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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Mohawk mac on September 12, 2023, 05:41:24 AM
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I'm always interested in how people got started. Doesn't matter if you're a trainer, owner, groom or fan. I'll go first.
Dad was a casual fan and he took me to Sportsman's Park one Saturday afternoon to see the T-breds when I was in high school. We planned on getting there for the feature race (the old get in free for the last few trick). Well, Dad was never on time for anything in his life. By the time we arrrived, there was only one race left. We waded through the ankle deep quagmire of discarded racing forms, programs, liquor bottles, popcorn containers and hot dog wrappers to secure a place right on the rail.
I'm not sure I had ever seen a real live horse until that day. But as they paraded past us on the way to the post, I was mesmerized by the sight of these magnificent beasts carrying tiny men in brightly colored shirts.
The race was a mile and a sixteenth so the field started on the backstretch of the five furlong oval and the horses passed us twice. Dad went to the window to bet. I had five bucks to win on the favorite.
Turning for home the final time, the crowd noise got louder and louder. At least half of the stands were still occupied meaning there were 10,000 people screaming for their steed. As the field approached the finish line, I could hear the crack of the whip and jockeys yelling at their horses. I could see nostrils flaring and the determined look in the leader's eyes. Even though my horse finished 4th, it was love at first sight. I was hooked.
My first time at the harness races was also at Spk5/8. I picked several winners and ended up ahead $91.20. A tidy sum for a college kid working part time at a health clinic filing x-rays for $1.85 an hour.
Your turn ;D
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My parents met and married late 50s in the Bronx, Ny. My mother's side of the family was semi - associated with low level mobsters in the Arthur Avenue section and her aunt and uncle ran nightly poker games complete with food and drink for a "cut" that went to the hosts, from apartments in the North and East Bronx. Aunt Rose and Uncle Frank were always going to the "trottas"n at YR as gambling was in their DNA and obviously they had cash. This was like 1961/2/3 as I was being conceived. My parents loved it. My father loves recounting being witness to the epic battles between Bret Hanover and Cardigan Bay. Many of you will remember the giant b/w photo of those finishes in the old track kitchen/card room at YR. My parents were instantly hooked.
As a young family we ad moved out of the Bronx when I was a little guy and vacations with my maternal grandparents were often centered around a racetrack in the NE. Especially, Scarborough, Rockingham, Saratoga, Monticello, etc. My grandmother, the sister of the poker games aunt, loved racing and these were essentially racing /hotel poker weekends to cater to their tastes. I was along for all of it and loved it. By the time I was 10, we were going to Monticello every weekend, especially Sunday afternoons. I loved to handicap and my parents gave me money to bet. Their advice for my future was to work hard, be honest, save a portion and from THAT portion devote some for betting if I chose to. Not novel advice, but they just wanted me to have some sort of foundation since gambling was in my DNA too LOLOL.
I recall standing and staring at the outdoor paddock, seeing the horses come on and off the track and very carefully watching the drivers. How they sat, especially by 1975 and the modified sulkies appeared, what they did with their hands and whips, etc. I would go down to the rail and listen to hear if they yelled at the horses in the stretch.
My favorite Monti drivers in those days were Jimmy Allen, Joe Ricco jr and Joe Romano jr.
Columbus day weekend we were in the Bronx to pick up my grandparents and my Dad on a hunch, decided to stop in to an OTB to bet 6/8/4 straight and boxed for $3 each - total of 21 dollars, a typical max bet for him in those days, in the last race triple at Monticello later that day. A decent amount of money for the average guy in 1975. He chose that because he had a friend and attny. who owned some Standardbreds and a horse that man bought recently had finished 6th, 8th, and 4th in his first 3 starts and my dad's friend was rather upset by that. A crazy idea my dad conceived, but.....
Because of the holiday and other plans we actually did NOT go to Monti that Sunday, so my dad put the tickets away and figured he would check the results in tomorrows Daily News.
