“Mongo only pawn in game of life”

Our last Mane Attraction dealing with the “deceiving value of speed” produced a wide range of comments of both agreement and disagreement.

One gent remarked that “it’s bad to take sides” on the issue.

Mane Attraction columns invite ALL SIDES of any issue that approaches this little space, whether it be by e-mail, letter, phone call, personal meeting or any other way of contact.

After all, as Mongo said in Blazing Saddles 50 years ago…”Mongo only pawn in game of life!”

And, yes, I am only a pawn in the game of life still trying to show all the sides—both great and not-so-great—of what I still consider an awesome sport.

Yes, I am a “nobody”  just trying to suggest things to make the sport I love just a “bit” better and able to survive a changing world.

Most everyone is angrier these days…the slightest “joke” these days ruffles feathers and spawns anger. The oceans are angrier…skies are angrier…fires…volcanos…hurricanes…tornados.

It’s very sad…the divisiveness is unprecedented…and very worrisome.

Over the past 65 years—August 22, 1959—the date I REALLY saw my first harness race and became enamored with the sport, I have gotten to know some wonderful people in this grand sport.

It didn’t matter if they were famous or not famous…all that mattered was that they were horsemen.

Over those years, I have met, spoken to and interviewed countless people (many forgotten today)…like Edgar Leonard, Lester Pletcher and son Dwayne, owner William H. White of Miss Worthy Star “fame,” Snake Willis, Edith Mouw, Odell Thompson, Charlie Goins, the Hankins-Burright clan..,a thousand more…JoAnn (when she was “Looney,”) Stanley, Bud Pullen, “Tags,” Jimmy and Vicki Mattison, Delvin, Dave Bulk and Jim Carney (of Moore’s Inn fame), Billy Haughton (of course) and one of my greatest friends of all, Mike Murphy (remembering Top Line Collins fame, who was bred to be a good one close to 50 years ago) and trainer of the fastest trotter of 2023, Just For Trix.

I shared an office with the great Bill Weaver for a few years way back when and got a keen insight into his “track” to success over the years in a “hundred” conversations.

Bill was one of the finest, humble gentlemen I have ever met…an honor just to be in his presence, especially with the Vernon Dancer family.

I’ve bowled with “SPk” announcer Gil Levine (and his father Solly), been in the announcer’s booth with Phil Georgeff, Ed Gorman, Gary Seibel, Bill Ryan…many others, including, most recently, Gabe!

This “nobody” has had lunch with Dave Magee (in the mid-1970’s before he was famous), Vernon Dancer, Curly Smart…been in the press box with many Hall of Fame Journalists…Clyde Hurt, Steve Wolf, Jerry Connors, Dave Little, Phil Pikelny, Bob Marks, Hollywood…Murray Brown…

I can’t forget Roger, Marv Bachrad, Lou Barasch, Don Evans, Les Ford, Bob Hackett…the great Phil Pines…Dave Brower.

I’ve shared stories with Walter Latzko, Ed Keys, John Manzi, the centenarians Murray Janoff and Aime Choquette.

Yes, this “nobody” has been lucky enough to rub shoulders, traded stories and enjoyed laughs with all of them…and many more.

Over those past 65 years, I have become close friends—very close—with Wally Hennessey, Mickey McNichol…Lou Rapone was a very close friend…right up until his passing at age 98 just a few months ago. We shared the same birthday!

Sports celebrities, news broadcasters…Lou Boudreau, Harry Caray, Harry Porterfield, George Steinbrenner,,,

Yes, this “nobody” with “end-stage” kidney disease has no regrets in life and, most certainly, not afraid of whatever future lies ahead.

And that brings this Mane Attraction to the comments received about the last one…

As far as those received, they were split among the folks that have succeeded greatly in our sport and the rest that have not been as fortunate.

That’s very understandable.

Most were docile…a few filled with the anger and divisiveness that have infiltrated our world today.

Every single person that has made a comment—on either side of the coin—is correct!

I’ve seen comments that a said, “Great article” and “Spot on.”

One owner, who has had a taste of a great horse, said, “Too bad no one gives a sh*t!”

One of the most talented handicappers in the business said, “He makes good points. Speed has been bad in almost every way, except for Breeders.”

He goes on to say, “I guess some owners like it because (it) makes them feel good to have a horse go 1:49.4, but the problem is there are $20,000 claimers that can go that fast (Eds. Note: maybe even faster) and have led to more sore and worn-out horses…

“Look at the average amount of races that standardbreds race each year, it’s dropped sharply.

