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#1
06-09-2009, 08:01 PM
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Back in the Late 80's Pat Day was King at Oaklawn Park. My granddad would listen to the races out back in the garage because my grandmother was against him going. Well let's just say we caught a few fish at Oaklawn during those years.
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#2
06-09-2009, 08:06 PM
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great stuff.. byk. ateam , dell , infield, all keep it going..cannon!!
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#3
06-09-2009, 08:30 PM
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Family members (parents, brothers, and an aunt) are who got me interested in racing. They would take me to Fair Grounds about once a year during the Christmas holidays starting when I was about 7; I remember winning with my first bet-a daily double, with a horse named Call Me Henry winning the first leg. I liked the track, but football and baseball were the sports that caught my attention. I started following racing with greater enthusiasm during the 1983-1984 Fair Grounds meet, which was an excellent time as Taylor's Special for Mott and Silent King for Delp battled for 3yo supremacy at FG. After that meet, I began my formal racing education (reading Beyer and Davidowitz's books) that summer, and made my first of many trips to Jefferson Downs. I was in my early teens at the time, and I remember not seeing many people my age out at the track, which actually proved beneficial as people were more likely to talk to me and I picked up pointers from some very sharp handicappers. I'd read everything about racing that I could get my hands on.
My early human racing heroes were Frankie Brothers and Randy Romero. The early equine heroes were Taylor's Special, Tiffany Lass, and Turkoman, among others. My outlook on the sport has changed over time as I have become more interested in the gambling aspect than rooting for individual horses. It is now rare that I get excited about seeing a particular horse run just for the sake of it. I seldom go to Louisiana Downs, which has been my local track for 13 years. I'd prefer to bet at home at my computer than go to what that track has sadly become. That said, whether it is going to Oaklawn or on my frequent trips to Fair Grounds, there are few things that beat live racing. I have two young daughters who like to go to Fair Grounds when we are in New Orleans. They enjoy looking at the horses, eating ice cream, and maybe getting a pair of goggles from a jockey. It remains to be seen whether they will develop any true enthusiasm for racing when they become teenagers, but I'm hopeful.
__________________
Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, mule-skinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really don't want me to go down there!
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#4
06-09-2009, 09:07 PM
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Watching the Race of the Week on Saturdays in the 60s. Hearing my sister talk about Native Dancer, Nashua/Swaps, Tim Tam, Bold Ruler. She used to say that horse racing was all about breeding the best with the best and then hope for the best; in the 70s seeing that realized in Secretariat. I lost contact with the sport during the 90s, but have reconnected by reading alot of the posts on this site about your observations of racing in the last 20 years.
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#5
06-09-2009, 09:04 PM
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My grandfather was an MP in WWII, which made him a crazy history buff as well. In studying early civilization wars, so many of them involved horses, from the turn of time through the Civil War and beyond. As he told me, over time he fell in love with the horse, whether it be a wild west stallion, pony, or a thoroughbred. I remember growing up looking at picture books of all kinds of horses. One memory I remember quite clear was Preakness weekend in 1988. My folks had left me and my sister with my grandparents, as they traveled to Maine for a weekend wedding. On that Saturday was the Preakness where Risen Star slipped by Winning Colors. I watched my first race with my grandfather, the penultimate horse lover, who never once placed a wager in his life. Gramps was "pulling" for the filly. The next day, as any Celtics or NBA classics fan will attest to, was the epic battle between Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird in the Hawks-Celtics series.
It was a great weekend. My grandfather was then, and always will be my hero. A decorated veteran who risked his life in the war the defines the world we live in, and a life long fire fighter who made a living risking his life to aide total strangers. Oh, and he's the reason I love horses and horse racing. As for why I choose racing as my gambling choice, I look at it this way. Anyone can pull the lever of a slot machine, or get lucky on a scratch ticket. It doesn't take any skill or understanding of value. I'm lost in any casino until I find a race book. I don't know any cards games, save for go fish! and all those drinking games I perfected in college. What I like about racing is it takes skill. It takes having a value system and sticking to it. It's about me trying to outsmart you and take your money, but not as enemies. It's me trying to find the angle that you missed and turning it into a winning one. But, at the end of the day, we are just doing what we enjoy, win or lose. Nice thread idea, hooves. I'm glad some people who might not be too heavy into the gambling aspect can have a chance to share their stories. Fact of the matter is, there is absolutely nothing wrong with starting off small, enjoying horses from books, or enjoying a race horse based on that animal's backstory (ie Evening Attire, Funny Cide or Nicanor, for example). For every person who enjoys racing for the animals and wagers sporadically, if it all, there is a person like me who enjoyed the game from a far growing up, and grew into enjoying the wagering aspect on a regular basis. All too often those people who are not necessarily on the wagering aspect are some what drowned out on here, and that's not right. Looking forward to reading what everyone else has to say.
__________________
"Boston fans hate the Yankees, we hate the Canadiens and we hate the Lakers. It's in our DNA. It just is." - Bill Simmons
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#6
06-09-2009, 09:09 PM
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#7
06-09-2009, 09:32 PM
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the horses got me involved. been horse crazy as long as i can remember. read every black stallion book who knows how many times...i laid my hands on just about anything horse related, so it was no surprise that i got into racing-i have a very competitive nature, so it just makes sense i guess. betting came much later, i never made it to a track til i was older, no one else in my old family had any interest at all. but now my husband likes to go on occasion, and all three of my kids have gone to the track several times. my youngest had his older sister making bets for him last summer since she was 'of age'. next thing i knew, he was taking care of it himself (he's 17 btw), feeding vouchers and pushing buttons. i told him if the folks at arlington threw him out he would have to sit on the curb and wait because we weren't leaving til the last race!
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#8
06-09-2009, 10:53 PM
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I've decided I don't like it anymore.
I quit.
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#9
06-09-2009, 11:03 PM
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#10
06-09-2009, 11:06 PM
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#11
06-10-2009, 01:12 AM
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Ultra cool post. Thanks!
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#12
06-10-2009, 01:21 AM
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I went to the track the first time as an infant, and was probably at the track at least 100 times before I started public school.
Sort of like a bad family values episode of "Mad Men," I guess. I've always felt warm and at home around betting on horses, in person or not. Barley and hops replaced the pacifier I probably had in the early part of my first 100 track visits. Barley and hops sometimes seem to increase the desire to continue track attendance and horse wagering. Not to brag, but I win nice $$ on enough occasions that I get to celebrate enough that perhaps I suppress memories of my losses. I can watch 50 races and not have a bet on any of 'em, and very much enjoy my experience. (that last part may not happen often, but the intent of my message is sincere) :-)
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#13
06-10-2009, 01:35 AM
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I went for the first time the day after prom 1986. My girlfriend's father was getting into horse racing and his uncle, Jake Mauer of Big Jake's Green Sheet at Canterbury Downs, had given him some books to read, which in turn he gave to me to read.
Over the next few summers when back home from college, my dad and I would attend the races 3-4 times per week. It was a 40 minute ride to the track and we would talk about the horses, who we liked, etc. Those bonding times with my dad became some of the greatest moments of my life. We got to watch some very nice runners live in person at CBY during those years. Runners like Who Doctor Who, Hoist Her Flag, Turbo Launch, Clever Trevor, Lost Code, Minneapple, etc. My dad stopped following seriously in the mid 90's but I've kept it in my life since that first day I went in 1986. The intellectual decision making required to be prolific at the game is what draws most of us. It drew me in and has kept me playing and following closely for many years.
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