The next morning was Columbus Day and my parents had a golf outing with friends a pretty good drive away. They picked up the papers and coffee and got back on the highway because they were late. after a few minutes, my Dad asks my Mom to check the results at Monticello. She had no idea that he had even bought the tix. He asks what the last race triple was and she says 684 casually. He says, "Really?" "Well what did it pay?" She responds , "$3,336" My dad had his toy car, a Datsun 240z in those day/stickshift. He reacted so emotionally with joy that he almost put it into a dead stop in the middle of the highway! He's like holy fuck, we won almost $4500!!! A lot of money in those days and by far the most they had ever won.
A few weeks later, my dad's attorney was buying in to a new horse with George Forshey who trained the Collins horses at the time.
It was a 3yr old coming 4 for around 12k and he asked my dad casually if he wanted to "pick up the other 3rd". We were not poor or starving and he still had his windfall, so he said sure.
One horse led to another and by late 76 we had a few with Forshey and a french/canadian trainer driver who always seemed to win with longshots named Jacques Dupuis.
Soon we were going to the backstretches at RR and YR and I was an awestruck 14 year old. To see the names of all the "people in Sports Eye' on the trunks for some reason made a big impression on me. Like taking me to Hollywood. I vowed to finish school, skip college, save a nest egg and as soon as I turned 19 hit the road and learn the business. Through contacts my parents made in the sport I went to Illinois ( Graham/Willis ), Ohio, New England ( several different trainers ), then Pococno ( Bernie Proud and Arnold Teat ) then the Big M ( Jerry Silverman and Lew Wiliams ) then YR where I started to branch out on my own late 80s.
Btw, when i met the lady i would marry some 30 years ago, after we had been togather a couple months we decided to take a ten day driving trip to see if we could live with each 24/7 outside the bedroom - LOLOL. our first stop? Maine and Scarborough Downs! Wink/wink She loved it and the rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks you for letting me share....
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I'm always interested in how people got started. Doesn't matter if you're a trainer, owner, groom or fan. I'll go first.
Dad was a casual fan and he took me to Sportsman's Park one Saturday afternoon to see the T-breds when I was in high school. We planned on getting there for the feature race (the old get in free for the last few trick). Well, Dad was never on time for anything in his life. By the time we arrrived, there was only one race left. We waded through the ankle deep quagmire of discarded racing forms, programs, liquor bottles, popcorn containers and hot dog wrappers to secure a place right on the rail.
I'm not sure I had ever seen a real live horse until that day. But as they paraded past us on the way to the post, I was mesmerized by the sight of these magnificent beasts carrying tiny men in brightly colored shirts.
The race was a mile and a sixteenth so the field started on the backstretch of the five furlong oval and the horses passed us twice. Dad went to the window to bet. I had five bucks to win on the favorite.
Turning for home the final time, the crowd noise got louder and louder. At least half of the stands were still occupied meaning there were 10,000 people screaming for their steed. As the field approached the finish line, I could hear the crack of the whip and jockeys yelling at their horses. I could see nostrils flaring and the determined look in the leader's eyes. Even though my horse finished 4th, it was love at first sight. I was hooked.
My first time at the harness races was also at Spk5/8. I picked several winners and ended up ahead $91.20. A tidy sum for a college kid working part time at a health clinic filing x-rays for $1.85 an hour.
Your turn ;D
Excellent story. Wonderful times with your Dad. Memories you cant replace, just relive....Hell yeah $91 was a lot when we were kids.
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Thanks Guys!
Great Stories!
Mid-west farmboy.
Dad raced horses at the Mid-west fairs as a hobby.
Drove my first race at 16 in the mid 1960's.
Been going around in circles eversince.
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Yeah and in 2 different directions!
Usually it's through family, naturally.
God Bless, good health and good luck!
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My story is from a young fan’s perspective. I was 15 years old. My friend’s family had rented a house somewhere in Sullivan County near a big lake. My friend’s dad was a small gambler and told us on this Saturday that we were going to Monticello Raceway that night. I believe the races started at 8:45 P.M. My recollection was all sensory. The smell of the horses warming up. The absolute excitement from a lot of summer vacationers that were in attendance. Then the influx of all these hotel workers arriving after their work night had ended. And finally my first sighting of all the Hasidic jewish people arriving in clothing and grooming I had never seen. What a scene this was for a kid with no experiences to match that night. I compare it to the the first time I went to Yankee Stadium and saw the field was green and sandy not black and white. Anyway I got close to the rail to see the action up close. My friend and I split a $2 show bet and away we went. My first of many losing tickets. After the race there was cheering. Then I heard some booing. And of course I heard a few f-bombs directed at the drivers that lost. We stayed for 6 races after having a great time. What a place Monticello Raceway was in 1966.
