rwwupl
07-28-2010, 09:29 AM
Joe Harper was a brand new Del Mar General Manager in 1977, and he writes this story which I think you will enjoy...
http://www.delmarscene.com/general/a_story_from_opening_day.htm
excerpt:
Opening Day – that’s the day where you think you thought of everything that could go wrong. And, as always, you’re wrong. My first Opening Weekend at Del Mar was 1977. Yeah, I know, most of you weren’t born yet.
Anyway, in those days of old, we needed a lot more cash than we do now with off-track betting and better tote machines. So on a big day about $3,000,000 was a good number to salt the betting windows and admission gates. Now before all you guys run out and buy ski masks, you should know that we really don’t keep that money here. It’s locked away in a very big secret vault with lots of guys with shotguns, an elaborate alarm system and, as it turns out, a very efficient time lock (more on that in a minute). When the trucks arrived with the money, we discovered that instead of $3,000,000 there was about $30,000 in the cans. “Where’s the rest,” we asked. The new driver replied that that was all he was told to bring. No way, sport, go back and get the rest. “Can’t,” he replied, “the time lock has closed the vault, and it won’t open until tomorrow morning.”
Man, you talk about pucker factor.
http://www.delmarscene.com/general/a_story_from_opening_day.htm
excerpt:
Opening Day – that’s the day where you think you thought of everything that could go wrong. And, as always, you’re wrong. My first Opening Weekend at Del Mar was 1977. Yeah, I know, most of you weren’t born yet.
Anyway, in those days of old, we needed a lot more cash than we do now with off-track betting and better tote machines. So on a big day about $3,000,000 was a good number to salt the betting windows and admission gates. Now before all you guys run out and buy ski masks, you should know that we really don’t keep that money here. It’s locked away in a very big secret vault with lots of guys with shotguns, an elaborate alarm system and, as it turns out, a very efficient time lock (more on that in a minute). When the trucks arrived with the money, we discovered that instead of $3,000,000 there was about $30,000 in the cans. “Where’s the rest,” we asked. The new driver replied that that was all he was told to bring. No way, sport, go back and get the rest. “Can’t,” he replied, “the time lock has closed the vault, and it won’t open until tomorrow morning.”
Man, you talk about pucker factor.