Walter Case

[Suff]

I frequented Lewiston Raceway back in the day.. This Name strikes me as the leading rider there? or Nationally.. is he still around? Prove my memory still functions occasionally?.... Walter Case.. leading rider 15 years ago?

[trying2win]

Suff,

--I've been playing the harness races a long time, but I've never heard of a track named Lewiston Raceway. I'm assuming it was in Massachusetts, and not Idaho.

--I'm familiar with Walter Case Jr. Don't know how old he is, or when he started driving professionally though. Could be his father was a harness driver too.

--There should be some harness fans that know the answers to your questions.


Trying2win

[Suff]

Originally posted by trying2win
Suff,

--I've been playing the harness races a long time, but I've never heard of a track named Lewiston Raceway. I'm assuming it was in Massachusetts, and not Idaho.


Trying2win

Lewiston Raceway was in lewiston Maine. I had a French/Canadien Girlfriend that Lived there... and I went there many times and took her with me. She liked to go to the track with me. And thats all there is to do there for a guy like me...

I'll confess that I played Bingo 3 or 4 times with her Mother and Grandmother too... It was one night that I was playing Bingo in a Church Basement in Auburn Maine.. I looked around and thought for a Minute that it was fun... I knew then that i had to get back to the city in a hurry... they have'nt seen me since.


Lewistons other claim to fame,,,

Muhammad Ali Beat Sonny Liston for the Heavywieght championship there. Only he was'nt Muhammad Ali then.. he was Cassius Clay.

[Exactaman]

Case indeed started in Maine, where his Dad is still a trainer. He's considered by many to be the best driver in harness today--even though you currently won't find him driving anywhere. He is equally hated by many. He first rose to prominence at Yonkers Raceway, where he won an astounding percentage of races. After becoming unwelcome at Yonkers and the Meadowlands he ended up at Northfield in Ohio, but a long stream of incidents resulted in him being banned there as well. There was talk recently of him driving at a very minor track, Northville but nothing came of it.

[Zaf]

I remember when he was the King of Monticello Raceway. I remember many nights where he had 5-6 winners.

ZAFONIC

[trying2win]

Suff,

--Lewiston, Maine eh?...Well as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 would say..."Missed it by that much"

(Side note: - It's hard to believe that Don Adams, who portrayed Agent 86 in the old Maxwell Smart TV series, just turned 80 years old last year. Believe it or not! ...My, how time flies by....)

--I've tried playing bingo a few times in my life (very few times)...couldn't get interested in it...too boring!...It's tough to beat playing the thoroughbred or harness races for exciting pastimes.

--The few times I did play bingo, I don't know how I survived in those smoke-filled bingo halls. As it stands now in our city, at Northlands Park our local racetrack they've squeezed the smokers from having the majority of places to light up, to a tiny little corner in the upper grandstand. Kudo's to the Northlands Park management for that. Within a year or two, our City Council has announced there will be a total ban of smoking in racetracks, bingo halls, bars, restaurants, casinos etc. (just about everywhere indoors). Kudos to our City Council for that too).

--After having said all that, I guess I'm leaving myself wide open for some flak from the PA members who are smokers. Well, as the late singer, Ricky Nelson used to sing in his song entitled Garden Party:


"But it's... all right now
I learned my lesson well
You see you... can't please ev'ryone so
You got to please yourself"

--The irony is, some of my best friends are smokers.

--Anyways, I'm getting off the topic. That was an interesting story you told about Cassius Clay.

Thanks,

Trying2win

[norm f]

Case really is a shame...He has the ability to get so much out of a horse its scarry...He has the best set of hands you will ever see from anybody including JC in his prime.The only thing separating Walter Case from true greatness is Walter Case.

[Alc]

Had the privilege of watching Case at Nfld the last few years. He is truly amazing. Not only does he have the hands but an uncanny ability to know when to move or when to sit. Always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Hope he is able to find his way back.

[sq764]

The only places he finds his way back to is the bar and his drug dealer.. What a mess and a waste of talent.

[PaceAdvantage]

Is this documented fact? I'm not very intimate with Case's history, so I've had to delete many posts concerning Walter Case...I did some research and could not confirm what many here are writing, and if I can't get confirmation from a documented source, I can't allow these things to stay up....

[pjd888]

take em down Pace!...just my opinion

[Geewhiz]

Case's history of substance abuse is VERY well documented. He was last heard from mucking out stalls at Bob Belcher's farm as part of his rehab program. Funny that everyone mentions Case's hands---but no one mentions his feet.