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Great story/great times! Best of America! Ty for sharing!
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I was a freshman in college in NJ. This dude was hot for this girl and wanted to take her to Yonkers she wouldn't go without someone else present, and I was there and said I'd go having no clue about horse racing much less harness racing.
I made a bet to place on a 8 horse and the guy who apparently did have handicapping knowledge laughed at me. It came in 2nd paid 11 bucks or so and he wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the night.
I went back to Yonkers just a few times in the next few years but won every single time, so I got more serious about it. Early on Henri Filion was entered with a trotter named Christina and my fiancée's name was Christina and it was her birthday. So we went to Yonkers and of course she won at 5 to 1. That totally hooked us.
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What is so great about these stories is the love we all have for live racing. The sites, the smells, the horses, the gamblers.
My father would go the the track and never bet more that $8 dollars. 2 dollars and 4 races.
There was a 1/2 day at my High School in Queens and my dad picked me up and took e to Belmont.
I was 14. Well I knew from the very first race I ws hooked to it all.
Found a crew of us that worked in Supermarket in Queens and after work we headed to YR or RR at least 3 times a week.
My father would ask me where I was and I would tell him I went to see American Grafittii, to which he would comment, " How many time can you see that Fuckin movie. Finally he caught on
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Hey American Graffiti was a great movie tmbz1
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Hey American Graffiti was a great movie tmbz1
The track was better!
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What is so great about these stories is the love we all have for live racing. The sites, the smells, the horses, the gamblers.
My father would go the the track and never bet more that $8 dollars. 2 dollars and 4 races.
There was a 1/2 day at my High School in Queens and my dad picked me up and took e to Belmont.
I was 14. Well I knew from the very first race I ws hooked to it all.
Found a crew of us that worked in Supermarket in Queens and after work we headed to YR or RR at least 3 times a week.
My father would ask me where I was and I would tell him I went to see American Grafittii, to which he would comment, " How many time can you see that Fuckin movie. Finally he caught on
Love that! I think I saw it 3 times Max
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I was a teenager in 1977. My friend's dad owned a $ 3500 claimer at Buffalo Raceway. Usually stopped midpoint in the long stretch. On February 26, 1977, My friend and his dad took another friend and myself to Buffalo Raceway for the first time. This was a few weeks after the famous blizzard of 1977. On this night, the horse didn't quit in mid-stretch and held on to win by a diminishing neck in 2.13.0. The 3 teenagers each had a $2 win ticket that paid $ 10 and change. Easy to get hooked on a first great experience. I still have this winner's circle photo and it's the first one in my albums of memorabilia and other pictures. Ever since I was a fan and started owning horses in 2004 when my girlfriend and I claimed a Big Towner mare at Pompano Park in 2004. Have owned a few from then on, and also bred one too with zero regrets. My trainers were/are 100% above board so I never worried about that and were open in all of their discussions with me. My current trainer goes far beyond that. If I am up north and the horses' race, I can travel with the trainer and the horse to their racing destination and hang out in the paddock to observe what is going on live firsthand. Some trainers are very reluctant to have their owners hang out in the paddock all evening with them as well as travel on race day too.
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I remember the blizzard 0f 77 well living in Brockport and working as a wine salesman in Rochester. Got starnded on Ridge Rd in Greece and somehow made it to my girlfriends parent house in Hilton.
Had a company car which led me to Batavia, Buffalo and FingerLakes more than my to customers.
On Friday afternoons My final stop was in Palmyra NY so I was pretty close to Finger Lakes.
Well driving out of Brockport one Friday morning on route 31 with the DRF open on thee seat next to me. You got it, handicapping and driving mix worse than alcohol and driving. Ran down a ditch on rte 31 in Spencerport. Lost the company car and my job and moved back to NYC with my German Shepard in a jalopy I bought for 50 bucks
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Wow.. One great and sometimes crazy story after another. Ty All!
