Yonkers harness week in review feb 8 9 10

TRIP NOTES

 Acting Out bad fave, gapping the entire way. Non trier.

 Admiral first up, cleared a stopping leader, held well

 Annapolis Hall leans in hard on turns, but has go when he is right. Likely better on a bigger track

 Arsenic lacks desire to pace forward when that chance is there

 Ashok Ace first over into the pace, decent effort, hung in there

 Awol Hanover never looked good, borderline lame, very sore at the least

 Blow A Cloud N 2^nd best to strong winner

 Border Control A pocket trip. 2^nd best, no match for the winner.

 Card Shock every chance, no good

 Celia Cantaba tough trip, lots of road trouble. Looked live, for these types. Post hurt.

 Chilled Desire A rail and trip was a huge advantage. Gritty mare but not sound

 Classic American N dead aim on winner, hung a shade

 Dedi`s Dragon wants to bear out stretch

 Diamond Cowboy wired them, tons the best

 Dull Roar first over, ground out tough win. Solid.

 Flamingo Pete not good enough

 Fox Valley Herbie no factor, could never keep up

 Grand Master post hurt, never tried, brushed late. Training mile

 Grand Theft held up mid race, might have cost him a better finish

 Gypsy Leather no factor off easy trip

 High Glider wired them, mtb, no competition.

 Holiday Promise travels well, one speed type who wont pass

 Hybrid Henry pt trip, even in stretch

 Keystone I Wish pt trip, 2^nd best, winner had a bit more

 Law Of Attraction bearing in turns, on left line straightaways, but has some finish if you can get it around.

 Lmc Mass Gem wired a suspect bunch

 Luciano N huge trip from post 7 on front, took them a long way

 Macon Georgia A never looked good, packed it in before 3/4

 Madison Muscle no go at all. Even with a mediocre bunch

 Mariner Seelster inside trip, bad luck mid race, flew home late.

 Natural Leda 2^nd over on winners cover, 2^nd best but ok enough

 Neptune`s Daughter left terrible from rail

 Newbie big wide move on turn, couldn’t mow down leader

 Our Els Dream N gaps when the pace picks up

 Pappy Go Go blasted out, but took an awkward step on the turn. Was mtb if he doesn’t blow up

 Passthecrownaround bearing in early, stepped on a wheel at half.

 Perfect Bet looked very live, wide much of the way, hung in lane, but had a reason to.

 Perfect Stick raced well, but looks very lame behind

 Pingaling big late close from a tough start.

 Preparty broke down lame type.

 Quick Summer sore, feels it late

 Romancing Rachel left hard from outside. 2^nd best.

 Royal Heart even.

 Secrecy lacked room when he needed it, might have been better.

 Short Term Memory easy winner on soft bunch

 Sky Guy gapped his cover when he should have gone forward

 Somethinginthenite longshot, left hard, yielded, leader backed into her a bit, then when forward when free.

 Sports Bettor pt trip, went even

 Statham N doesn’t look  pretty, especially on the turns, but he goes forward when asked, hung tough.

 Techtor Hanover wired them. Decent but trip favored him

 Texas Terror N first up, raced ok, but got jump on field when leader stopped

 The Lunch Pail deceptive good form. A better post might move him up

 Thereisapaceforus bad shuffle behind stopper, came on again late.

 Thirty Two Red pocket trip. Backing away from half.

 Tougher Than Ever lucky trip. Pulls hard in the hole but needs to be saved.

 Trading Up decent but outpaced for 3rd

 Trotamundo 3^rd quarter bid, flattened out on turn.

 Village Beat pt trip, leader stopped in front of him. Bad luck trip.

 Adonis Bay wired them, ready to rock from the get go

 Ambro Courage N 2^nd best, solid mile

 American Island moved wide, looked live, flat late, on left line quite a bit

 Annabeth flat off good trip

 Ardie B Speed let suspect leader go, had to weave out, ducked back in, could pop off that trip

 Armabluechipboy N from well back, decent 4th

 Betabcool N troubled trip, no room late. Very sharp

 Bettor Reason N tried to leave, had to sit, then excess cover, came late for 3rd

 Bettors Glass lacked a lane to be driven hard, but went forward late.

 Big Jer lacked room to go forward at times, possible overlay next start.

 Brown Brinny driven hard, moved early and spent late.

 Cheyenne Reider left hard, solid 2^nd best.

Copper Coast A made the lead, spit the bit

 Cousin Mary oal noticeably, but she keeps going.

 Dalton Did It gapping bad the entire way

 Dreamzzzz R For U left out, pulls hard, first up, on line bad, stopped to a walk

 Eclipse Me N not sound, on left line bad.

 Fanticipation solid 2^nd best. Winner was a cinch

 Fiery Lustre N mtb, toyed with them

 Flash Lauxmont hard used to make lead, stopped to a walk

 Freeze Out used hard a few times, cut it, stopped late

 Galactic Galleon N solid mile, post disadvantage hurt a bit.

 Gina Grace N hard puller, first up, ground down chalk, held firm

 Heels On The Beach going backward most of the way

 Hi Ho Steverino slow start, good late gains from that trip.

 Inspiration View saved ground, had to swing out wide, fast closing 2nd

 Jag Out driven off her feet into first turn

 Jewel Lehigh A pocket trip. Could have moved at any time

 Juxta Cowgirl dirty break leaving

 Keystone Wanda blasted out, stalked, finished well, trip horse

 Know It All bit of road trouble might have cost her, trouble pulling plugs as well.

