To All Harness fans I offended

[cakes]

I was born and raised in Brooklyn and moved to Maine when I went to work for Verizon. My father to me to Yonkers one night because we had realitives in for Vacation and they were Harnes fans. While there my Father and my Uncle both bet the same horse,but they were talking about the 8 horse who was 39-1 and the driver was Carmine Abbatello well when the horses were approaching the start with about 20 seconds before they left the gate his horse went from 24 - 1 to 9/2.
They went around the first time and he was dead last as they started to go around the second time and please believe me when I tell you this all 7 horse came off the rail and Abbetello came right up the rail and took the lead at the back streatch.Needless to say he won by 5 or more lengths. Right there and then my Father said he would never bet another harness race we left right after the race.
Also when I moved up here a few friends and I went to Scaborough Downs one Sunday. There was a horse in the 5th race I think,it was the 5 horse and Leigh Fitch was the Driver. I had liked him so I bet him all of a sudden they scratched him and refunded my money he was 2-1 well with about 1 min to post they put him back in the race , by that time no one could bet him except for a few chosen people who knew he was back in . He won by 7 lengths and paid $56 and nothing was done by the racing commission ,they are a joke.
So I have seen so bad things in harness racing. At least in thorughbred if they cheat they don't go in your face and when they get caught they are suspended. Not true in Harness from what I have seen.

[Zman179]

So in other words, your title "To All Harness Fans I Offended" is to make it easier for you to continue offending harness fans. Brilliant friggin' move. :bang:

[Wickel]

Where are these stories coming from? Maybe we should set up another forum for "Racing in the Twilight Zone."

[Suff]

So in other words, your title "To All Harness Fans I Offended" is to make it easier for you to continue offending harness fans. Brilliant friggin' move. :bang:


Z-man... assumming this young lady is for real ,and I do. Isn't it obvious to you, that she has limited gambling experience, and was brought as kid to the track by her Dad?

And as such, she may not be message board and horse wagering poltically correct?

Harness racing isn't a person, its an activity. It's not like she is insulting people....she has had negative experieneces with Harness. Albiet limited.
Go easy on the greenish new members, when able.

[saratoga guy]

They scratched a horse... Then unscratched it?!?

I find that really, really, really --

Really hard to believe...

[sealord]

I've never seen a harness race, live or on TV, but it doesn't look nearly as exciting. Am I way off base here? And yes, I know, everyone has different opinions, likes/dislikes, etc. But what is the main draw apart from regular horse racing?

[cakes]

Well if you think the Scarborough downs story is Bull. I suggest you go to the track and ask some of the fans about it. It happened about 6 yrs ago. They refunded the money at the OTB's in Maine but not at the track.

Please don't call me a liar.

[Suff]

I've never seen a harness race, live or on TV, but it doesn't look nearly as exciting.


You've seen what? Pictures of it? You've never seen Harness? Thats interesting. Meadowlands Harness is good. You must not be from the North East. The nights belong to harness.


It was just recently (2 years?) that you could get t-breds after 7:00 Pm in NY. State law, OTB's could only take Harness after 7.


I used to go to Lewiston Raceway. Lewiston ME. I've walked Saratoga Harness. The surface is gravel (y). I was shocked at how much stone is the surface. At least it looked and felt like stone when I walked on it.

There were a few guys from this Board that walked out on it with me and if my memory is correct, every one had a hard time reconciling the surface with Horse Racing.

I'd be curious if Surface is dynamically different from Track to Track , or region to region.

[cj]

Before the days of simulcasting, we always did the Laurel / Rosecroft or Pimlico / FreeState double header, unless we felt like doing a little driving to CT.

[Tom]

Personally, I love going to harness tracks at night.

I generally HATE t-bred tracks live, but harness is a much more enjoyable visit.

Count down to Batavia Downs....:jump:

[sealord]

Guess I'm due for a trip to the harness track, huh. Unfortunately I doubt there are any here in the Midwest. But then again I haven't really looked much. Been going to AP a couple of times and boy is that a nice track. Great people working there too.

[cj]

Plenty of harness racing in the Chicago area! It is fun, I could bet $2 a race there and have a ball.

[Suff]

One of the first sports developed was the horse race. The horse race was an obvious extension from the agricultural world of early America. However, New England on the whole usually did not participate in this sort of activity. There was, and is still, only one true horse racing track in Rhode Island. The Narragansett Park track, in Pawtucket, is the second oldest in New England. On the whole, trotting matches were a far more popular style of racing.

A trotting park was established in the Washington Park section of Providence by 1851. Another park, opened by a rival in 1867, was the Narragansett Trotting Park, not to be confused with the Narragansett Park in Pawtucket. This park has a long and winding history. The park had huge grandstands and even larger entrance gates and cost well over $100,000, . Cornelius Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan were present on opening day.

http://rwuhp.tripod.com/ca/amparks/senior/sport.html

[chickenhead]

I was just reading recently abour our little fair track here at Santa Rosa (Sonoma County Fair)..it was originally a harness track, and was home to the fastest trotter in the world, Lou Dillon, first trotter to break the two minute mile (1:58.1) in 1904.

