get them tired. He was a nice guy and a good horseman. I would like to have some of the new generation of super trainers to break, train and race some of the foul bred things we had back in the day. Even the great bred horses were far different than todays.
Very true. Foul Gaited things that needed heavy leather hopples just to pace. Today they say babies walk on the pace as soon as they get up. Heavy, awkward felt knee boots, gaiting straps, all kinds of weird overchecks and on and on.
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Back then you had to be a mechanic with a touch of invention mixed in. Some of todays trainers would have problems keeping a job as a groom.
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Back then you had to be a mechanic with a touch of invention mixed in. Some of todays trainers would have problems keeping a job as a groom.
I used to say that often.
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If you were a groom ya looked after two, if ya had a good one, ya had one. Grand Circuit was grand, it was like a moving carnival, grooms slept in front of their horses, kept barns as neat as possible. You jogged your own horses. Awnings up, halters spit shined. Jog carts, trunks, and bikes shined, from all the pledge. Didn't matter where you raced. NYSS was like that, most places ya stayed for a week and either went back to your base or just on to the next race track.
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If you were a groom ya looked after two, if ya had a good one, ya had one. Grand Circuit was grand, it was like a moving carnival, grooms slept in front of their horses, kept barns as neat as possible. You jogged your own horses. Awnings up, halters spit shined. Jog carts, trunks, and bikes shined, from all the pledge. Didn't matter where you raced. NYSS was like that, most places ya stayed for a week and either went back to your base or just on to the next race track.
You just described the first 6 years of my life starting at 19 Dont forget a clean hand towel laid flat on the trunk lid after you pledge shined it
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Easy to describe, I also lived it, started at 16, 2nd trainer at 19. Went wherever I was sent, and it could be anywhere from coast to coast. Lots of barn barbecues. Started my own outfit, nice to fly in and out.
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Easy to describe, I also lived it, started at 16, 2nd trainer at 19. Went wherever I was sent, and it could be anywhere from coast to coast. Lots of barn barbecues. Started my own outfit, nice to fly in and out.
Nice!!