As I hung up the phone, I knew this was the last time I would talk to my friend. – He had an illness he kept from his circle of friends, and “didn’t want to bring anyone down.” – Little did he know that’s what friends are for. We’re there to listen, pick-you-up, or help […]
There was something magical about going with my Dad to the local bar/bookie. The room was filled with smoke, and men stood in a back room sipping draft beer, and reading the Daily Racing Form. I would occasionally see another local kid or two, and we would just hang around and wait. This […]
I was sitting in the TV studio enjoying a cheap cigar. I did the pre-race handicapping, and today we were venturing into a new area. There was going to be a retired rider who would do the post-race interview. She was beautiful, and had the confidence to go along. That was until they started counting her […]
I reached out last week to a rider on Facebook and asked if he would like to chat. He agreed to have a phone interview but not that day. He was going to be traveling to Iowa to ride at Prairie Meadows. Little did I know a few days later that trip would be a great […]
It was a Sunday evening, and it was the final card of a long week. The racing was conducted in brutal cold, and there was always that welcome time of having two days off. Sunday meetings were held at least once a month, and your attendance was mandatory. Well, at least mandatory if you wanted to kick back […]
Every Sunday for one hour, my life stopped. No football, no phone calls, no talking. Those who have gambling blood and HBO, would be locked to their couch watching an imaginary world that mirrored our own. I could have been doing something else with my time for all of those years, but how much fun […]
There was a young colt born at Stoner Creek farm in Paris, Kentucky. He was sired by 1928 Kentucky Derby winner Reigh Count. He didn’t appear to be much in the eyes of his owner John Hertz, who was best known for his rental car company bearing his name. Hertz was intent on selling the colt, until he was convinced […]