 Lawgiver Hanover first over, tough trip, made lead, but coughed up late

 Lightning Mach N used hard to get and hold lead, on a line a bit, faded late

 Midnight Dylan N blasted out, spent by 3/4

 Miss Irish Rose A cut it, couldn’t finish with top 2

 More Than Many locked on right line in turns.

 Motu Moonbeam N tough first over trip. Winner is very stubborn

 Oh Jonny B Good N no pace the entire mile

 Persistent Threat A well meant, driven hard and kept at it.

 Pierce on the left line bad, never looked good.

 R Caan very wide from ¾, steamrolled home but ran out of stretch

 Rocklindarock wants to run out bad

 Secrets Out N lacked room to go forward, might pop off that if she draws well next time

 Stolen Car tough first over effort, nailed on line by one he covered up

 Sudden Change N locked on a line bearing in horribly

 Tracey`s Desire solid 2^nd best, winner was very sharp and had jump

 Undertaker solid mile, 2^nd over, winner was better.

 Vorst flying late off very bad start.

 War Daddy backed out of the pocket, leader wired them

 Western Bayama odds on, 2^nd over, just up in time, driven hard.

 Wild Again parked the mile from 8 hole

 All Down The Line moved 3 wide early. Flattened out.

 Always A Good Time first up, easy winner, full value

 Badix Hanover ugly steps last turn, claimed

 Bakersfield even

 Beach Memories  stuck with it first over

 Bettor Rock On N tough gritty horse, bearing in bad last turn.

 Blaise Mm Hanover bad post, solid late close, lacks some   desire to pass horses

 Book Binge pt trip, dead aim on winner, couldn’t pass him

 Cash Me Out goes one speed. Fairly solid.

 Cheyenne Jeffrey pt trip. even

 Chucaro Acero Bc started slow, gapped 2^nd over badly

 Chumlee A  raced hard, nailed on the line

 Do Over Hanover looked sore the entire way

 Dog Gone Lucky closed well, but bearing out horribly

 Don`tcallmefrancis  no finish off easy trip

 Dream Out Loud N  used very hard early but hung in there

 Fearless Man 2^nd best but solid

 Home`n Dry on right line straightaways, ugly steps behind last turn

 Hot Deuce pocket trip, 2^nd best to sharp winner

 Le Reveur N over his head in the stretch.

 Lord Of Misrule first over into the pace, unlucky trip

 Lucan Hanover many moves, very aggressive try

 Luminosity inside trip, had to wait for room, solid 2nd

 Mach Time N big trip, very determined to mow down leader

 Macintosh N mtb

 Madhatter Bluechip goes well, but not a preferred horse

 March Awareness likely better than the line, post hurt on this night

 Mostinterestingman mtb

 Mr Right Hanover well back the entire way

 Panchester United moved up inside, lacked chance at times solid from bad post

 Prime Power N post 1 start might have factored into making a break

 Rancousy stayed in, had to wait for room, drove up inside in blanket finish

 Rock Of Cashel 3^rd best, no threat to top 2

 Royal Bachelor inside trip, angled late, looked live.

 Santa Fe Beachboy first over, wilted

 Simeon on left line

 Soho Lennon A sat loaded in pocket, rocketed out and drew off

 Soho Wallstreet A had trouble grabbing track, still just missed

 Starsky`s Dream N on good cover, gapped and hung

 Swing City raced big considering post disadvantage

 Western Hill cut the mile, picked off by pocketsitter

 Zooming easy winner, on front, which was golden this night

Data notes

Feb 8th.....no significant factors
Feb 9th..... post 7 left unusually well and all 4 hung in or won front wasnt very good, stalkers did better, but no deep closers
Feb 10th....post 1 was terrible, post 2 won 7 races and outleft the 1 in almost every race , horse on the lead kept the lead to the stretch every race but 1, but were picked off late half the time.

Horse Training...these are the days of our lives. The beginnings.

 

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.

Training horses is like a soap opera, it really is. The only difference being that in a soap opera, they show you all the details of the trauma. If you are a horse racing fan, you rarely get to see what really happens during the entire week when the horse is not on the track for 10 minutes in front of you. Every trainer, groom and horse has a story that never gets told or that is never known by the average guy.
I have mentioned Emersons Paradise in passing in many blogs. Near the end of my training days, he was my best horse. Best in terms of earning money. He was never really more than a cheap claimer, but he was sound, honest and a very nice horse to deal with. He did what he was told and he was happy as long as he was fed and got his paddock time to run free as much as possible. He was a joy to be around. He was just happy to be a horse and be well cared for. After he was done racing, I gave him away to a nice family with some kids, and they thought he was Secretariat. He was like a pet, and they basked in him and he with them. But, it wasn't the first time I'd had him in his career.

When he was just a colt, 3 years old, I spotted him warming up one day when I was at the races on an off day. He looked to be a perfect horse for me, after a string that were not. For a trainer who doesn't have to pay a training bill, or a groom, he could earn well for me and I could bank the profit. Not a good horse for an owner who had to pay all the bills. He was zero vet work, he was healthy most of the time, and he would earn steady if you put him in the right spot class wise and race wise every week. I think I won 3 races with him in the 6 or 7 months I had him the first time around, and he was claimed for exactly what I paid for him when I lost him. I was sorry to see him go, but I was in the racing game, not the barn pets game. I always kept my eye on him for the remaining years until I got him back. The last guy who had him couldn't do anything with him, and I approached him about either selling him to me, or letting me train him on a lease. He decided on the lease, and when I made him perform right away, and he was worth almost what he had paid for him, he decided to just sell him to me. He was good for me for another 2 years before some minor injuries and older age caught up with him.