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So what’s going to happen to harness racing when us older fans are no longer on the earth. There may be some younger drivers, trainers and grooms but lots of young fans no way. Stories like ours from our youth or as young adults will not repeat in any form. Every experience will be from their iPads or cell phones. So let’s appreciate what we experienced with all the fantastic memories we will take to our graves.
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It’s been a good ride.
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So what’s going to happen to harness racing when us older fans are no longer on the earth. There may be some younger drivers, trainers and grooms but lots of young fans no way. Stories like ours from our youth or as young adults will not repeat in any form. Every experience will be from their iPads or cell phones. So let’s appreciate what we experienced with all the fantastic memories we will take to our graves.
Very good point. No one after us will ever know what it was like to hear 35000 people scream at a harness track, to taste roasted peanuts on charcoal after a night at Roosevelt or see Herve intending the whole time to finish 4th...finish 4fh and this is sad.
Sure, it's what we have now and we call it harness racing, but it isn't harness racing.
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Nobody measured one like , Herve. A close second was Harold Story.
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Nobody measured one like , Herve. A close second was Harold Story.
tmbz1 tmbz1 A story about Harold Story ( and Herve ) upcoming.....
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Story was a better driver than Herve.
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tmbz1 tmbz1 A story about Harold Story ( and Herve ) upcoming.....
When the great trotters, Scenic Regal with Harold Story and Fortune Mark with Herve Filion dominated the Open trotting ranks at YR in the early 90s, I was very close with Fortune Mark's connection - Larry Battaglia, trainer and an older groom, a great horseman, we called "Tooky' on the backstretch.
Each horse would be assigned the 7 or 8 post based mostly upon who won the week before. Regardless of trip, by the top of the stretch, the two horses were side by side. Harold and Herve would talk to each other almost down to the wire, hashing out who was going to win that night and that it would be the other guy's turn next week. Herve so much as acknowledged this upon return to the paddock. for the bettor a 7/8 exacta box was money in the bank. If you boxed you were assured around 5-1 on your money, because in those days there was "value" and it always paid around 20 bucks, either way it came in.
Herve was unparalled at that stuff. Blessed to have known him. Hated the way he went out.
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Story was a better driver than Herve.
You gave me shit because of my anti Carmine rants, then you say absurd shit like this. Pretty ironic. I respect your store of info but this is nonsense. Herve, it can still be argued may STILL be the greatest driver that ever lived! Don't kick dirt on Herve's memory. This gets personal with me.
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I WAS KIDNAPPED BY GYPSIES AND TAKEN TO THE SWAMP FOR MY 1ST MEETING WITH PIERCE, O'DONNELL, AND CAMPBELL!!! I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE JUMPED OUT OF THEIR WINDOWLESS PANEL VAN BEFORE WE GOT TO EXIT 16W,BUT I WAS YOUNG & STUPID!!! ngc3 ngc3 ngc3
THE REST IS A HISTORY OF HITS & MISSES, WINS & LOSSES,AND THOUSANDS OF CURSES AT SUITCASE MIKE LACHANCE, CATMAN, AND PURPLE JESUS!!!
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As a pre-teen growing up in Westchester County, just 11 miles from Yonkers, I couldn’t attend because at that time the minimum age was 18 ( or 21). So my Dad and I went to Aqueduct or Belmont, and I remember having to stand on top of the grandstand seat in order to see over the mass of people. On Belmont Stakes Day in late 60s, I hit a long shot on the undercard- Buz On, ridden by Hadley Woidhouse, prevailing by a nose at a win payoff of $ 95.80. Sweet.
So, unable to go to local nighttime harness racing, we would travel to Monticello ( 90 miles one-way), Green Mountain (162 miles), Hinsdale (180), Bowie ( about 200), Dover, Harrington, even Georgetown Raceway (200+). Keep in mind these were round-trips same night, no overnight stays.
Afresh out of college, I would do Freehold/ Brandywine doubleheaders, or Northampton/ Hinsdale, and many others. You get the idea.
Pre-simulcasting, it was a thrill to walk into a new track ( many Canadian, built around vacations), pick up a program, try to break even.
Over the years, have attended about 120 flat, harness, q horse, and dog tracks. Many long gone.
