John Berry: Roundtable with some buddies

Over the last 65 years, I have met a lot of people through harness racing.

First, it was fans in the grandstand at Chicago tracks…then trainers and drivers…then owners and breeders…veterinarians…farriers (blacksmiths)…officials…politicians and, most of all, it definitely was the fans and their countless stories that have brought hysterics into my life.

I love speaking with them about our grand sport but, most of all, I love them speaking to me.

This Mane Attraction is all about them and covers a few subjects in the news these days.

Some have P.H.D’s…the vast majority don’t

That doesn’t seem to matter when you’ve got your $2 bet on a horse’s nose—they are all in it because they all have one thread in common—they love harness racing.

Those on this interview are Smitty, a retired School Principal, Geo, a self-proclaimed gambling de-generate, and Billy, an accountant and a devoted fan since “around 1965.”

I’ve known them all—some from the old pot games in the bowling alleys on the South Side of Chicago and some from the eastern tracks from New Yawk and other venues east.

Here are some of their thoughts.

By the way, I am taking no sides here…remember, I am JUST THE MODERATOR and happy and honored to have them together. Their wisdom cannot be measured in degrees…just in noses, heads and necks!

(HL) Gentleman…

(Geo) I know you’re using that term loosely with me…

(HL) Actually,,. I’m not using it loosely with any of you. All of you have a knowledge about this sport and I—as do all Harnesslink readers—will appreciate and value what you have to say.

(HL) First, what did you think about The Hambletonian this year?

(Billy) I thought it was really fantastic. Especially in light of the clouds opening up at post time. I thought that made it even more interesting.

(Smitty) I bet on the 3 horse (Highland Kismet) and I though the driver (Bob McClure) did a great job with him. He drove him with confidence, and I thought he might get home after he put T C I away turning for home…but Yannick (Gingras) worked out a great trip and proved his versatility and was very impressed with him.

(Geo) Yes, exactly, Karl proved versatility and Gingras gave him a great opportunity to win it and he deserves all the credit for doing so.

(Smitty) But you know who drove the best race in there? It was Dexter (Dunn). He had an impossible post—well, not IMpossible—but, certainly, a tough spot and he saved the ground and pinched on through to be right with them at the line. That horse (Amazing Catch) is on my play list. He was flying in the lane with no room. I know he went through a pylon or two but he didn’t have an inch to spare on either side and he could have won the whole thing in another few  strides, I think.

(HL) it was a great card, indeed, and the stars came out to shine under the sunlight and they did just that! Legendary Hanover 1:46.2…

(Smitty) Oh My…:52.4 out…53.3 home…amazing. You know, we—JB and I—used to sit in the Sportsman’s Park grandstand and see Rusty Range win in a track record 1:58 and a piece and think THAT was amazing. I guess I’m showing my age now (88) but, yes, that was a superior mile. I NEVER thought we’d see miles like this EVER.

(JB) Yes, I remember those days well. When Albatross won there as a two-year-old in 1970, I think, in 2:04, there were those that were awestruck by that mile. Now, the youngsters are going 70-75 lengths faster than the great Albatross.

(Billy) I go back to the days when Hanover was the king…and they still are, it seems. I think Hanovers have the top three or four speed records this year.

(HL) They do…Legendary…Ruthless (1:47.1), Linedrive (1:47.2) and Abuckabett (1:47.3.)

(Editor’s note: Several others have 1:47.3 marks this year, as well—seven others.)

(HL) Speaking of speed…what do all of you think of the speed explosion?

(Geo) To tell you the truth, I couldn’t care less. Time means nothing to me. It’s this who gets to the wire first and if I have a ticket to cash. Now that I do think of it, I don’t like the crazy speed at all. Really, when I have a claimer  on the front end and see :54 to half, I get pretty angry that the guy couldn’t rate the horse better—like in the old days with stopwatches. Speed takes a toll on the horse. Just look at the number of tracks that have closed since I started betting, I can’t count the number of tracks that have closed and, think about this, IF they were all opened today, we wouldn’t have nearly enough horses to fill them.

(HL) They didn’t all close because of speed. Land value and economics had something to do with it.