So, they go faster but they don’t (can’t) race as often, which makes it tougher on the owners.”

Another harness racing veteran concurred saying “this makes for confusing handicapping” (after all, we are supposed to be a spectator sport) “and horses that you have to figure to be right there throw in clunkers.

“I have to think they bleed or tied up or (went) first over.”

He goes on, “No tracks for me are consistent enough to make money plus the handle is down so prices can be less than expected.”

The Mane Attraction has made mention of this in prior columns when a $20 or $50 bet can change tote board odds in a single flash from, say, 9 to 2 down to 2 to 1.

When that occurs, a $20 bet paying $110 or a “bit” more with one minute to post is worth around $60 after that 45 second update on the tote board—a reduction of around 50%—the difference between a winning day and a losing day in some instances.

There is a huge difference between opinions of the handicappers for what is supposed to be a “spectator sport” and those actually involved as a breeder, trainer or owner.

Yes, on the other side of the coin is a comment from a Hall of Fame gent saying “more misinformation and commonly held myths than accurate analysis…and without context and supporting information cannot be taken seriously.”

That comment spawned a comment reply asking, “What’s the misinformation part? Just look at the top 10 trainers in the sport on the USTA site and it’s right there in black and white—the top 10 of all the hundreds and hundreds and, maybe, thousands of trainers have banked at least 15% of the purse money with the others getting the scraps.”

Yet another prominent owner says the “baby game is tough but two-year-old earnings isn’t a good measuring stick for profitability of a yearling purchase.”

He also pointed out “thank goodness smaller operations Leamon, Darling and Oscarsson didn’t get discouraged by an article like this or they would have missed out on their grand circuit win last weekend in Lexington.”

To which one “R. Phil” replied, “I really don’t consider those three small potatoes. Leamon has banked over $2 mil (million) over the past four seasons. Darling has, I think, over $20,000,000 in earnings over the years and Oscarsson had a couple of wins at Lex in good races—-not majors,’

He continued, “The bettor argument might have been a smaller owner like Paul O’Neil winning the Jugette. Now THAT was a big deal!”

Yet another said, “Woe to the crybabies!”

And he’s not wrong, either.

None of these comments are invalid. Yes, they are all valid!

There’s a stark difference between the folk with a few million in the bank and the poor, old member of the BDHC (Broken Down Horseplayer’s Club) trying to make a few bucks, probably at a simulcast venue or home on the phone, as opposed to being live at any track (with the threat of closure looming tall).

The world is changing every day and his opinion is valid with experience over the past 50 or 60 years in the business and witnessed, first hand, the speed explosion when Steady Star rocked the world with a 1:52 mile (yes, he was a fast horse…especially in the T.T) and the roar of the crowd as Niatross was sprinting home to crash the 1:50 barrier can still be “heard” to this very day by many off us “old-timers!”

Echoing his “woe” comment, one reader heartily agreed saying, “You have to keep up with the “times” in every context of the word.

“Those who manufactured rotary phones are out of business today because they couldn’t keep up with technology.

“Same thing with the Xerox telecopier of 50 years ago that sent a page out every four minutes!

“Nobody could ever imagine that an e-mail could send that same message in, literally, one-half of one second.”

“Everything that makes up our material world was invented during our lifetime.

“The horse and buggy on New York roadways was doomed when the automobile was invented.

“I read that—in fact, in a Mane Attraction article somewhere—of the 1,500 outstretched hands from the first man to now, only three could drive and car…or fly…or watch television (with four channels)…or listen to phonograph “78 rpm ” records (now obsolete)…or “33 rpm” records (just about obsolete)…or “45 rpm” records (pretty much obsolete)…or cassette tapes or VHS or Beta…all history. And the life of the compact disc was just about 2:00 2/5!

“Could it be that the breeding industry simply out-sprinted the harness racing industry? That sounds like the logical explanation and this business better find a way to catch up to that facet of the sport.”

Yes, there are hurdles to overcome…like casino interests and legislative sessions wanting to eliminate “losing prop bets”—racetracks being one of them—but nobody that has responded to our last Mane Attraction is wrong.

“And if the great people that took the time to speak up about this situation would step up to the plate with their ideas to save the sport and industry of standardbred racing…well, just maybe, we can do something to make this great, historical sport a viable one…once again.

May The Horse Be With You!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink