way ahead of us

[sonnyp]

a friend of mine spent a few months "down under" back in the early '80's.

some of the stuff and ideas he brought back here made most local trainers look like amateurs.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3300470.htm

[Hanover1]

Recalling a time when the money was really flowing, with yearlings routinely bringing 80-100k, and the tax shelter was favorable, along with the attendance and purse structures back then. Makes one wonder exactly what was not reported in the good old USofA. Folks may or may not be shocked to find out I suspect. If they conspired to that extent for those types of purses in AU, do we believe american ingenuity was lacking back then?

[sonnyp]

the guys down under would all race off their private farms. the horses mostly raced "out of the field". all of the aussie trainers could and did put a tube down into a horse's stomach. they would put a couple quarts of electrolytes into their stomachs after a race to revive and replenish them and called it "drenching".

i'm sure those tubes were used before a race with some other stuff besides electrolytes

[thespaah]

a friend of mine spent a few months "down under" back in the early '80's.

some of the stuff and ideas he brought back here made most local trainers look like amateurs.

http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2011/s3300470.htm
BAck when I spent a brief time as a caretaker of standardbreds, I met an Austrailian trainer by the name of Ray Baines. This guy was at first glance, unusual. I decided to tag along a bit after I got my work done and I watched the way his grooms took care of the horses and the way he trained.
At age 19 and being green, I had no room to even make so much as a suggestion to my boss about this guy. I thought his methods were better than what the domestic trainers were doing. Baines had a small stable, three horses and I think he owned them. He had some successes at Freehold and a few winners at Meadowlands.
I must add that he was a very friendly guy and was willing to allow me to pick his brains. Very few people I met in that business were what I classify as "good people". Mostly gnarled gruff or just plain nasty.

[sonnyp]

i know ray well. great guy. sorry to tell you he had a bad snowblower accident this past winter. lost some fingers and part of his hand.

it didn't stop him, he's back training.

[thespaah]

i know ray well. great guy. sorry to tell you he had a bad snowblower accident this past winter. lost some fingers and part of his hand.

it didn't stop him, he's back training.
Sorry about the accident. Glad to see he is ok to work though.
Is he still in NJ? I met him at Showplace Farms in Millstone, NJ

[sonnyp]

still in that area....friendly with dr. jim mitchell of dr. steele and associates.

the friend i referred to who went down under in the 80's was mike gagliardi. if you were around jersey back then you must have heard of him.

another sad story. mike was such a sharp guy, leading trainer at the bigm a couple years. he died almost 10 years ago.....very sad.

[Hanover1]

BAck when I spent a brief time as a caretaker of standardbreds, I met an Austrailian trainer by the name of Ray Baines. This guy was at first glance, unusual. I decided to tag along a bit after I got my work done and I watched the way his grooms took care of the horses and the way he trained.
At age 19 and being green, I had no room to even make so much as a suggestion to my boss about this guy. I thought his methods were better than what the domestic trainers were doing. Baines had a small stable, three horses and I think he owned them. He had some successes at Freehold and a few winners at Meadowlands.
I must add that he was a very friendly guy and was willing to allow me to pick his brains. Very few people I met in that business were what I classify as "good people". Mostly gnarled gruff or just plain nasty.

You ran with a tough bunch it seems. At 19 are any of us good judges of character? Your experience was indeed your own, and not that of countless others.

[Hanover1]

still in that area....friendly with dr. jim mitchell of dr. steele and associates.

the friend i referred to who went down under in the 80's was mike gagliardi. if you were around jersey back then you must have heard of him.

another sad story. mike was such a sharp guy, leading trainer at the bigm a couple years. he died almost 10 years ago.....very sad.


.....Gags.

[thespaah]

still in that area....friendly with dr. jim mitchell of dr. steele and associates.

the friend i referred to who went down under in the 80's was mike gagliardi. if you were around jersey back then you must have heard of him.

another sad story. mike was such a sharp guy, leading trainer at the bigm a couple years. he died almost 10 years ago.....very sad.
Not really a rough crowd. Just a lot of seemingly angry or just very depressed people. And of course those just looking for an edge or schemers. I actually got my job with Mickey McNichol by just being in the right place at the right time. I was with a friend that was working and I went down there to see if I could get some work as well. McNichol had this guy working for him I think he was a partier. Anyway he shows up for work at like 9am. In the horse business that's like late afternoon. He said "I may be late but I come ready to work." He looked like he was clubbing all night long. McNichol fired him on the spot, looked at me and said "you want a job?" I jumped up and said "oh yeah!" He must have thought I was a nut. After all who in their right mind would get so excited about a job shoveling horse crap?
I actually met Gagliardi at Freehold. I had paddocked a horse there for Mickey McNichol. Gagliardi didn't say much to me at all. Just kind of grunted at me. I didn't let it bug me though. Why should anyone give me the time of day. I just did my work and kept to myself.

[sonnyp]

mickey was a partner of joe carluzzi in those days. i think their big owner was sunbird stable ?

[Hanover1]

mickey was a partner of joe carluzzi in those days. i think their big owner was sunbird stable ?

Popfinger had a ton for Sunbird.....

[Hanover1]

Not really a rough crowd. Just a lot of seemingly angry or just very depressed people. And of course those just looking for an edge or schemers. I actually got my job with Mickey McNichol by just being in the right place at the right time. I was with a friend that was working and I went down there to see if I could get some work as well. McNichol had this guy working for him I think he was a partier. Anyway he shows up for work at like 9am. In the horse business that's like late afternoon. He said "I may be late but I come ready to work." He looked like he was clubbing all night long. McNichol fired him on the spot, looked at me and said "you want a job?" I jumped up and said "oh yeah!" He must have thought I was a nut. After all who in their right mind would get so excited about a job shoveling horse crap?
I actually met Gagliardi at Freehold. I had paddocked a horse there for Mickey McNichol. Gagliardi didn't say much to me at all. Just kind of grunted at me. I didn't let it bug me though. Why should anyone give me the time of day. I just did my work and kept to myself.

Gary McNichol had no problem giving me live horses for action all the time. Once asked a friend of mine to swipe and torch his new Caddy for the insurance money. I figured at that time it was time to back away, as Gary had many angles and his touts were spot on way to many times for luck to be any factor. Was not long thereafter I learned he was out of business and selling cars.....beats prison I guess.