1974 Yonkers and 1983 Roosevelt and Meadowlands

[Fuguzzi]

Just teasing you buddy

[Senator Blutarsky]

Just teasing you buddy

Where's my fucking pretzel, still no pretzel, am on a hunger pretzel strike!   

[remington]

Did Joe Romano and Matt start at Freehold.

[Fuguzzi]

Grew up in monti  started there  Matt once got led out of Liberty Bell in handcuffs   his wife bet on and cashed triple tickets without him on top  smart folks   lol

[tumbleweed]

Saw Matt a couple of years ago in Florida. Was just riding for some folks there. Had no horses of his own. Never changes, still looked the same smiling and watching.

[Fuguzzi]

Happy for him  I bear him no ill will     Funny memory one night at Monti after they installed that terrible indoor paddock  so one night Matty puts a wheel under Kyle   Old man Bill Dibenedetto who was a very violent man scooped up Matt and dropped him headfirst into a full garbage can   one of those metal barrel types

[wizardofoz]

 
Many will argue that the rise of OTB not only killed attendance at tracks like Roosevelt Raceway and Yonkers, it led to the eventual closing of Roosevelt Raceway. Some argue that it was simply a changing of the guard. The generation of gamblers who frequented the tracks during their glory years in the 1950s and 1960s were getting older. Many other forms of entertainment were growing and competition from tracks like the Meadowlands in New Jersey which opened in 1976 hurt the New York tracks. The opening of Resorts the first casino in Atlantic City with legalized gambling in 1978 fueled an entire new era of competition for the gambler’s money.

[wizardofoz]

1977 drivers stats at Roosevelt Raceway: 

[wizardofoz]

[wizardofoz]

[wizardofoz]

1969 Yonkers Raceway Friday night results:    It slides right to left. Almost 20,000 in attendance.

[tumbleweed]

Great memories...Thanks for posting.

[Fuguzzi]

Notice in the Gotham trot for 50k the top 6 finishing drivers are all in the hall of fame

[panhunter]

Saw Barry Manilow at Monticello in 1975. The Yonkers and Roosevelt rocked in the 60’s and 70’s even 80’s. Crowds were massive on Friday and Saturday. Once OTB came on the scene it f**ked on site betting and attendance. Now I can sit in my nice chair,bet and watch races from home.

[panhunter]

Wizard, I remember hoping I had .50 left in my pocket for a pretzel. No matter what happened that pretzel seemed to make it a little better!

1969 Yonkers Raceway Friday night results:    It slides right to left. Almost 20,000 in attendance.