In 1988, claimed a mid level horse at Monticello. Started to jog mostly bombproof horses, even turned and went a training mile with a few at Monti, Aiken, and Hawkinsville.
Owned 40% of one really good NYSS filly in 1992-93.
Left ownership about 8 years ago when I realized I could get to the first turn faster than they could.
Have many happy memories, have an ex-partner with whom I occasionally discuss getting back with, but with all the drugging, plus competition from the super stables, and the hassle of licensing, I am unsure it’s worth re-entering to a situation of an almost definite loss.
But I watch almost every day, making a few modest bets.
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Story was a better driver than Herve.
I started going to harness races in later 1960s but in earnest 1970-1972. Herve was the man racing all over the place winning like crazy. I have to tell you I barely recall Harold Story and question how he could possibly compare to Herve or a bunch other top drivers in that era. I will take your word he was a good horseman and I have seen a few videos with his very good trotters. But comparing Story to Herve, I don’t think so.
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As a pre-teen growing up in Westchester County, just 11 miles from Yonkers, I couldn’t attend because at that time the minimum age was 18 ( or 21). So my Dad and I went to Aqueduct or Belmont, and I remember having to stand on top of the grandstand seat in order to see over the mass of people. On Belmont Stakes Day in late 60s, I hit a long shot on the undercard- Buz On, ridden by Hadley Woidhouse, prevailing by a nose at a win payoff of $ 95.80. Sweet.
So, unable to go to local nighttime harness racing, we would travel to Monticello ( 90 miles one-way), Green Mountain (162 miles), Hinsdale (180), Bowie ( about 200), Dover, Harrington, even Georgetown Raceway (200+). Keep in mind these were round-trips same night, no overnight stays.
Afresh out of college, I would do Freehold/ Brandywine doubleheaders, or Northampton/ Hinsdale, and many others. You get the idea.
Pre-simulcasting, it was a thrill to walk into a new track ( many Canadian, built around vacations), pick up a program, try to break even.
Over the years, have attended about 120 flat, harness, q horse, and dog tracks. Many long gone.
In 1988, claimed a mid level horse at Monticello. Started to jog mostly bombproof horses, even turned and went a training mile with a few at Monti, Aiken, and Hawkinsville.
Owned 40% of one really good NYSS filly in 1992-93.
Left ownership about 8 years ago when I realized I could get to the first turn faster than they could.
Have many happy memories, have an ex-partner with whom I occasionally discuss getting back with, but with all the drugging, plus competition from the super stables, and the hassle of licensing, I am unsure it’s worth re-entering to a situation of an almost definite loss.
But I watch almost every day, making a few modest bets.
Excellent story and rational perspective across the board. Good luck to you!
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I started going to harness races in later 1960s but in earnest 1970-1972. Herve was the man racing all over the place winning like crazy. I have to tell you I barely recall Harold Story and question how he could possibly compare to Herve or a bunch other top drivers in that era. I will take your word he was a good horseman and I have seen a few videos with his very good trotters. But comparing Story to Herve, I don’t think so.
tmbz1 And that's putting it mildly.
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When I was 10 my Dad and his friend took me to Finger Lakes. They gave me the program and said pick a winner, I did easy money. The seed was planted. My Dad had friends who raced at Vernon and I would listen to the stories.
When I turned 18 a High School friend said let’s go to OTB and make some money, it was a blast, we went at lunch time. I would bet during the day then watch Spencer Ross and Stan Bernstein at night.
Got married had a family and the betting slowed down, though we did on occasion take the bus to Monticello on Saturday nights.
A friend said let’s get a horse so we traveled to Monticello and met a trainer, we were more interested if we could make money betting, the trainer said of course with a big smile. We never followed through.
Fast forward again and Tioga Downs reopened with Trotters, it was a 1/4 horse track. Found a local trainer, claimed a horse and had a blast, jogging, grooming for years. When Tioga closed in September we would ship to Pocono and could never beat Oakes, he had probably 10 gas positives, got disgusted with the game and have not owned since. Now I bet about 90% on T breds
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Yonkers1A just to clarify.. Did the horses have 10 gas positives or was it directed at Oakes’s flatulence you are referring to? Just asking…..
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Yonkers1A just to clarify.. Did the horses have 10 gas positives or was it directed at Oakes’s flatulence you are referring to? Just asking…..