[ezpace]

couple times a year.. in Vegas i bet a sawbuck on them ..... Ny'ers that are serious about them favorite saying was " All you got to know is JACKIE MO ):^))

[Zman179]

I've never seen a harness race, live or on TV, but it doesn't look nearly as exciting. Am I way off base here? And yes, I know, everyone has different opinions, likes/dislikes, etc. But what is the main draw apart from regular horse racing?

Wow. This statement floored me. Well, you'll see one now (for the Meadowlands trotters):

http://www.streaming.robertscomnet.com/stream.asp?url=Meadowlands?CUST=NJMeadowlands

You should try going to Maywood or Balmoral in the Chicago area. Preferably Balmoral though since the prices there are WAY better than at Maywood.

[sealord]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out soon.:)

[Suff]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out soon.:)

It Meadowlands LIVE.... I think now would be better, rather than soon.


11 minutes between races. its like Greyhounds

[sealord]

We got a party going on over here......I'll catch it tomorrow. Thanks all.;)

[toetoe]

You got the single-shaft on that race.

[andicap]

This poster, "Cakes" gets insulted because she thinks harness racing is DISHONEST?
Give me a friggin break. I'm not saying you can't win and that all the races are dishonest. In fact, i'm sure most of the race are on the up and up and There are several people here who do fine. But c'mon now. You really think much has changed since Herve Fillion got banned?

Here's my story -- fortunately it made me money.

When I was in high school my buddies would go to Yonkers once in a while, sit up there in the cage and bet a few bucks. Nothing serious. Just fun.
One day, on of these kids says he got a tip from someone he knows at a Delaware track to bet George Sholty -- an old trainer-drive and a good one -- that night.
We were skeptical of course. Well, the first time Sholty has a horse, it's a longshot and we don't bet it. Of course it wins. Now we're convinced.
I can remember the rest of the details clearly even tho it was a long time ago.
Herve Hanover was the horse, breaking from the 6 hole. Horse makes a huge move and wins for fun paying $36. We were all over it of course and pretty happy, but it pretty much shook my young naivte out of me.

I also remember some insiders telling me that a couple of times a week they would let one of the lesser drivers win just to get him a paycheck.

[wilderness]

I can also relay instances of "players" informing trainers and/or owners when their horses were going to win (the owner and/or trainer not believing they had a chance in hell.)

So what?

It's gambling and if a player is not able to take the losses on the chin in parallel with the wins?
Than that person has no business gambling.

One thing I've learned in my nearly 40 years of watching races?
In most matters of life, the more you know the better! In horses, that isn't necessarily so. There is such as thing as too much data and over analyzing.

The majority of the wagering problems today are all the result of extended race dates and far too many exotics. People are looking for a big kill, rather than establishing handicapping methods through straight W-P-S wagers.

[Tom]

andicap.....if light of the recent detention barns and super trainer turnarounds at the TOP of the t-bred game, I can say for sure harness racing is every bit as honest as thorobred racing. Maybe more so.

[shanta]

[QUOTE=andicap]
Here's my story -- fortunately it made me money.

Andi,
Here is one that happened to me about 6 years ago.

I am at Yonkers for the tuesday afternoon card. I am sitting outside by myself and for 8 races I am "gassing up" this one driver non stop. I keep telling him "you are the best" and " these other guys can't hold your &^%$" etc. he hears me but says nothing.

The next to last race comes up. As the horses are on their second warmup with maybe 5 MTP the driver comes past me. There is NO ONE within 50 yards of me. he looks straight at me and says " this horse can't lose".

He is hung first over the whole race. Never sees the rail. Wins by a nose and pays something like 7 or 8 bucks. :faint:

Of course I try the same process again with him but he never says another word to me.

Richie

[Zman179]

[QUOTE=andicap]
Here's my story -- fortunately it made me money.

Andi,
Here is one that happened to me about 6 years ago.

I am at Yonkers for the tuesday afternoon card. I am sitting outside by myself and for 8 races I am "gassing up" this one driver non stop. I keep telling him "you are the best" and " these other guys can't hold your &^%$" etc. he hears me but says nothing.

The next to last race comes up. As the horses are on their second warmup with maybe 5 MTP the driver comes past me. There is NO ONE within 50 yards of me. he looks straight at me and says " this horse can't lose".

He is hung first over the whole race. Never sees the rail. Wins by a nose and pays something like 7 or 8 bucks. :faint:

Of course I try the same process again with him but he never says another word to me.

Richie

I certainly hope that you were on that horse like white on rice!
One thing that you can say about that race though: it wasn't fixed. Because if it was, no way in hell would he have been parked the mile.

[VicD]

Then you ran to the window yelling "It's All Me"!!!!!!

[shanta]

Then you ran to the window yelling "It's All Me"!!!!!!

LMAO!! You are a sick puppy.

"look at this"

:eek: