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General Category => Harness Racing => Topic started by: Way to go on April 10, 2024, 07:42:15 AM

Title: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 10, 2024, 07:42:15 AM
Sixties and seventies....king pin at East Coast tracks......or not
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 10, 2024, 10:51:01 AM
Anybody from Garden State or Meadowlands remember this guy with his 15 man entourage
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: old guy on April 10, 2024, 04:17:18 PM
Yes
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Bernie Madoff on April 10, 2024, 05:12:28 PM
No.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Kirbys Ace on April 10, 2024, 06:11:51 PM
Was banned from almost every track on the East Coast!
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: kantseeback on April 10, 2024, 07:34:49 PM
I vaguely remember Benny the Whip getting banned from M1 ages ago for some cheating scandal, this must be it.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: SeattleSlew on April 11, 2024, 02:55:34 AM
The judge threw the case out of court and said it was one of the thinnest cases he had ever seen put up for trial.  Benny was suspended for the duration of the trial, but was reinstated immediately.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Brkn Headpole on April 11, 2024, 03:42:41 AM
One time at the BigM Babe hit a score for 30k.

He stuffed the money on the inside of his suit jacket. Cookie and him were going to their car in the parking lot, not sure why they didnt use valet but they come across an "Old" Woman laying on the ground. Well Babe went to help to help her up but the woman turned out to be a dude in disguise and scored the 30k.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 11, 2024, 06:51:04 AM
Does anyone remember the Tally - Ho Bar/ Hotel incident in 1975 near Brandywine on Route 202?
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: kantseeback on April 11, 2024, 06:51:24 AM
The judge threw the case out of court and said it was one of the thinnest cases he had ever seen put up for trial.  Benny was suspended for the duration of the trial, but was reinstated immediately.

For reference,

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/02/sports/driver-2-others-indicted.html (https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/02/sports/driver-2-others-indicted.html)
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Locked in with pace on April 11, 2024, 06:53:18 AM
Was Wendal Donaway related?  Trained really nice horses back in the days . I think he drove them too
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 11, 2024, 07:07:23 AM
Baby brother........co lors purple and gold....known on program as  "Windy"
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: The Exporter on April 11, 2024, 07:38:11 AM
Mainly a New England guy. Saratoga, too.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 11, 2024, 07:47:33 AM
Hometown is Millsboro,Delaware...Raced in Delaware,Maryland and Pennsylvania until 1977 when asked to leave due to lack of effort drives....relocat ed in Foxboro in 1978...moved back to Delaware around 2000.
Ex of Joanne Looney-King
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: old guy on April 11, 2024, 09:12:49 AM
Does anyone remember the Tally - Ho Bar/ Hotel incident in 1975 near Brandywine on Route 202?


Yes, gunshot and Babe was lucky.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 11, 2024, 09:15:37 AM
I believed he was followed from the track and held at gunpoint for the $40K robbery
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Elcrabadore on April 11, 2024, 06:56:53 PM
LEGEND.  He usually wore a black suit with a white open collar shirt.  One of the few who made money betting horses.  Had two brothers, Wendall (Windy) and Duck Donaway.  Saw him at Brandywine years ago buying live Twin Double tickets.  Also saw him at Georgetown Raceway where he had several runners who would go to the windows to bet for him.  Great personality and well liked.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Brkn Headpole on April 11, 2024, 07:15:18 PM
I believed he was followed from the track and held at gunpoint for the $40K robbery

I think you're right. My memory a little hazy but story was told to me by my father who knew him very well and was with him the day it happened but had gone with someone else back to the hotel. Also thought it was 40k too but didn't want to tell any fish stories.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Grandstand Handicapper on April 11, 2024, 09:41:37 PM
Myth or legend? Between the two.....Legend... ..without question. Certainly no myth, LOL. Over the course of time, stories change, become more embellished, sometimes even more ridiculous, LOL. Babe, and some of his crew, ended up at the Meadowlands. I don't think he ever got banned from the Meadowlands, but there was a long list of tracks that did ban him.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 15, 2024, 09:15:56 AM
Wendall only one left of the four brothers.....Wayn e(Babe),Donald(Duck),Robert(Bob) and Wendall(Windy)
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Elcrabadore on April 15, 2024, 10:14:27 AM
I heard the Meadowlands provided Babe with a hotel room near the track.  Never banned from M1 as far as I now.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: old guy on April 15, 2024, 11:38:40 AM
I heard the Meadowlands provided Babe with a hotel room near the track.  Never banned from M1 as far as I now.

And picked up his dinner check at his table each night. Sonny Werblin and Bob Quigley knew to cater to big players.
Title: Re: Babe Donaway....Myth or Legend
Post by: Way to go on April 15, 2024, 12:08:16 PM
Amen
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