Have you been told the fix was in? And cashed!

[ultracapper]

1983, maybe 84, near the end of the meet at Longacres, the word around was that trainers that were having a rough meet needed to win a few to get some of the expenses paid. I worked as a teller at a bank that a window clerk from Longacres banked at. Got to know him a little, and went to his window quite a bit. Next to last week of the meet, I go to his window to place a bet on one horse, and he says, no, put it on this horse. The horse is 3/2 and I don't want to bet it, but he says, and these are his exact words.....

"What's rigged at Longacres is rigged good."

Horse wins, pays $5. I had $50 on it, the largest bet of my life to that time.

[Dark Horse]

Not horse related, but after Tim Donaghy did his time he went online and discussed upcoming playoff games for the NBA. Uncanny how he knew what was coming. I had no problem betting his selections. He was basically showing that the NBA is entertainment and about as fixed as pro wrestling.

[my_nameaintearl]

Few harness stories

I was tipped off on the Lou pena shit a few years ago at poconos before it became common knowledge. I stopped betting his horses after they started being consistently 3/5

I'm sitting at harrahs Chester one night before they knock down the race book area and add the poker room and a guy sitting next to me tells me to watch the show pool for a race at ocean downs. I notice that 5 minutes to post the pool decreased. Next thing I know this guy is kissing and snapping at the tv for a 12-1 horse who wins easily. That guy helped me make a few dollars going forward.


Had a pretty good source on a horse named yes Hanover that was profitable long term.

It's safe to say I no longer bet harness but do believe there is still funny shit that goes on

[delayjf]

yes...maiden claimer's in S.Cal circuit...3 different trainers....different times...Horse ML 10/1 or worse...no way you can pick off the form or known info...go off at 3/1 or less...win like a 3/5 shot..

I don't remember stats exactly, but in the early 90s Bobby Frankel has @ a 50% win percentage on his horses over 30-1 at Delmar

[Tall One]

Originally Posted by Fingal

Same thing, occasionally through a friend ( former trainer's wife ) I may hear about someone with a hot firster or 2nd start maiden I'll give a second look, but never a true boat race with an established horse.

Besides, most hot tips turn cold after the race. And until they give me the money to bet 'em.......

Back in '96, I was working at a local liquor store, and we had several horsemen that would come in and do their shopping. Well, one of the guys I worked with also happened to be good friends with the farm manager out at Wafare Farm. He's been touting him on a horse they've got out at Santa Anita named Oakhurst. They thought the horse had some potential, and the trainer, David Hoffmans, was being patient with him. Three starts, and hadn't really showed anything yet. Finally, one Saturday, I come into work, and my buddy at the store is literally busting at the seams. Tells me Hoffmans had called them that morning and all he said was "Bet him. Today's the day."
No sooner had I walked in the door for work, I was dashing right back out too my car and on my way to the Red Mile (back then, Keeneland and them split simulcasting dates) to make our bets. 8-1 in the morning line with Mike Hunter up, and he ended up going off at 6-1 and not because of us. Put $50 right on his frigging nose and he won for fun.

[cosmicway]

Hmmfff.
Many stories with horses that suddenly improve.
But does anyone have a story with a hot fav that was to drop dead ?

[wisconsin]

My dad owned pacers back in the '70's and played cards with trainers and drivers, and had loads of information.

Before the passing lane, drivers would "allow" themselves to get pinned with decent horses, and then a select few would know to bet it next week.

One time, and I was there (just a kid, but hung out) at the old Maywood training center out in Elgin and one of the drivers told my dad about a horse who was running the next night. The driver had a hard on for the trainer and really stiffed the horse a few consecutive starts, said the trainer does not even know how good this horse is. So off we went to Maywood the next night, and this horse, names I forget, was only 10 or 11, but it was a rare occasion when dad let me give him a couple of bucks to bet on the horse, and I got a crisp $20 back. Back then, that was a Lot of money for a 10 year old.

[Valuist]

This isn't about a fixed race, per se, although at the time it felt like the results were pre-determined.

It was the late 80s and Hawthorne had the bulk of summer dates after Arlington was burned down. I went to Maywood Park OTB one summer day and saw a friend. I came to bet a horse named Heart of Steel, who was coming in off a win one level lower at Thistledown. I can't remember if the trainer was Reavis or George Getz, but Juvenal Diaz had the mount so the horse looked live, and being a Tdn ship in, I figured many would shun the horse.

My friend asked me who I liked. I told him Heart of Steel and at 15-1 in the betting, I thought he was a great bet. "Really?" he asked. "Will he even be able to make it to the finish line? He's been eased in his last two races," he told me.

I knew that was wrong. The horse had won its last 2 races at Tdn in my DRF but his DRF showed a horse from the UK who was eased. Obviously there was two different Heart of Steel's; one was bred in the US and one in Great Britain. Who's DRF was right? We figured with Diaz taking the mount, mine was right. We watched the betting, and gradually the odds started to tumble.

The 15-1 didn't last but we still got 5-1. And the race unfolded absolutely perfectly. Heart of Steel sat 3rd on the backstretch, a few lengths off two battling leaders and in front of the rest of the beasts. Diaz barely moved a muscle as the horse inhaled the leaders and destroyed the field.

After the race, I saw two other guys who didn't know what had happened. They thought the fix was in; a horse who had never run on dirt and eased in its last 2 blows a field away. I showed them the REAL pps and boy, were they pissed.