(Geo) Yeah, I guess that’s right. Just sour grapes on my end. Sorry.

(Smitty) You know, you’re right. I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ll bet you 30 to 40 tracks have closed since Roosevelt closed back in the late ’80’s. On the low side, if these 30 or 40 tracks were still open, we’d have four and five horse fields all over the place. There would be absolutely no value in betting. Put five horses in a race and the m/l (morning line) would be 3 to 1 on all of them and every race would have an odds-on favorite. Actually, we are lucky that they all closed. It’s kept the sport breathing…for how long, I don’t know.

(Billy) I never thought about it that way…but you guys are right. I guess it’s no different than other industries losing workers as new inventions come along.

(Smitty) I was a school principal for years and education has changed so much that books that were printed and in use now are completely obsolete. It just proves that harness racing hasn’t kept up to the times.

(Billy) On the track, they have…but the industry, itself, is way behind the times.

(HL) Why is that? What have the tracks done wrong from your point of view as players?

(Geo) As some scholar said once, “Let me count the ways!” I don’t know who said it—that’s not my thing—but somebody said it!”

(Smitty) It was Elizabeth Barrett Browning in her love sonnet collection.

(HL) So, tell me, what have tracks done wrong?

(Geo) Oh. Don’t get me started:

(HL) No, we want you to get started…Maybe some tracks will listen and heed your advice.

(Geo) First, as a bettor, I like to get some value with a bet. The pools are stretched so thin that there is little value. When a bet of any size can shrink the odds from 5 to 1 to 9 to 5, that’s a bad thing for guys like me. There is only one track that can handle any sizable bet that won’t affect the odds, and you know who that track is…The Meadowlands.

There may be a bit of action at Northfield and Hoosier, but The Meadowlands is still where it’s at. But when you have four or five betting options in a race, chances are the pools are so weak that it’s not worth the “price,” if you know what I mean, It’s OK to have ONE Pick-3…and ONE or TWO Superfectas…but bread and butter bets like the win bet…well, when someone bets $50 or $100 at most tracks, it knocks the hell out of the odds.

If a guy like me bets $50 at 5 to 1 and the next flash it’s 3 to 1 because of my bet, you’ve stolen $100 from me. One way to fix that is to have FIXED ODDS. You get the price when you bet! I don’t care about any 1:48 mile…I care about cashing tickets and the sport has gone from a spectator sport to a sport just for the horse people.

(Smitty) Yeah, we had very strong pool at Sportsman’s Park in the old days because there had no other gimmicks. Oh, maybe a quinella or perfecta on a few events,,,and maybe a late race trifecta but, I agree, they’ve stretched the pools too thin. I think SHOW betting is passe’ these days…maybe 2% or 3% of the total pool but they should scrap show betting because nobody—well, only a few—use it and you don’t get any new clientele with show betting.

(Billy) Let me jump in here. The only time I place any bets at all is when there is a carryover and a guaranteed pool. I will take a shot at that because you can bet a little to win a lot…I think race secretaries have to be more fan minded than horseman minded. I know they have to stretch a bit to fill—and that’s only going to get worse as these 1:52 miles for cheap claimers takes its toll…but once a condition is written it should not be stretched so far to do favors and leave the race with a 1 to 5 shot in there.

(HL) You seem to know a lot about that.

(Billy) Yeah, I did spend some time hanging out in the race offices at Sportsman’s (Park) and Maywood.

(Smitty) Good point, Billy. When a race is stretched as a favor to someone, that makes a race unplayable for me and I look for that when handicapping.

(HL) So, let me ask you…be honest now…do you bet every race?

(Billy) I used to…but not anymore…And, you know what? I always bet late. In the old days, I didn’t want to get shut out but, nowadays, you don’t have to worry about being shut out. I watch the odds carefully now and just hope that a big bet from someone else doesn’t kill me. Not much of a worry these days as there are a lot of bettors like me.

(Geo) I still bet more than I should…just for the action. I am getting into prop betting these days and you can lock in your odds. I LOVE that. Your odds and YOUR odds. Racetracks should find a way to guarantee your price, as well. If I see a carryover somewhere or a guaranteed pool, I’ll take a shot at that. It’s a different ballgame today and it’s sad that there’s so much competition for the betting dollar that racing is on the back burner—or no burner—these days.

