The winds of fall blow gently through the trees as the sweltering heat of summer fades into the sunset. The Happy Horseplayer readies for the fall racing season with dreams of cool days and autumn foliage in Kentucky. Maybe its the thought of going to Keeneland or the Breeders’ Cup around the corner. But the […]

Nothing like a cliff note version of what’s going on. Don’t think of it as a cheat sheet as there are many issues that deserve a fuller explanation. – But here are a few items that caught my eye and as usual, the opinions here are just that. Remember what your high school teacher used to […]

I was going to River Downs for years before I started working in the parking lot as a kid. Beulah Park was a once or twice a year trek. – Years later, I returned to RD as the director of marketing. I was 1A of “The Regular Guys” and fun in the sun was the […]

  We sat around the small transistor radio waiting for the call-to-the-post bugle on WNOP 740 am. We were transported to the track magically as Leo Underhill would take us right to the rail with his smokey voice. – This would be the follow-up to finding a newspaper and gleaning the entries and guessing who you […]

It comes around quicker these days, as it seems like yesterday I was just blowing out the candles. Well maybe that was last week, but you know what I mean. As you approach a birthday you take stock in what you have and what is no longer here. You count your blessings and relish the […]

The sun beats down on your sweat stained cap. – Not a seat to be found as the place was packed. You had to get there an hour early to nail down a chair. – We used to park in the horsemen’s lot a 1/4 mile away and jog to the gates. – Gamblers are funny. They don’t mind […]

Nothing like the ramblings of the word on the street. You can’t learn the word from night school, and it doesn’t come in a book. So we have to rely on the whispers and rants from the folks on the scene. – Just remember you heard it right here as we make our way down […]

Gambling had a mystique that took place in back rooms or places your Mom wouldn’t approve. Rooms filled with smoke, profanity the second language, and if a lady was there she was tending bar or waiting on tables. Men could be found from every walk of life, and was the only place where you’d see […]

I awoke from a dream the other night. You know, as men get older we spend more time letting the dog and ourselves out for overnight relief. But I digress from the image you have about my old dog and his middle age owner. Racing has been my passion, an outlet, a time of reflection, […]

                        The Fair Grounds opened their doors for the 145th racing season. – There is nothing like the “Big Easy” as the city wraps it’s arms around you and gives you a big welcome hug. The food, the night life, and of course some […]