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by Valuist

This isn't about a fixed race, per se, although at the time it felt like the results were pre-determined.

It was the late 80s and Hawthorne had the bulk of summer dates after Arlington was burned down. I went to Maywood Park OTB one summer day and saw a friend. I came to bet a horse named Heart of Steel, who was coming in off a win one level lower at Thistledown. I can't remember if the trainer was Reavis or George Getz, but Juvenal Diaz had the mount so the horse looked live, and being a Tdn ship in, I figured many would shun the horse.

My friend asked me who I liked. I told him Heart of Steel and at 15-1 in the betting, I thought he was a great bet. "Really?" he asked. "Will he even be able to make it to the finish line? He's been eased in his last two races," he told me.

I knew that was wrong. The horse had won its last 2 races at Tdn in my DRF but his DRF showed a horse from the UK who was eased. Obviously there was two different Heart of Steel's; one was bred in the US and one in Great Britain. Who's DRF was right? We figured with Diaz taking the mount, mine was right. We watched the betting, and gradually the odds started to tumble.

The 15-1 didn't last but we still got 5-1. And the race unfolded absolutely perfectly. Heart of Steel sat 3rd on the backstretch, a few lengths off two battling leaders and in front of the rest of the beasts. Diaz barely moved a muscle as the horse inhaled the leaders and destroyed the field.

After the race, I saw two other guys who didn't know what had happened. They thought the fix was in; a horse who had never run on dirt and eased in its last 2 blows a field away. I showed them the REAL pps and boy, were they pissed.

I bet they became life-long fans of the game.

[Valuist]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

I bet they became life-long fans of the game.

Thask-

Do you remember Dare and Defy? He/she was a cheap claimer that ran on the Chicago circuit in mid 80s.

I want to say it was 1984; maybe '85. Apparently the tote system didn't lock when the gates opened. Several tellers were aware of this as the race went off. Dare and Defy, a 30-1 shot, went to the lead. They continued to bet throughout, and when Dare and Defy won and the prices were posted, the win payoff was $12 or $13. A near riot ensued. Talk about a late betdown. It ended up being the lead story that night on local news. I remember ex-Bear Johnny Morris interviewing some of the tellers for the news. One guy acted like he was a hero because he turned in his winnings from $5000 he bet from the track's money.

[Arbor Heights]

I was in high school (early 70's), at Hazel Park, when owned by certain types of infamous deeds. One of my classmates, who was the grandson of one of the owners, worked as a teller then. Went with a friend of mine one afternoon and hadn't hit anything all day. Before the last race of the day this friend of ours comes running up to us very quickly and says "put everything you got on number 7" and runs away just as quickly. I look at the board and see "9/2). I know better! I like another horse. Bet it. #7 wins by 2. I still haven't figured out to this day why I didn't play the 7!

[thaskalos]

Originally Posted by Valuist

Thask-

Do you remember Dare and Defy? He/she was a cheap claimer that ran on the Chicago circuit in mid 80s.

I want to say it was 1984; maybe '85. Apparently the tote system didn't lock when the gates opened. Several tellers were aware of this as the race went off. Dare and Defy, a 30-1 shot, went to the lead. They continued to bet throughout, and when Dare and Defy won and the prices were posted, the win payoff was $12 or $13. A near riot ensued. Talk about a late betdown. It ended up being the lead story that night on local news. I remember ex-Bear Johnny Morris interviewing some of the tellers for the news. One guy acted like he was a hero because he turned in his winnings from $5000 he bet from the track's money.

Of course I remember.

One of the tellers admitted that he kept pressing repeat until the betting machine was turned off.

[illinoisbred]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Of course I remember.

One of the tellers admitted that he kept pressing repeat until the betting machine was turned off.

I remember this too. Geez,it was that long ago..time flies.

[A. Pineda]

Originally Posted by mountainman

Horses with forms darkened to set up for a bet? Sure, many times...

Yes, it happens every day.

A friend who managed a gas station had his guys quickly repair a flat on a horse trailer so the driver/trainer and horses could be on their way. Several months later the trainer stopped by and told my friend which horse to bet that day. The horse was 70/1, so my friend made a very conservative $5 WP wager, and the horse did come in.

A friend who was mob-connected called me one day to say that "the boys" called him from back east to tell him to play a certain horse in the feature at HOL. I checked the PPs and the horse came in dead last in his ALW prep. There weren't any replays then, or at least affordable replays, so I decided that it wasn't worth a bet. The horse won at 30/1.

A friend who managed a parking garage in Beverly Hills would frequently get tips from the doctors and lawyers that owned horses. He had a tip on a horse at DM, so we drove down there and made some sizeable bets at 10/1 odds. The horse didn't run a lick. Two weeks later he won the feature at 25/1.

I felt strongly about a particular DD so I made a $100 / bet. My horse in the 1st race always ran 6F in 1:10 1/5 or 1:10 2/5. A friend who worked at SA told me to play # instead, or to at least split the bet and make a $50 / . Well, the usually covered the distance in 1:12 2/5, so I disregarded the advice. Not only did the win, but the final time was 1:12 4/5.

[wisconsin]

Originally Posted by thaskalos

Of course I remember.

One of the tellers admitted that he kept pressing repeat until the betting machine was turned off.

It was several tellers at Maywood ITW.