[Exactaman]

a few examples after a quick search

http://www.juniorstips.com/opening.htm towards bottom
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/memories/1996/yirbyday/december.htm dec 6

[PaceAdvantage]

Thanks exactaman....by the way, I did a search on Google last night, and couldn't come up with much at all...what did you use to find those articles?

[Exactaman]

used google, tried a few and came up with those on "walter case" drug

[sq764]

Check out the Cleveland newspapers.. It's well documented

[Geewhiz]

This is from The Cleveland Plain Dealer............


Troubled Case focuses on getting life in order

08/22/03

Bob Roberts
Plain Dealer Reporter


Walter Case Jr., the winningest harness driver in North America the last two years, is trying to put his life back on track after a drunken rage in the tent pavilion on the Northfield Park grandstand apron in June. His actions landed him in and out of Summit County jails for six weeks, followed by a 90-day sentence in a chemical dependency treatment facility.

Case is currently residing at Oriana House in Akron. Under a work release program, he leaves six days a week to groom and jog horses at the Hudson harness farm of Bob Belcher, Northfield's leading trainer.


"I was drinking too much," Case said by telephone at Belcher's farm. "The alcohol got to me. I needed help. I can't do it myself."

Case, 42, who fell off the Ohio racing map when he surrendered his Ohio State Racing Commission license in late May (a trade-off for having 178 days of suspension for racetrack driving violations remitted), returned to Northfield Park from competing at Rockingham Park in New Hampshire. He entered Northfield Park despite having been barred by management in late April following a 35-day suspension for a driving violation.

After struggling with track security guards and being led off the grounds in handcuffs, Case was charged with violating a protection order, assault (amended to disorderly conduct), criminal trespass, resisting arrest, and a separate disorderly conduct charge.

Case, following an appearance before Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court Judge Kim Hoover, pleaded guilty to three of the charges (violating a protection order, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct).

The protection order forbids Case from contacting his wife, Nadine, from whom he is separated.

"We're working things out," said Case.

"I have no comment at all," said Nadine Case, who is employed as an outrider at Northfield Park.

Case, who last drove in a pari-mutuel race on June 21 at Rockingham Park, said he's "doing a little bit of everything" at Belcher's farm, including cleaning stalls.

"The main thing is that I'm attempting to straighten out my life. I want to get one more chance at the races," he said.

Case said that at Oriana House, he attends meetings and accepts counseling. "I'm trying to stay straight," he said. "One day, I hope to return to drive at Northfield."

Said Belcher of Case: "He's doing great. He's got a job here and he's doing it."

Another Northfield horseman, Craig Stein, is hoping Case can overcome his problems.

"He's a friend who is down and out," Stein said. "He's trying to do the right thing now. Otherwise, a lot of talent is going to go to waste."

Brad Bryan, the Northfield Village prosecutor, said, "Our main concern was that he would not go back to the track and that he would leave his wife alone."

With 11,027 victories, Case is the second-winningest driver in the history of North American harness racing. He registered the 11,000th victory of his career on April 23 at Northfield. Herve Filion is the all-time leader with 14,890.

Case has driven 201 winners this year. In 2001, he led North American drivers with 800 victories.

Jo Ellen Corrigan of The Plain Dealer contributed to this story.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

broberts@plaind.com, 216-999-5754




© 2003 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission.

[Suff]

No wonder I remember this guy. I am this guy ! I think Walter has the bug. A pretty bad case of it too. I like the sounds of him though. he keeps climbing up the ladder and when he gets near the Top he Jumps to the ground in a Bloody Mess. The he dusts himself off and gets back on the ladder. gets 1/2 way up and Jumps off again. he's a tortured soul. Like more than we'd all care to admit. I feel badly for him... but I admire his grit...despite himself.

One day I had to much to drink at Suffok and I took on 4 security Guards and I dropped 2 SAM machines in the tussle...Ripped one of them right off the counter and tossed it off the wall.... the other one I bear hugged off the counter and they could'nt get it out of my arms...it was a real Hoh down that night.

I ended up rolling down about 15 stairs with one of the Gaurds.. he landed on top of me at the Bottom and subdued me with a Few strokes of the wood off my temple.

Suffolk was and is a rock-em sock-em crowd to an extent. I was just one more idiot on the train. I was back there that weekend smashed again...

[Geewhiz]

Case is definitely hard on himself....total disregard for the rules. Herve' Filion has said publicly that the only thing that will stop Walter Case from breaking his record of 15,000+ wins-----is Walter Case.