My Dad. AKA PoP

[RR70s]

So when I first joined this forum a little over a year ago, it was mainly to take my mind off of things. It's been a wild ride so far. I've talked to alot of good people, and some not so good. My Dad was fighting cancer at that time. He lost his battle in November on my Mother's birthday ironically enough. Today is his birthday and he would have been 77. He taught me alot about being a hard worker, a dedicated husband, the value of a dollar earned, horses, betting, racing.. and I could go on forever. So the best way I can pay homage to him on a horse racing forum is to post the very first LBJ he saw in person.  I will miss him tremendously during LBJ week. The year.. 1970. Most Happy Fella with the great Stanley Dancer. It took a 3rd heat.. back then a horse needed to win two heats to win the jug...RIP Pop.
PS no need to have the volume down it's pre Roger Huston. I think it's Charlie Hinkle but I could be wrong.

https://youtu.be/Zzz-MZinVdQ?si=2-_jSJPmOgwrJNT9

Very Nice tribute JT. Thanks for your post and video.
My father passed at a very young age and we went to Belmont, Big A, and Roosevelt Raceway all the time. He taught me everything. I said my tribute to him would be being the father to my kids that he was to me.
I can clearly see from your posts you’re a good man and your Dad was a great example for you and your family.

[JT]

Very Nice tribute JT. Thanks for your post and video.
My father passed at a very young age and we went to Belmont, Big A, and Roosevelt Raceway all the time. He taught me everything. I said my tribute to him would be being the father to my kids that he was to me.
I can clearly see from your posts you’re a good man and your Dad was a great example for you and your family.

I'm sorry to here that. My Pop's Dad died when he was 18.. so I never got to meet him.. That is a great tribute to your Dad, the father you are to your children. Unfortunately me wife and I could not have kids.. we lost 3 children. The last one , our daughter, a stillborn. That has been many years ago. The only thing that gives me a level of comfort from his passing is that he is with my kids now.

[GonePostal]

Sorry for your loss JT.....My dad is gone also .he use to take me out of school to go to the jug from like 2nd grade on...I go for the week since I became an adulr.Camp there all week now days..its like Xmas  to me....now days my whole family comes down on jug day... My Dad always said it should be a Holiday!!!!

[JT]

Sorry for your loss JT.....My dad is gone also .he use to take me out of school to go to the jug from like 2nd grade on...I go for the week since I became an adulr.Camp there all week now days..its like Xmas  to me....now days my whole family comes down on jug day... My Dad always said it should be a Holiday!!!!

Thank you..I'll call ya GP. I could tell from your previous posts that you follow the Ohio racing scene. I am sorry about your Dad, but cherish the memories. We get lots of family members from around Ohio to come as well. They each get a day... we only have 8 tickets in our box so not enough to go around for everyone for everyday. Your Dad was right, it should be a holiday. My Dad on Wednesday evening would always say he hated to see tomorrow come.. meaning jug day. After 4 straight days of racing and fun with family, he knew jug day was the last day and he knew we would have to wait 51 weeks for it to arrive again. I take the week before LBJ week off work and the wife and I go to Cape Hatteras NC.Then I take LBJ week off as well. 17 days of no work.. except handicapping races

[Any1Left]

Columbia George and trueluck had many great battles as Colum,bia George beat him most of the time except could not beat him at Freehold, Back then it was not 3-5 on barn changes and the super trainers trained the young one and to fast a pace would send you to defeat.     I think i was born at the track as back then i would wait for race 3 to end and ask people for their programs on the way out and sell them for a buck but at the TBreds it was was better as people would give me racing forms and programs and security would chase me 3or 4 times a week but it was fun.    I have never seen something like this as everyone is being kind to each other. The one great thing about Greenwood in those days was i would learn how to swear in many languages .        The good old days when windows were broke and fixed every other race. Ty JT as i can almost feel your days of old

[JT]

Columbia George and trueluck had many great battles as Colum,bia George beat him most of the time except could not beat him at Freehold, Back then it was not 3-5 on barn changes and the super trainers trained the young one and to fast a pace would send you to defeat.     I think i was born at the track as back then i would wait for race 3 to end and ask people for their programs on the way out and sell them for a buck but at the TBreds it was was better as people would give me racing forms and programs and security would chase me 3or 4 times a week but it was fun.    I have never seen something like this as everyone is being kind to each other. The one great thing about Greenwood in those days was i would learn how to swear in many languages .        The good old days when windows were broke and fixed every other race. Ty JT as i can almost feel your days of old

Great story!!! When I was a teenager going to Scioto, I would root through the garbage cans to get a program. I was just a kid and didnt have alot to bet so every dollar saved meant alot.. kinda like sneaking candy into the movie theater. I am only 50..almost 51, but I think that I am a very old soul no doubt.