But, the story of how I got to him and what I did after I lost him the first time around is what this blog is about. I will do it in parts, as its a long story. Just like a soap opera is.

Before Emersons Paradise the first time around I had gotten myself into a bad situation. I had a day job, a very good one in terms of money, and also a small stable of cheap horses which I inherited as a trainer--one who had never trained or groomed anything before, because my trainer could not handle them anymore. Out of the 5 he had for me as an owner, I took 3 that I wanted, and sold him the other one, while the 5th one was basically worthless to anybody and we gave her away for nothing. I started from there.

Nothing was race ready when I got them. They were still racehorses to some degree or the other. One was a turned out mare that I had bought to race and then breed. She injured herself fairly quickly right after I'd bought her, and she also wasn't very fertile as it turns out. So, she was being rested, and I thought I'd either try to breed her again, or get her back to the races. I was told by everyone who thought they knew better that her bowed tendon would preclude her from racing ever again. It was ugly, no doubt about that. When she arrived on the trailer with another one, she was dog lame. I couldn't figure out why, but it didn't appear to be her bad leg, as there was no heat in that and she didn't flinch at all when you touched her there. I turned her out and she walked lame, with a limp. After a day, a guy at the barn I had picked to train told me she had a big nail stuck in the middle of her foot. I held her head, he pulled it out, the blood came pouring out, and 2 days later she was completely sound. I didn't have time for her at this point anyway, so I just turned her out every day and let her run. And run she did. She was completely sound in the paddock and almost fit enough to race. She was very energetic and ran the paddock all day. That would be something I noted when I did get her back to the races. Her name was Almahurst Loraine, a big strapping, bossy and fast mare. She was big and strong, and if you didn't know better, you would say I had Niatross in the paddock. She looked just like him, and her mother was by Niatross. I had high hopes for her as a broodmare, but that never worked out.

The second one was called Eddie Lebec, named after the character on Cheers. I didn't name him. I bought him as an unraced 2yo when he didn't make it to the races for the people that bought him as a yearling. I paid very little, they paid too much. I thought he looked okay, he had good breeding, he was healthy and had no injuries. I thought I would take a shot. I went half with the trainer, but he couldn't make him go, and didn't want him, so I decided to take him on. It was a risky move for a novice trainer with no experience at all. One thing about him though, he was well behaved. He would do just about everything you asked, and he had some speed and grit. When a horse would come up beside him, even a racehorse that was much faster than him, he would not let them pass. He would go as far as he could until their advanced stage of development was too much for him at that point. I knew he would take a while, as he hadn't been trained at all in 2 months. I started back with him slowly, just jogging and building him up, seeing what he was like, reading what I could to see what I could do with him to make him into a racehorse and valuable to me. I thought he would make it eventually, if I took my time and let him develop. I didn't really ask much of him until the warmer weather came back, so he wasn't much work either.

The 3rd one was the easiest to work with, in terms of me knowing virtually nothing practical about training. He was perfect gaited, wore very little equipment, stood quietly and waited for you to give him his cue, and knew his way to the track and back. When you turned him to train fast, he did that and understood his job. I literally could not go wrong with a starter horse like this. He was the one I worked with and on every day either before work or after, sometimes both. When I had more time, when the days got longer, or on the weekends, I would fiddle with the other two and do more work on them. There was no rush. I was making very good money at my day job and I was taking my time and learning. I also had no truck or trailer, so it wasn't like I was going to go anywhere anytime soon with them when they were ready to go to the racetrack. It was a process, learning on the job, trial and error. Let me tell you, there were lots of errors. This horses' name was Edward Seelster, a horse I had claimed a year or more before for a group of friends to learn the owning game. He was also a cheap horse, like Emersons Paradise, and they were similar. Edward was small, steady, stout, consistent and easy to work with. Edward was another horse I bought back later in his life, and that is a story for another day.

When we first got him, there was a lot of room for improvement on the previous trainer, and we did that. He won his first start, and then was 2nd 3 times in a row after that. The money was good where he raced, and we did well. Eventually, he started to make smaller amounts only, and then got sore, so we shut him down in November. He arrived on my doorstep so to speak around February. I had hoped to have him ready by mid May, and was on track for that. It ended up he didn't get there until late June.

One thing about Edward is he didn't like being in his stall. In a perfect world, I would have lived at the farm I trained at, turned him out almost all the time, then just brought him in to train and put him right back out. He would have lasted and stayed healthier under those circumstances. I put him out with Loraine whenever he wasn't training and she was outside, and they were perfect mates. She was bossy and dominant, he was a happy go lucky gelding who knew his place and just let her boss him around. It was a perfect marriage for the two of them. She ran a lot, and she made him run...chased him to run, if he didn't want to. On the days I didn't have enough time to jog him, or it was too dark when I arrived, I put them out together for an hour while I did the stalls and that was enough to keep him fit. On the weekends I would train him as fast as he was fit to go at that point, and he was getting close to race speed. I trained him one last time in early May, and he was a week away from going to the track to prepare to race again for money. I couldn't have been more happy with him and the job I'd done, considering how little I knew then.

One thing about Edward, his biggest flaw was he had a bad stomach. That was manageable, but it was an issue to watch. He would tie up, and if you don't know what that is, its basically muscle cramps where he seizes up and doesn't want to move. The best thing for those types of horses is to always keep them moving. So, one night, just before he was to go to the track to train, I left him outside in a small pen beside the barn. I'd done that while I was there a few times, and he was good in it. He couldn't get out on his own, and it was to be a warm enough night to make it a good idea. In this case though, he didn't have Loraine to watch over him and his back.

I arrived very early the next morning, before work, and the sun had just come up. I saw Edward, and something wasn't right. There was blood all over his legs, and the little small pen had been torn up. My guess was that some wolves had tried to corner him and kill him, and he fought back, enough that they didn't succeed. Anyway, that set me back on him 3 weeks waiting for him to heal.

Wolves were an issue in that area. You saw them off in the distance every now and then when you jogged the horses on the track, and the odd time you would see one actually on the track. There are 3 types of horses and how they react to seeing a wolf. The first kind, like Eddie Lebec will keep going forward but shy towards the inside of the track to avoid getting close to them. That is the majority of them. The second kind, some of them, are the Edward Seelster types who see them, stop in their tracks, and turn completely around to go in the other direction. Most of those also want off the track and back to the barn, where its safe.

Then there are the very few, the 3rd kind, who will not only not shy or turn around, but make a B line right to the wolves and attack them. Almahurst Loraine did that a few times when I jogged her. She was fearless and brave. As long as Edward was in the paddock with her, he was safe. She would kill anything that got near them. When I went to get Edward, I had to put feed on the other side of the paddock so she would be occupied and let me take him. Otherwise, she was the boss and I was not allowed in their space.

Since Edward was off for 3 weeks, other than to take care of his legs and bring them back to proper standing, I began to jog Loraine and also do more work with Eddie Lebec. Eddie Lebec was tricky. He had a hitchy gait, and I had to play around with his shoeing and equipment to manage it. That was using skills I really didn't have yet, so as I said earlier, at that stage it was trial and error. By the time I got him close to race speed, I had him right. All the pieces came together. He was never perfect, but he was viable and he did very well when I first started him at the track. He showed that determined desire to lead and not give up the lead, and that got him 3 wins in his first 6 starts. He turned out to be my best earner that summer. The guy that had him before me, my previous trainer, and also still a good friend, watched him race and couldn't believe he was the same horse. I had done a good job making him into something. I was proud of myself for that. Eventually, he was kind of lame, as he had suspect ankles that only got worse over time, but I kept him over for the next season. That was a mistake. I could have sold him for decent money and a good profit after the 3rd win, but I didn't. Live and learn.

Jogging Loraine was another matter entirely. Jogging would be a loose, but inaccurate way to describe what she did. Loraine didn't jog, not often anyway, and not willingly.

She was scary. There is no other way to say it. I felt I took my life into my hands every time I took her out to go onto the track. She was so strong, so determined to do it her way, to go as fast as she could as soon as she could, that I couldn't control her. As they say in the game, I was just a passenger when I sat behind her. It wasn't jogging, it was survival.

Being that I was by myself much of the time, the biggest danger was letting go of the crossties and having her bolt forward before I could get seated and have some measure of control of her on the pathway to the track. If I could do that, I could at least try and keep her slow. Even with that, she would pull so hard you could only go a lap or two and then either let her go full out, or take her back to the barn.

I tried to take her out mostly on the weekends, when I could get someone to lead her out and try to stop her from gaining a head of steam. Once she did that, it was game over. That worked for a while, but with Edward on the shelf, I ended up taking her out to "jog" every night. I feared and dreaded it every time. It like thinking you are driving your car, but you know the brakes likely will not work.

Next part to come shortly.

How was your night? Mine was pretty good, even though it wasn't.

Note, this blog was intended to be purely a message and lesson blog, but it turned mostly into a story blog when I got going doing that. That is how it goes sometimes. A short blog became long.

C'est la vie. That's just the way it goes sometimes, and no, I'm not going to post the Robbie Nevil song if you think I was leading to that. I'm cutting down on the music links in the blogs, in a mindful way.

A common convo heard in barns and households of trainers and horse players.

"have any luck last night?"

"No, no luck."

"Better luck next time."

Back when I was racing horses I raced a lot at places like Belleville and Sudbury. I hated Belleville, because the money was so bad, the conditions to work were so bad, and the horses and drivers were terrible, but for 2 or 3 drivers. I did like many of the people, as they had more fun than many I raced against. They were part timers and just doing it for fun, and weren't as focused and edgy as many racing people can be. It was 2.5 hours each way, and a long night.
Sudbury was okay. The money was great, my horses fit well there, and I had a decent relationship with 2 or 3 better drivers at that track. I made good money most times I went there. Not every time, but almost all the time. So, I decided to cut Belleville altogether and just go to Sudbury. The problem was I live in Toronto and Sudbury was 5 hours each way. I got to where I was going every Wednesday and Saturday, and it was wearing me down, taking a toll. I did all the jobs, groom, trainer, shipper, and any other job required in my barn. I was my barn. No help. I didn't really mind that, in fact I enjoyed it. I'm a hard worker, and even a tireless one to some extent. As long as its fun and there is a purpose to the activity.  

So, I decided to take 4 horses to Sudbury and stable there for a while, then see how it went. That meant being away from home most of the time, but I could leave the horses for a day or two---on Sunday and Monday, as long as they were racing steady, and just pay someone to take care of them on those days, and go back home. That was a hardship, but it was worth it if I could make a decent amount of money for a couple of months, and hopefully sell the ones that could not race closer to home for decent money. That was the plan. It should have been a good plan, but it was a very bad plan in actual practice.