Oakes is a POS so maybe I was smelling him
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Oakes is a POS so maybe I was smelling him
BIG TIME
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Oakes is a POS so maybe I was smelling him
Well youll be happy to know that Hunter Oakes was off the board at 2-5 in races 1 and 2 today at Harrahs PH
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Grew up around horses. I really got interested when the show started on Saturday nights racing from Yonkers and Roosevelt with Stan Berkstein and Spencer Ross.
Of course after the show is over we would watch championship wrestling!
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Was that you sitting next to me on Sat. nights?
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Never did I say Harold Story was as good as Herve. I said, Story was second to Herve in measuring a drive. Be for the win or where ever he wanted to place.
If you are not familiar with Story, you owe it to yourself to get his book. I can't remember the name of it. When I do, I will post it. Those who were around can attest to the skills and creativity of this man.
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THE NEVER ENDING STORY: WHAT'S FIT TO PRINT the life of harness racing legend Harold Story
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I was about 6 years old when my father took me on Saturday mornings to the barn are at Roosevelt Raceway. He would sit me in the owners and trainers box on the training track as he went about his business. The old man was a bookmaker and had money on the street. Roosevelt was a weekly stop to collect. There were a couple trainers there who fronted for him. One owned a bar on Old Country Road the other was a bartender at the Wheatley Hills Tavern.
I did not know at the time but, a kind man would say hello and talk with me as I sat in that dusty booth. His name was Bill Houghton. He asked if I liked the horses. He told me when I turned 16 I could get a job as a groom.
I met many of the top trainers. As I got older, I would realize it was like being backstage at Maddison Square Garden. These guys were on TV, radio and in the newspaper everyday.
At 18, my old man bought me a couple old racehorses that needed rehab to come back to the races. It was now in my blood. I soon developed an allergy to all animals, including horses. That ended any idea of a career horsemen. My father had great connections to just about anything. He owned a bar on Long Island and his clientele consisted of Cops, Firemen, wannabe wiseguys and wiseguys. These were my role models. Also in the bar were a few politicians. I had nothing to do with it but, at 26 years old , I found myself in Albany at a Senetor"s office picking up a letter, appointing me to a position of Inspector, (pee catcher) at Finger Lakes racetrack.
I was then appointed to Patrol Judge for the winter meet at Buffalo Raceway. I first needed to meet with the Director of Racing Personnel at Saratoga. I did not know at the time byt, he was trying to block my appointment for whatever reason. After the meeting he sent a letter off to the Racing and Wagering board saying I turned down the offer. I didn't. He said to me, "you know for you to get this position, I need to fire the guy there now. Is that what you want me to do? " I sad no . That was all he needed.
I left the business for 20 years and re- entered as an owner after selling my business in 1999. lasted until 2008 when everything I had was lost in the great recession.
Now I dabble in selling breeding stock to some fine people in Brazil.
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Was that you sitting next to me on Sat. nights?
Ha!
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Very good point. No one after us will ever know what it was like to hear 35000 people scream at a harness track, to taste roasted peanuts on charcoal after a night at Roosevelt or see Herve intending the whole time to finish 4th...finish 4th and this is sad.
Sure, it's what we have now and we call it harness racing, but it isn't harness racing.
FYI, I was at Yonkers live a few weeks ago and 250 total people was a stretch. I also walked by the entrance to the Empire Terrace. Very sad today to what once was!!
I was at Y
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Never did I say Harold Story was as good as Herve. I said, Story was second to Herve in measuring a drive. Be for the win or where ever he wanted to place.
If you are not familiar with Story, you owe it to yourself to get his book. I can't remember the name of it. When I do, I will post it. Those who were around can attest to the skills and creativity of this man.
I know you didn't. It was Remington who said to me directly early this morning that Harold Story was better than Herve. It's in the thread.
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I was about 6 years old when my father took me on Saturday mornings to the barn are at Roosevelt Raceway. He would sit me in the owners and trainers box on the training track as he went about his business. The old man was a bookmaker and had money on the street. Roosevelt was a weekly stop to collect. There were a couple trainers there who fronted for him. One owned a bar on Old Country Road the other was a bartender at the Wheatley Hills Tavern.
I did not know at the time but, a kind man would say hello and talk with me as I sat in that dusty booth. His name was Bill Houghton. He asked if I liked the horses. He told me when I turned 16 I could get a job as a groom.
I met many of the top trainers. As I got older, I would realize it was like being backstage at Maddison Square Garden. These guys were on TV, radio and in the newspaper everyday.
At 18, my old man bought me a couple old racehorses that needed rehab to come back to the races. It was now in my blood. I soon developed an allergy to all animals, including horses. That ended any idea of a career horsemen. My father had great connections to just about anything. He owned a bar on Long Island and his clientele consisted of Cops, Firemen, wannabe wiseguys and wiseguys. These were my role models. Also in the bar were a few politicians. I had nothing to do with it but, at 26 years old , I found myself in Albany at a Senetor"s office picking up a letter, appointing me to a position of Inspector, (pee catcher) at Finger Lakes racetrack.
I was then appointed to Patrol Judge for the winter meet at Buffalo Raceway. I first needed to meet with the Director of Racing Personnel at Saratoga. I did not know at the time byt, he was trying to block my appointment for whatever reason. After the meeting he sent a letter off to the Racing and Wagering board saying I turned down the offer. I didn't. He said to me, "you know for you to get this position, I need to fire the guy there now. Is that what you want me to do? " I sad no . That was all he needed.
I left the business for 20 years and re- entered as an owner after selling my business in 1999. lasted until 2008 when everything I had was lost in the great recession.
Now I dabble in selling breeding stock to some fine people in Brazil.
Fascinating story.
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Talk about an all over the place career from The Exporter. I am sure many of us have had careers that went up, down and sideways. But if there is one job I would never consider was anything Buffalo in the winter. I hope by the time Exporter was a patrol judge he was doing this indoors instead of when the judges climbed some tower and froze watching the races.
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Seeing my aunt and uncle in a winners circle photo from Hinsdale from the 1960's that they had hanging in their den.
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Had a blast in 1983 for the summer 6 week meet. TY Locky Raymond, in more ways than one. wink/wink
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I used to have a Monticello winners circle pic from their early 1970s winter holiday meet. The horse was a trotter Southampton Pride. The trainer was Russ Pecchia, chubby guy with glasses. The driver was Ed Lohmeyer. 11:00 P.M., snowing, windy and the race went in 2:15. Then we slid home to NJ. What the heck was I doing there? Does anyone know the trainer and what became of him?
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Certainly do remember both horse and trainer. know Idea what became of him. Ed Lohmeyer is going into the HOF next year. Not gonna argue with that one. good guy, good racing family, not too shabby a driver.
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I used to have a Monticello winners circle pic from their early 1970s winter holiday meet. The horse was a trotter Southampton Pride. The trainer was Russ Pecchia, chubby guy with glasses. The driver was Ed Lohmeyer. 11:00 P.M., snowing, windy and the race went in 2:15. Then we slid home to NJ. What the heck was I doing there? Does anyone know the trainer and what became of him?
Russ died a few years ago.
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Thank you guys. I just found Pecchia’s obituary. He was a very nice man. Passed away in central NJ at 73 years old in 2020. Worked as a trainer for over 30 years and then retired. A tough existence being a small trainer. He raced up and down the entire east coast from Maine to Florida according to his obituary. He became an Uber driver which had to be easier than owning a small stable and the hours put in.
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My father used to take me to Belmont and Aqueduct back in the early 70s when I was in college.
My 1st real exposure to harness racing was with a guy I used to work with in the middle 70s, who owned a pacer named Mountain Fortress, who raced at Monticello for Ronnie Saxe.
It’s been all downhill since then.
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Purely for the hot women and booze
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Thanks to all who answered except Gen X. Liked his response just not enough detail. 73cv.2
I'd love a few more repllies so bumping topic over SCM, Bobby Smolin and Cory K temporarily. Those who already posted here may feel free to add more stories.