[kantseeback]

JT, it seems that you spent a lot of time at Scioto. One really good horse that raced there and then came east to RR was Falcon Seelster, do you remember him?

https://youtu.be/eux68QPw8gU

https://youtu.be/3goC50jhdjU

[JT]

JT, it seems that you spent a lot of time at Scioto. One really good horse that raced there and then came east to RR was Falcon Seelster, do you remember him?

https://youtu.be/eux68QPw8gU

https://youtu.be/3goC50jhdjU

I never saw him at Scioto, I was to young to be there in 1985, only 11 years old.. I WAS there for that 151 mile in Delaware. That track record stood for I believe 11 years. Jenna's Beach Boy broke it on a Sunday as a 4 year old in the Senior Jug, and then Stand Forever with Johnny Campbell broke it on Thursday in the invitational the same year. Its a shame Falcon Seelster was not jug eligible, he might have beaten Nihilator that day.

[Trigger]

Great story!!! When I was a teenager going to Scioto, I would root through the garbage cans to get a program. I was just a kid and didnt have alot to bet so every dollar saved meant alot.. kinda like sneaking candy into the movie theater. I am only 50..almost 51, but I think that I am a very old soul no doubt.

I'm getting evicted from the North Pole. 

You're being evicted from your ski resort just south of me. 

Winners don't pick programs out of garbage pails, or in my case half eaten track dogs!   

Hold on...I'm getting a message from your Dad and my Grandpa...

You better WIN today snapperheads!   

[JT]

I'm getting evicted from the North Pole. 

You're being evicted from your ski resort just south of me. 

Winners don't pick programs out of garbage pails, or in my case half eaten track dogs!   

Hold on...I'm getting a message from your Dad and my Grandpa...

You better WIN today snapperheads!   

Hey I hit one yesterday unfortunately it paid 80 bucks and the ticket was for 120

[Trigger]

Hey I hit one yesterday unfortunately it paid 80 bucks and the ticket was for 120

 

I know, I commented on it. 

Was the highlight of my day yesterday!   

I feel reborn today!   

[kantseeback]

I never saw him at Scioto, I was to young to be there in 1985, only 11 years old.. I WAS there for that 151 mile in Delaware. That track record stood for I believe 11 years. Jenna's Beach Boy broke it on a Sunday as a 4 year old in the Senior Jug, and then Stand Forever with Johnny Campbell broke it on Thursday in the invitational the same year. Its a shame Falcon Seelster was not jug eligible, he might have beaten Nihilator that day.

In that 151 track record race it looked like he had plenty left in the tank down the stretch, Harmer was sitting chilly in the bike, no urging at all. I agree with you, he would have given Nihilator a run for his money that day.

[JT]

After the first few sequences.. I was done. Made my ribeyes, built a kick ass fire in my firepit and sat around it listening to music. If that was your highlight...I don't even know what to say to that.

[JT]

In that 151 track record race it looked like he had plenty left in the tank down the stretch, Harmer was sitting chilly in the bike, no urging at all. I agree with you, he would have given Nihilator a run for his money that day.

He did have a little more to give.. If memory serves Nihalator went a full second slower that day. Like alot of races at Delaware post draw would have been huge.

[Papillon]

I never saw him at Scioto, I was to young to be there in 1985, only 11 years old.. I WAS there for that 151 mile in Delaware. That track record stood for I believe 11 years. Jenna's Beach Boy broke it on a Sunday as a 4 year old in the Senior Jug, and then Stand Forever with Johnny Campbell broke it on Thursday in the invitational the same year. Its a shame Falcon Seelster was not jug eligible, he might have beaten Nihilator that day.

I believe he would have beaten Nihilator if the draws were similar

as we discussed-Harmer had a completely different mentality than any other driver-understanding that slowing the pace down was not a good thing for Falcon Seelster-he did his best work bottoming out fields-he would eliminate half the field mathematically by setting fractions that others could not overcome-also-he went around the half mile ovals more efficiently than any horse I could think of-now .... or since then