(Smitty) Yeah…I’ve always watched my spots. In the old says when the win pools were really strong, I used to handicap the races early and make a note on the odds I’d accept. At some tracks back then, like Maywood, they had runners that would come around and take your bets and they’d give you a ticket stub for your bet. They do that at some thoroughbred tracks, too. You don’t even have to leave your seat. That’s good for us old guys that don’t get around to easily these days. I have a lot of friends that don’t even bother to go to the tracks anymore…just simulcast places. Not many of us have phone accounts because we don’t get the technology. It’s way over our heads.

(HL) Another thing is the takeout—20% to 35%. That bother you?

(Geo) Not really. It was kind of a hidden cost and not really in play too much. There are some tracks these days that have 12% takeouts on some exotic bets…but I have enough trouble with win and exactas so those 12% takeouts don’t affect me.

(Smitty) Yes, that’s true. We never paid attention too much to takeout—just the odds board.

(Billy) Takeout never came into play with me. But now that I think of it, with casino’s advertising 82% return or something like that, racetracks have gotten a LOT of money from me over the years…I am sure enough to retire many years earlier than I did.

(Smitty) Great point, Billy. I have been playing harness horses for 60 years and probably bet in the neighborhood of $40,000 to $50,000 a year. I know I won some and I lost some but $40,000 per year at 20%…(Taking calculator out)…That’s $430,000 I’ve contributed in takeout…at LEAST. Maybe I could get a free hot dog, now?

(Geo) I don’t want to think about it!

(HL) On to another subject matter…We’ve seen a lot of accidents at tracks recently…some pretty serious. Harnesslink has received some criticism in posting the videos of these. What do you gents think about posting the videos of these accidents. Smitty, I’d like to start with you since you’re the guy who was in the educational field for so many years.

(Smitty) Yes, I do have an opinion about this. Personally, you have to realize that sports—just about all sports…maybe not checkers or chess…are dangerous. Dale Earnhardt is an example of one of the worst ones. He got killed in a crash at the Daytona 500 some years ago (2001) and there were cameras and videos all over the place.

In fact, whenever there’s a crash at one of these races, there are videos shown over and over again. I followed all sports and go back to the Herb Score—yes, I, too, was a teenager, once…and they were showing when he got hit in the face…and Joe Theismann with his leg bone punctured through the skin…and some hockey player getting his throat slashed on the ice in hockey.

It’s sports…it’s news…there are hundreds more. If you’re an athlete, you take the risk. We’ve seen Kennedy shot 10,000 times…we’ve seen disasters from fires consuming homes and tornados destroying lives and properties. It’s horrible news and horrible news is going to get the headlines and attention. It’s as simple as that. You guys put up the drug violations, don’t you? That’s bad news. But it’s good that it’s put out there.

Harness racing doesn’t have the drug problem…SOME PEOPLE IN THE SPORT HAVE THE PROBLEM and it’s good to try and weed them out and publicize it. Accidents happen…nobody likes them…but it’s part of the sport. Boxing has had their share of fatalities and you can still see the videos on the internet. And the new fad is slapping championships. People will do anything these days to make a living! If you look up racing accidents on the internet, there are hundreds. Keep putting them up to show how risky the harness racing is. It gives them some respect they deserve. That’s how I see it. But I sure understand the other side of the coin.

(Geo) Now that you mention it, you’ve got separate views from the fans and those that compete. The ones who take the risk on the tracks—and they are as skilled athletes as anyone in any sport—don’t like to see it but, in thinking about it, it gives me a much higher respect for these guys and ladies that compete and risk their bodies during the race. I think speed has definitely played a role in these wrecks more than driver error.

Hey, you didn’t see much in the way of accidents when the Indianapolis 500 cars were only going 75 miles per hour in the early years of the race. As speed increased, so did the danger. We should all respect the risks that drivers take—and trainers, too—when they hop back of a horse. It gives us a respect for them…or should, anyhow. I remember Goudreau back, probably 40 years ago (1982) and Haughton (1986). It can happen in a race…I imagine it can happen during training these horses, too.