I had one horse that should have done well at Sudbury, and that was Emersons Paradise. He was a solid 4 or 5 claimer there, and he could race as much as you wanted. He was sound, durable and good gaited. He was very low maintenance for any trainer as long as you knew what to give him health wise to keep his mind and body in top shape. I did know that and it was a very consistent program I had him on. I had 3 others and they earned their way at places like Sudbury, even won on occasion, but they weren't consistent about it like Emerson was. It didn't matter as long as he performed and one of the other 3 did well that week, and they took turns. That is how it should have played out. 

Right away when I got there I knew I was in trouble. I saw that some local guys had bought some horses out of town, and the competition was going to be much tougher than I normally met there. But I was there, and all in as they say, so I just took my chances.

I had 3 in the first night that I was there, and they all should have gotten money, thus I should have made my weekly paycheck I counted on. I got nothing. I had some bad luck with one, another was in too tough because the competition level was upped, the other was no good on her own, and that was a trend she continued until I retired her the next year. She had always done well at Sudbury, but that was when the entire field went 2 seconds slower. Now, they all went two seconds faster than she could go. 2 seconds is 10 lengths in racing. She wasn't going to make money anymore. There was no luck involved in that.

The next racing night, I had 2 in. One had a good post, but he only raced so so and I got a small check. The other got interference at the start, and made nothing. It was only one week, one bad week, but that happens in racing and in life. That was Saturday night. I did the work, put them away and came back home for Sunday and Monday. I already knew which ones I had in to go for the next Wednesday. They were trained up and prepared. Rest was all they needed for those two days.

I had decent posts with decent shots for the two I had in that Wednesday, but both simply were not good enough, and even good or bad luck was not going to matter. I got nothing again. Not only wasn't I making money, it was costing me money. A lot of money. A racing operation, even one where you do all the work yourself costs money. They all eat the same, the stalls cost the same, supplies cost, you have to pay help at times and they are depreciating assets from the time you buy them, which you did with your own capital. If they don't earn, steady, you lose. And they all need new shoes at the end of the month, race good or bad. Most blacksmiths like to be paid on the spot, and that is really the only way to keep them coming. I learned that early in the training game. Not to mention I still had to eat and live, and had a mortgage to pay back home.

I had two more in for the following Saturday, but again one wasn't good enough, the other had bad racing luck, and I got a small cheque between the two of them. I went home again. I decided that I would gradually ship them back, two at a time, and race one more time on the Wednesday since I was there, then ship out. It wasn't working. And it wasn't luck. It was a bad plan and the bad results flowed directly from that. Luck played a part but not a significant one.

I raced the last two on Wednesday, did okay but not good enough, and shipped the last two home. I decided to regroup and not race any of them for a week. I was back home, but Belleville wasn't really a good option, so I had to find a place where they could race and compete that wasn't like taking an entire day road trip. That was wearing me down and I didn't want to do that anymore.

​Ten days after I was back home, I had Emersons Paradise in at Flamboro. Flamboro was tough racing at times, so you had to be spotted right. I thought I was that day with him, but, I was tired and disorganized because of all the commotion of the Sudbury fiasco, and while I was back I began to go to the track every night looking for new horses to buy so I could upgrade my stable, which sorely needed that. That is another job I did, talent scout. I also did the books, and the books weren't looking good.

I grabbed my harness bag and went racing with Emerson. As I said above, he was easy. There were not many things you had to do with him on race night other than warm him up and put his equipment on. Normally, for any horse, every time, I checked my equipment over thoroughly before I left. This time, I did not do that. I paid the price that week for this, and it wasn't luck. It certainly wasn't bad luck.

I always warmed him up free legged, as he was just that good gaited and he didn't need hopples , except for the race. Everything was going well, and we were about 30 minutes to post. I had a good post position and he was very sharp, just as he was at Sudbury. Normally, Flamboro racing was much tougher than Sudbury and they raced for less money. At this point, Sudbury was tougher and Flamboro was the better fit for Emerson. All systems go, or so I thought. I went to put his race equipment on, and when I did, my hopples were not there. If you are not a racing person reading this blog, that is the equipment that keeps a horse like Emerson on the proper gait the entire race. Almost all harness horses who are pacers use them. So, I had effed up, and now I had to find a set to use for the race. Time was not on my side. I could buy them at the tack shop in the paddock but the lady who runs that was away for 10 minutes. That was 10 minutes I didn't have.

Back then, I knew almost everybody that raced at Flamboro, and they still stabled on the grounds. I asked a friend I saw in the paddock if he knew where I could get a set to borrow real fast. He told me of a guy. I asked that guy and he said go to Barn whatever he was in, and take a set out of his tack room. I did that. I had 10 minutes to the race by this point. I didn't check them over to make sure they were in good shape. They were not. When you are experienced, it only takes about 30 seconds to slap a pair on a horse that doesn't give you any trouble. Emerson was the best horse that way. He would let you do anything without any bother or fuss.

He paraded okay, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As they approached the start, he was still okay. Then, as they hit the turn, the driver began to pull him up. I had no clue what that could be about. Emerson was sound and had no issues. When the driver got in front of me, I could see the hopple had snapped, because they were frayed in some sections. I would have caught that if I'd had the time to check them. I would have had no problem if I had checked my equipment at home. It was the only time I ever didn't, and only time in hundreds of races I raced where I had broken equipment in a race. Nevertheless, it was not luck. It was entirely my fault. I got no money, again. Sort of.

After the races, obviously I was not a happy camper. My wife came with me that day, which she rarely did when I raced. It was a Saturday afternoon and a nice day. I guess she just wanted to get out and enjoy herself. It didn't turn out to be so enjoyable, but it only got worse.

I was chatting with a guy I knew in the paddock and he asked me how I did? I said the horse broke a hopple. He asked me if he was going to be good anyway, and I said yes, he was going to win or be 2nd. He was a solid contender. Then he asked me if I could ship a horse he just bought that day back to his barn, which was "just down the road 10 minutes" and he would pay me 20 bucks. I said okay, as long as it wasn't too far. It was on my way home anyway, and it was more about the favor than the money. He loaded his horse up beside Emerson, and I followed his car to the barn he was stabled at, which I'd never heard of before. Well, 10 minutes became 30 minutes, and then became an hour. When we finally got there, he could see I was not very pleased, and he thought giving me 50 instead of 20 was going to cool that situation down. It didn't. I bit my tongue, took the 50 and decided I would be more careful about shipping a horse for a guy in the future unless I knew him better, and also that I would make sure I always checked my equipment before a race. I maintained that religiously until I stopped training, and had no equipment issues going forward.

Sunday came, and now my capital in the bank account had been severely drained. There was one week left in the month to fix that situation, or I would have to use the line of credit to pay the bills, something I never wanted to do.

I decided I would race 2 at Belleville the following Friday night, make some money, and then take Emerson to Kawartha the following night in a very soft non winners class that he now fit because of the Sudbury and Flamboro mistakes. You never know how these things will go, because there is always some luck involved.

The two in Belleville seemed logical to win, and since things went my way, they both did. That was a good Friday night to start the weekend. It wasn't great money, even for two firsts, but it was still first money and more than I had made the entire month up to that point.

At least some pressure was off for Saturday night. I had enough to pay the bills, although the overall month was still negative. Emerson was still at the top of his game, he had a decent post and the best driver at that track, who I didn't get to use much because he usually had a better one to take in any race I was in there. He also was a good guy who would listen when you told him things. I told him what Emerson was like, his little quirks in a race, and what he would do if you got him in the right position.

Emerson didn't like to be hit with the whip. You could wave it, you could show it to him, you could speak to him, but you couldn't hit him. He also did not like to be driven hard, unless he had the lead. He wasn't going to get the lead in this race, so he just needed to be floated up into position and then tipped when it was time, and he should just blow by the weak field that was in front of him. 

He drove him perfect and did exactly what I said, and he won easy, going away. As soon as he pulled off his cover on the turn, he slingshotted around the entire field and opened up, going away and coasted to the line a very easy winner.  That was a much bigger paycheck, and I was 3 for 3 on the weekend, and turned a good profit on the month because of it, in spite of the mistakes I made.

People say they would rather be lucky than good, and you hear that all the time when you race horses for a living. I have never subscribed to that theory. I would much rather be good than lucky. Being good will win for you consistently, while a run of good luck wont last.

I didn't do well that weekend because of luck. I didn't do poorly at Sudbury and then back at Flamboro because of luck. I made my own luck, my own bad luck. Only, it wasn't luck, it was just due. Some luck played a part in all the races, both at Sudbury and then Belleville and Kawartha that weekend, but no matter how lucky I might have been in those races, I won all 3 because I trained the horses right, entered them where they could win, and made sure they were driven to win. The direct opposite of what I did in Sudbury.

You know that saying,

"if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all"

Well, as a bettor only now, I know you simply cannot rely on racing luck. You might even have good luck when you make so so or bad plays. 

My mantra is you can't rely on luck. It can be very streaky, and its no way to make a plan and hope for success. Anyway, it evens out and at the end of the day you are no farther ahead. While being really good at something means you will win more than your share, over time and consistently. Good luck might even out the bad periods where even being good doesn't help. But, bad luck plus bad betting or handicapping overall will ruin you when you hit those patches.

Now, what happened last night. I mentioned in an earlier blog this week I am cutting back on the amount of tracks I play. I have determined that is just Woodbine harness and Yonkers. Woodbine I don't usually play on Thursday nights unless I have extra time because its a favorite based card. I thoroughly handicappped Yonkers and when I was done I didn't have time to do up Woodbine. I took a quick look at it, and I could see the favorites looked hard to beat. That I got right and the first 5 races were all short priced favorites. So, I decided to just play Yonkers this night.
I know a bit about Yonkers, have followed it a bit here and there over the years, but I'm not up to speed on it like I am for Woodbine. So, there is still going to be some learning curve to learn the horses and all the participants. Handicapping is still handicapping wherever you go, but the more you know, the more you play, the better you should be, if you have the right skills.
My system is always to vet out the favorites first and see who I think I can beat, then find value in the balance of the field. My mistake ended up being I found value, but didn't stick to playing it.
In race 1 I tried to beat the favorite, who I thought was iffy, and I had two options. One option was a longer shot, and he needed the right trip. He didn't get it. That happens, and that is the luck part. The other option was a very legit contender and he led most of the way, only beaten in the stretch by the favorite. I got one of the two right, bet them both to place, and lost a small amount because the favorite killed the place price on the one I hit with. I played it well, and only lost because I didn't get the favorite part right. I'm okay with that. You wont get them all right when you go against favorites.
Race 2 is where I started to get into trouble. I didn't like the favorite, and it turned out I was right. She was sore and she began to fade on the last turn. But the ones I picked underneath all failed in their own way, while a 29-1 shot won, which would have helped my place price if I had played value, but I didn't. I took 3 of them, one was risky and he broke stride before the start, which was a risk I knew on him going in. The other two were poor finishers as a rule, and they finished 3rd and 4th, beaten late for 2nd by another horse who came up the middle and passed them both late. If I get either of those two horses, its a profitable race. But that would have been lucky. I would have needed good luck for that to happen, and not the bad luck that created the opening that allowed the 2nd place finisher to find room. If either of those horses I took were actually good value, they wouldn't have needed any luck to capitalize on a bad favorite. I should have just left the race. Those horses weren't good value plays, even if I did identify a bad favorite.
Race 3 I played well. I identified a suspect favorite, who is both a hanger and a poor leaver, and he fell right into a trip that would cost him. I had 3 solid value plays against him, and I played all 3. I made a small profit, because one lost 2nd on the line. The other one won the race. It was a good value play, not a great one.
Race 4 I played decently, but the race just didn't go my way, and all my choices either were hard used or hung late. Again, that can happen. I will accept that as part of the overall game.
Race 5 I played well, by not playing at all. I thought the favorite was fairly solid but not a cinch. I didn't like many behind her, and so I just passed the race. The favorite did bomb out, but my choices behind her were overbet and didn't race that great anyway. No value, no play.
Race 6 and 7 I thought the favorites were solid, and they both were, winning fairly easy. I just left those races alone.
Race 8 is the race that makes or breaks the night and its the impetus for starting this blog. I knew the favorite was a bad one, and that he would be raced very hard, likely setting it up for a longshot. I identified who I thought that would be, and I was getting a big price on that one, 43-1. I also liked the horse I thought should be favorite, and that one went off 9-5. I played the 43-1 shot, the race played out exactly as I thought, but I would have needed some good luck to win. The 43-1 shot came flying late, but didn't get room in time and passed the winner right after the line, getting beat less than a nose. The 9-5 shot won the race, by that nose. If I had good luck on this night, I win that race. But here is the lesson I take away.
Its better I didn't have good luck and win that race. Why? Because then I might have ignored the lesson that I didn't stick to the value principle earlier and if I don't do that all the luck in the world is not going to keep me profitable.
Good luck will come and go, as will bad luck. Playing smart and sticking to value is how you make money playing races, and racing horses for that matter. To some extent, its how you succeed in life.
And so, I will close with a line from a Dr. Hook song. It's something horse players learn to do. You just keep hangin in. Better love (luck) next time. 

Sometimes you lose but you're gonna win, if you just, if you just keep hangin in.

How was your night? Mine was pretty good, even though it wasn't. I lost money, but it was better to lose money on this night than to get lucky and make money.

I need to be reminded not to rely on luck in any way. Last night was a bad night, but a good night to remind me to stay on course. Not go running to tracks that aren't going to matter if I play bad, or bring poorly prepared horses to race at. That will never work long term.

How much is too much. How much is enough?

How much love, do you need
Before you give your love to me
How much time, before it grows
How much love I want to know

What can I do
What can I say
The last thing I want
Is to drive you away
How much love, does it take
How much love for heaven sake

 

In the 70s hit How Much Love  Leo Sayer asks.."how much you love do you need. how much love does it take?"

That song is about love, but the concept of how much/too much is a question many of us ask ourselves. I certainly ask myself that question, and for good reason. How much has always been an issue for me.

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Uk696jNGA

 

When I was younger it was baseball stats. I had a notebook, more a binder than notebook, and I would record the stats in a very detailed way into that book--of every Montreal Expos player. Current, and up to date, after every game. The Montreal Expos were the passion of my youth. I would also score every game, complete. I learned all those habits from my father. He did that as well at the games. It was part of the experience. I probably wanted to be just like him, as most sons want to be like their fathers until they grow up and end up being like them. Maybe its not that I wanted to be like him, more that I am like him and I am prone to repeat the habits because of simple DNA. Maybe its a bit of both at the same time. I'm pretty close to the stage where that is a reality. I've never not been that way.

When I was a teen I took up golf. That certainly had nothing to do with my father, as he never played golf. But, I practiced like I was on the PGA tour, read every book, watched every video I could, and played every course I could get to and afford. Its certainly something that is just inside me, whether it was learned or inherited.

I recall in University, one of my professors asked me what I did to complete my paper that I turned in. I asked why she wanted to know that. She said she had never had any student do the amount of research that I did for a simple undergrad paper. I remember spending hours in the library on that one, reading all sorts of studies, experiments and newspaper articles, just so I could have as much info as I possibly could. The footnotes at the end of my paper were probably longer than the actual paper was. That is who I am and certainly who I was. The prof probably thought I paid some professional to do it for me. I was freakish about how I had to do it right.

Again, how much is too much, and how much actually results in weaker end performance? When does doing more, or too much, result in poorer results than you would otherwise get?
Just because you can buy all the candy in the store, doesn't mean you should or that its in your best interest to do so. That is a tough lesson to learn. I love candy, literally, and in this case, figuratively.

More work and study is like candy to me, like sugar to a candy freak.

 

 

Knowing your limitations is important. Realizing your maximum potential is what many strive for. I certainly strive for it. Where is the happy medium between those two seemingly polar points?

I am one of those types that wants to do as much as I can, to do it all. That is a trait I inherited from my father, who was the workaholic of all workaholics. That's not to say my father didn't take time to do things he enjoyed, like going to baseball games, watching TV, or many other things. But, when it came to work, enough was never enough. I am certainly prone to that, but, unlike him, I am aware of it early in life and try to keep it in check. Try, but, its a battle.

When it comes to horse racing, I want to master every track, every type of bet. I like a challenge, and I like to solve all the puzzles. That is what drives me. It's also what can destroy me, if I let it. Lately, I have been letting it do that.

Back in the day, that wasn't an issue because it couldn't be.There was no internet access to every track, 24/7, there was no real offtrack betting, and when that started, you had 2 tracks to bet on. Not 100.

My first real experience with it was once when I went to Pittsburgh. I went to the local offtrack shop, and that night, you had 20 screens in front of you and the ability to bet 20 tracks at once. I dabbled in that, and I probably lost every bet. That lesson never registered though. More candy was a good idea at that point. 

 

 

more, more, more,
how do you like it, how do you like it.

 

Part of the problem is that when you start down that road, you are well on the journey and don't want to turn back, even though you are running out of gas. For some tracks, I have gathered so much data, put in so much time learning everything I can and need to know about that track and its players, that I would be tossing that aside if I gave up on it. Even if that is the best thing to do...to give up on those because they don't suit me, for various reasons. It's a bitter pill to take when you know you have to take it.

 

 

 First you need, then you bleed, and when you're on your knees
(That's what you get for falling in love
You get a little but it's never enough
That what you get for falling in love)
Now, this boy's addicted 'cause your kiss is the drug
your live is like bad medicine

bad medicine is what I need.

Now, its not a total loss. Each time I've put the work in, I've learned something I can use even if I don't play that specific track anymore. It has made me better and smarter overall. The education is valuable when I take that and apply it elsewhere.

So, the happy medium part. I will still work hard, but there is only so much work I'm willing to do. I like to play also, and the play part has suffered because of the work part. I am mindful of that, and have figured out where the balance is for me. It means tossing away much of the work I've done, and only going forward with what fits into my lifestyle. I want to solve the puzzles, but I realize I cannot solve every puzzle, if it means that is all I have time for. There is more to life than just solving puzzles.

When you can do a vast majority of things well--like I can, you don't need to limit yourself to just doing one thing very well and all the time. I fell into that trap, but I have found my way to pull myself out.

 

 

 I fell into a burning ring of fire,
I went down, down, down and the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

 

So, its down to 2 tracks for me, and just a few types of bets. I will live with missing scores I can make at other tracks and certain types of bets. Since I don't need the money that bad, I am giving up some money making for some time to do other things I get equal enjoyment out of.

If that goes well, and I can add a 3rd in the spring that I have always wanted to try and conquer, I will do that. But, that's it. 

 

One thing I knew early on, many years ago when I started playing the horses is that it can consume you if you let it do that. I forget that from time to time, and literally have to be exhausted before the hammer hits me on the head. That point has been reached. I also like writing. That is something else I do well and enjoy.
I have started writing more. Well, that's not true. I have been writing lots all along. I have hundreds of pretty good pieces that I just haven't finished. I love to write, but to do it well, you have to put a lot of energy into it. That also means finishing them. I just haven't finished many pieces, because by the end of the day, I was just too spent to do that. There is only so much you to go around, and the more you put into one thing, the less you have to put into others. Its a finite amount of time and energy you get to play with. That's a lesson my father didn't learn until very late in life, and something he expressed when we went out to dinner shortly before he passed away. Another older man I used to work with named Abe told me if I kept working the way I do, like I do, I would burn out. Abe told me that more than 20 years ago. My father told me what he did about 10 years ago. I didn't listen to either of them. That is my nature.

That is a valuable lesson for both horseplayers, as well as in in life. You have to decide how much goes to one thing, and how much to another. Or better said, how much less one gets if another is to get more. Horseplayers, as a general rule, are not good at taking advice of others. We always figure we are smarter and know better. I am the poster child in some ways for that.

 

 

 

Love is the drug and I need to score
Showing out, showing out,
hit and run Boy meets girl
where the beat goes on
Stitched up tight, can't shake free
Love is the drug, got a hook on me
catch that buzz
Love is the drug I'm thinking of

 

Knowing myself well, I know the temptation to stray and play more tracks will come again. It always does. Its like a very addictive drug to me. But I am very mindful of not falling back into that trap now. That is really half the battle when you are trying to beat this type of problem. Its only half though. Actually achieving it is the harder half. I'm halfway there now. I'm very mindful. This candy freak is now at least walking down the health food aisle. Not that I don't see the candy aisle in the distance. I know its there and it calls my name like the devil on my shoulder when the angel is silent.

How much is too much? How much is enough? Too much is too much when enough is enough. That's when.

 

 

If you've had enough
Don't put up with his stuff
Don't you do it
If you've had your fill
Get the check pay the bill
You can do it

Tell him to just get out
Nothing left to talk about
Pack his raincoat show him out
Just look him in the eyes and simply shout

Enough is enough is enough
I can't go on, I can't go on, no more no
Enough is enough, is enough
I want him out, I want him out that door now

In this case, the him is the person I don't want to be, the one I am also prone to be.

 

Note I used many love songs out of context in this blog to emphasize the metaphor of working too hard, just like loving too hard. Its what was out there to use, so I utilized it. Working hard is very much like loving too hard, it can hurt you more than help you if you let it.

And so, just one more, without the lyrics posted, just to hammer home the point.

 

Note the title on the page...Hell To Pay.

 

The next vice might be getting rid of using so many songs and lyrics in my blogs and posts to make a point. But that is a task for another day. One day at a time.