Lurkers STILL welcome to jump in. tmbz1
Here's how I got involved in my second horse as owner:
In early 1985, three friends from work and I decided we wanted to claim a horse. We found an honest, hard working trainer and made up a list of all the horses racing in Chicago for claiming prices between $8,000 and $14,000. Those would be our limits. We decided not to get an $8,000 claimer unless we all really liked him a lot because there was nowhere to drop him if he went south. After weeks of study we narrowed our list to three. They were Fox Valley Bullet, Fantastic Image and Loto King. A Sunday night visit to Balmoral Park eliminated Loto King. The little black horse raced only so-so in an $8,000 claimer. Too risky for our taste.
There were stark contrasts between Fox Valley Bullet and Fantastic Image. Both had pluses and minuses as do virtually all claimers. Fantastic Image was in brilliant form winning or sharing every week for $10,000 or $12,000. His only real negatives, but huge ones, were that he was seven years old and he had raced 43 times in 1984 and already started 15 times by April of 1985. We knew that his schedule would take its toll sooner or later. In contrast, the lightly raced five year old Fox Valley Bullet had recently arrived from Los Alamitos where he raced with mixed results. I loved the way looked and his racing style! Very quick off the gate but able to rate once he established position. We watched each of them race one more time before deciding.
As expected, Fantastic Image battered a bunch of $10,000 types. Fox Valley Bullet raced for $12,000 and got himself hopelessly boxed in. It looked like his trainer/owner/driver, Marc Aubin, had a ton of horse but nowhere to go. The following week both were entered for $12,000. Image on Thursday and Bullet on Friday. Tough decision. I strongly preferred Bullet. I had a hard sell as the others all fell in love with the more glamorous Fantastic Image. I finally convinced them to wait for Bullet.
We went out Thursday to watch Image. He absolutely crushed that field. And was claimed. The next evening, Friday, April 19, 1985, we put in a claim on Fox Valley Bullet. I was afraid others would too but we were the only ones. With the claim entered, Aubin was not going to take any prisoners. He gunned Bullet off the gate and won for fun, wire to wire, and set a new lifetime mark. 1:59.4. We were owners!
We decided to enter Bullet in a $14,000 claimer the following Saturday. We were at the draw for post positions on Wednesday. Two bad things happened. Bullet drew post position 9 which is in the second tier, thus negating his good gate speed. And our driver of choice, Ron Marsh, chose to drive another horse. We ended up with Illinois Harness Racing Hall of Famer Daryl Busse, so no big loss.
April 27, 1985. Fox Valley Bullet's first race for us. We were pumped! We had family, friends and co-workers on hand for the big event. Bullet was second or third choice on the board behind Pilot Renvaeh and the aforementioned Fantastic Image. Neither Image nor the Pilot were ever factors as the speedy Kentucky King shot to the lead and set the pace while Bullet stalked him closely throughout. Bullet was boxed in the entire way until he finally got room at the top of the short Maywood Park stretch. Here is track announcer Tony Salvaro's call. "Kentucky King has the lead, Fox Valley Bullet second, Kentucky King and Fox Valley Bullet. Heeeere comes FOX VALLEY BULLET! Fox Valley Bullet is fastest of all!"
For sheer, unadulterated joy, that moment was number one in my entire life. I will never forget the feeling. I knew when it happened that it would remain unsurpassed so I savored it as long as possible. The winners circle was a madhouse. People everywhere. We greeted Bullet and his driver and posed for the picture. Then, after visiting Bullet and our trainer in the barn, we all went out for pizza. What a great night.
Bullet won right back for $14,000 the following week and was 3rd for $20,000 the week after that. We lost Bullet twice in claiming races and claimed him back each time. Once we had to wait several months because the owners were afraid of losing him. All in all, Fox Valley Bullet won 27 races for us from 1985 thru 1990 at which time he was retired to a long and happy life of leisure on our trainer's farm.
Horse ownership is very risky. Lots of potential pitfalls. But partial ownership can be fun and affordable. From 1977 through 2007 I owned a piece of a couple dozen pacers including a few my partners and I bred. We had some stakes winners, a few who never raced or made a living in $4000 claimers, and everything in between. The most I owned of any one was 25% and the least was 10%. But when they crossed the line first, the thrill was the same regardless of class, purse or % owned. It was a great ride and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My only regret is that Illinois racing's slow, horrible and utterly preventable demise forced me out of business. Damn those crooked politicians and greedy track owners.