(HL) Jay Sears and Dr. Melvyn Aylor quickly come to mind.

(Billy) I concur. Not much to add. They chose this sport…probably grew up around horses and that’s all they know. Some make a very good living at it and some don’t—probably most don’t—but they love their horses just the same as I love betting on them and watching them. I’ve benefitted from these rare accidents…and I have lost because of them…and some have caused refunds of my bets. It’s all part of gambling. Personally, I think it’s good to show the hazards of the sport and I give the drivers a lot of credit for the skill they have.

(HL) Do any of you have a particular moment that stands out to you during your betting years?

(Smitty) I have one. At Sportsman’s Park one night, I had $20 bet to win on a horse named Tense Moment. I think Don Busse was driving him…prominent driver back then. Just before the wire, Tense Moment went—BOOM—down! So, there was an inquiry that went up and the photo was put up as the other horses crossed the wire. What the judges were looking for was…Did Tense Moment’s nose hit the wire? The photo shows that his nose crossed the wire by a couple of inches, and they made the race official. Tense Moment had died on the spot, but his nose had crossed the wire. That was the unluckiest moment for Tense Moment and the luckiest $160 I ever won.

(Billy) I was at the track and, you know, the announcer would announce the probable daily double payoffs before the second race. Well, my double was announced as worth $30.40…and I had a $10 live double ticket. About a minute before post, the announcer said, “All announced daily double payoffs were incorrectly given and the correct payoffs would be announced AFTER the race was made official. I didn’t know what to think. Well, I caught the double and the announcer updated the new prices saying that the correct daily double payoff was $60.80—not $30.40—as he had given a probable payoff based on $1, not $2. That was really crazy!

(Geo) Mine didn’t come out as good as their situation. I had a $10 double worth $205 per ticket going and my horse won but was lapped on as he broke through the wire. I was counting on that $1,000. Oh well…”there’s always next time,” I said. That’s been the story my whole life…next time!

(HL) Almost forgot to ask…Do you like amateur racing?

(Smitty) We never had it in Chicago in the early days…(laughing) I mean some guys drove like amateurs, but they weren’t specified. Today, they have a lot of them at The Meadowlands and I feel that they are really excellent. These guys and gals are out and going…they are very competitive, they help fill up race cards and there’s a lot of value in betting them. Personally, I like them a lot.

(Geo) I don’t bet ‘em.

(Billy) Ya know, I kinda like them. They are competitive and can do a lot for promoting racing. Last year, I visited Oak Grove and loved what I saw. Good racing…lively crowd…starting gate rides…winner’s circle presentation and money to a worthy cause…and you can’t buy great publicity like that these days. I think every track should have them just for the promotional value they offer. Sometimes they have 20 or 30 representatives from an organization to be ninth winner’s circle—(laughing) and that double the on-track crowd. That’s pretty sad, isn’t it?

(HL) So, what’s the future for harness racing?

(Smitty) Personally, I think harness racing is going to be like the pay phone from 30 years ago. It can only get worse. When purses have to be supported by other means (casinos and legislatures) they will all take their chips off the table and get out just like in Florida. When shortfalls come up in State legislatures, they are going to rob Peter to pay Paul. Where does that money come from? You can bet on it…the funding for racing. When publicly held casinos see the drag on their bottom lines, some shareholders are going to complain and they will find a way to weasel their way out of funding for to enhance shareholder value…just like Florida.

(Geo) I’m not smart enough to add anything here…and I’m at an age where it doesn’t matter to me.

(Billy) Not enough young people are involved these days. When I go to my simulcast place, there’s nobody under 65 there. We’re just a bunch of old cronies that enjoy watching and betting on the races like we’ve done for 50 years or more. Casinos have it all over the racetracks now. A spin every three or four seconds—instead of 20 or 25 minutes—the lure of big jackpots—and some pretty lady asking if we’d like a drink!

(HL) Well, that a wrap for you guys. I appreciate you taking the time to give your grand insight on our sport.

(JB) May The Horse Be With You!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink