Off Track Characters

[LutherCalvin]

At my off track betting location there's a middle aged, bespectacled regular whose name is Salvo. He's there almost everyday and talks to every horseplayer as if they're a member of his family. Salvo carries with him a daily racing form and track programs that he purchased the night before. He truly comes alive during the running of races and adds to the excitement of the race featured on the big screen with his SHOUTING during the stretch run. Salvo shrieks the numbers of the leading horses, never their names. "Six-Five! Six-Five! What's that? The FOUR. Come on Four. I got the Four! SIX-FOUR. I got it! I got the exacta!" What's remarkable is he goes through this routine every race. He can't possible have a winning ticket every race. Sometimes he is more interesting to watch than the race. I've nicknamed him "the yeller".

[Doc]

At Philly Park in what I call "ground zero" (the first-floor grandstand nearest the paddock where all the hard-core types congregate) there's this guy with the loudest voice you ever want to hear and he shouts the numbers just like Salvo in the previous post. I call him The Ref because he used to be a college football referee and he actually keeled over with a heart attack during a game and had to be carted off the field (I believe it was shown on national television). Anyway, The Ref has a bad ticker, yet he gets himself so worked up during a race that I think it may be his last. Very funny guy to watch and his voice just resonates throughout the building.

Doc :D

[Buddha]

yea, the regular crowd at a racetrack or OTB can be quite the group. it amazes me how many people like Salvo, seem to hit every race. They must have some kind of action on just about every horse for that to happen, but who knows. can be entertaining to just watch them at times.

[karlskorner]

Reminds me of a friend, who puts out a local tout sheet, he will have $90.00 into the race and win $70.00, but he is " vocal ".

[toetoe]

Old men screaming at monitors. Ah, we wished for full simulcasting, and we got it. They may be truthful, and really have just about every combination. Not that *I've* ever experienced this, but the infarction may come when a big one really DOES come in. Imagine that --- really winning. Who could plan for that. :D

[GaryG]

If they stayed home the wife would be doing the screaming and they would be the screamee. How do I know? Well......I just know that's all. :lol:

[JustRalph]

I laughed my ass off once when we were having a little party at my house with about ten people. We were watching TVG on the big screen and I had some decent money on a longshot. As they were coming down the stretch my horse is closing like a freight train on the two speedballs dueling up front. My wife starts yelling at the TV........"Spank him, Spank him! " I am writing this from a seriously failing memory,,,,,,,, but If I recall my horse got them......and it was a decent score. But we all were laughing like crazy at the wife.............every race that night we all started yelling at the screen, "spank him! "

[shots]

I laughed my ass off once when we were having a little party at my house with about ten people. We were watching TVG on the big screen and I had some decent money on a longshot. As they were coming down the stretch my horse is closing like a freight train on the two speedballs dueling up front. My wife starts yelling at the TV........"Spank him, Spank him! " I am writing this from a seriously failing memory,,,,,,,, but If I recall my horse got them......and it was a decent score. But we all were laughing like crazy at the wife.............every race that night we all started yelling at the screen, "spank him! "
That's funny, my wife would get on her knees and pray.

[Snag]

We have one guy that gets very angry if ANYONE is yelling for a horse other than the one he has. He claims that their yelling is bad luck and causes his horse to lose. I've never figured out how yelling at a TV from 1,000 miles away causes any horse to win or lose...........LOL.

How about the guy that always has the numbers written on his form but didn't bet it. He has to run around and show everyone that he wrote the numbers down "before" the race..........LOL.

[Sundown]

I like the ones who hit an exacta on the the 2 favorites and start planning on retirement, of course these are typically newbies to racing. Same thing with betting .10 superfectas, they forget they only get 1/20 of the amount showing.