AK-SAR-BEN ARCHIVE RESEARCH

[delayjf]

I'm attempting to locate some old videos, racing charts etc for a website dedicated to my old home track AK-SAR-BEN in Omaha Nebraska. Anybody have an idea were I might look. How far back does the DRF keep PP's or charts, perhaps on microfishe. Isn't there a horse racing research library in Louisville KY?

[socantra]

Wonderful old track. Sad to see it go. I remember when I first hit Kansas City in the mid-60's, they still ran special racing trains to Omaha during the racing season.

Sixth most popular track in the country in 1986 and gone by 1995.

There are some old photos, and some sad new ones at www.historicomaha.com.

Don't know about past performances, but I imagine the Knights of Aksarben would have a pretty extensive historical archive. They ran the track all 90 years it was open, I believe.

socantra.....

[The Skeptic]

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/front.html

[delayjf]

Socantr, Skeptic

Thanks for the tip, I've already written to the Nebraska racing commission to see what they have. I'll give the Knights of Ak a try as well.

I sure hated to see the Track go, lot's of great memories. People who never attended the races there look at me kind of strange when I tell them about AK-SAR-BEN. I make it a point to visit as many tracks as possible when traveling and so far IMHO, it was one of the most pleasant tracks I ever attended. It was always clean and vibrant, and classy, it didn't have the worn out dingy feel that many tracks today have. It had a great energy about it. It's backstretch was second only to Saratoga in terms of beauty, and that goes for All the SoCAL tracks. I lived there one summer while I was a groom for Orville Kemling and Jack VanBerg.

It was a big mistake not to allow slots at AK. It definately would have saved the track. But I think a lot of people who could have cared less about horseracing had eyes on the land. Many in Omaha wanted the track to fail. One rich guy ins Nebraska offered to buy the track and give a piece of the land to all the interested parties, but the City Council would have no part of it. I think somebody got paid.

[Steve 'StatMan']

RIP AK-SAR-BEN, or as I liked to refer to it, 'Parimutuel Of Omaha' :D