Finger Lakes meet wraps up

[MJC922]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Yep that was him, and thanks for jogging my Mel Logan memory.


Finger Lakes would get so crowded they needed parking attendants to direct you to your spot. Got to know them as well.


After I left Rochester I would stay at the "Beautiful Trenholm East Inn" as Ross Morton would call it, whenever I needed my Finger Lakes fix.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyw...ce/5654156480/

Nice, I never did stay there but always wondered what it was like. Just up the road from there DiPacific's was at the corner of 332 & 96, many went there for a nice steak after a winning day. I remember the Dari-An snack bar next door to that. I know they had a chocolate and vanilla swirl soft-serv cone which was on the road sign for years, but they had a vanilla-orange swirl too, which was a favorite of mine as a kid, it tasted like a creamsicle. My mom would stop there on the way home and buy me a cone, even if we lost money that day it made the ride back to Rochester worth looking forward to.

How about Ross Morton's replay show? Don Bowman the DRF trackman standing next to him in the winners circle discussing recent past races and upcoming ones. Half the time the show wouldn't air on time or not at all, it was on the cable access channel in Rochester. The ads for DiJunes Liquor, the rumors of Ross pulling a bottle out of his mouth just in time to say they're off! lol I always suspected he was paid by the bottle for those DiJunes ads. DiJunes got trashed in the riots a few months back.

[aliancia]

On the days the track was off I remember the Form guy's pitch was: "Hey, track's muddy today, you need a Racing Form." I have a big box of old Forms in the basement that my wife has labeled the "Tracks muddy today, you need a Racing Form" box.
I recall, probably in the fall of 1977, that Mel Logan had a weekly class at the Science Museum on East Ave. on handicapping the Lakes. He was big on what he called "trainer flows," particularly Chris Englehart's moves. It was about that time they tossed him out of the track, and he was not happy. I can't remember what the reason was.

[MJC922]

Interesting, never heard he had a handicapping class. I believe I heard something mentioned once about the reason they ruled him off but I wouldn't mention anything like that out here without having firsthand knowledge. I only knew the guy who sold his sheet FOR him after he was ruled off. Talked handicapping now and then while inspecting the horses in the paddock. It would always be later in the card probably when tip sheet sales were over for the day.

Many years later I saw Mel waiting in line ahead of me at the DMV with a teenage kid who was registering a car. Never saw him or heard his name mentioned again after that.

If anyone ever gets to talking with an insider like John Kolomic I'm sure he'd have details about all kinds of things that went on over the years. There was plenty that went on with Shine Please and Serapis, just to name two higher profile 'incidents'. All in all though a great racetrack to spend your time in those days.

[BarchCapper]

Loving reading these memories of Finger Lakes. My wife was born in Canandaigua Hospital, lived in Macedon and went to Pal-Mac (class of 1981). However, with her Orthodox Presbyterian upbringing, her only memories of Finger Lakes racetrack before meeting me were those of learning to drive in their parking lot!!!! We got there a few times for the races when we vacationed upstate in the early years of our marriage.

As far as racetrack tipsheet sellers, there's a book available for Kindle called "Last of the Racetrack Touts" that centers around the NJ-Florida circuit. The recollections here reminded me of that book and those times. The book was well worth the $0.99 I spent for it, if you want to do some reminiscing and reliving.

[Achilles]

I took Mel Logan's course. Part of it was a field trip to Graywood Farm, a breeding farm, south of Rochester. We got to see a mare being bred by one of their stallions, and the whole business was pretty comical. To protect the stallion, the mare's hind legs were hobbled and they put a lip twitch on her. She was still as a statue. They covered her hind quarters with some kind of (canvas?) shield to protect her from the stallion's hooves (and teeth?). Foreplay amounted to a couple of folks washing the stallions private parts (not very private really, with forty people watching). It takes at least three or four people to accomplish all this. The act itself could not have lasted a minute, plus clean-up time, but at least no sheets were stained in the making of this movie. The upshot of all this was that it provided an opportunity for the guy standing near me to answer his young son's question ("What do the horses do now daddy?") with the classic response, "He takes a shower, and she smokes a cigarette."


Achilles

[MJC922]

Originally Posted by Achilles

I took Mel Logan's course. Part of it was a field trip to Graywood Farm, a breeding farm, south of Rochester. We got to see a mare being bred by one of their stallions, and the whole business was pretty comical. To protect the stallion, the mare's hind legs were hobbled and they put a lip twitch on her. She was still as a statue. They covered her hind quarters with some kind of (canvas?) shield to protect her from the stallion's hooves (and teeth?). Foreplay amounted to a couple of folks washing the stallions private parts (not very private really, with forty people watching). It takes at least three or four people to accomplish all this. The act itself could not have lasted a minute, plus clean-up time, but at least no sheets were stained in the making of this movie. The upshot of all this was that it provided an opportunity for the guy standing near me to answer his young son's question ("What do the horses do now daddy?") with the classic response, "He takes a shower, and she smokes a cigarette."


Achilles

Of all the things to have in a handicapping course, lol. In my mid-teens as I was just about throwing in the towel of my dream to be a jockey (too tall) I took a stable management course taught by a woman who allegedly was an instructor for Michelle Harris in her early years. Michelle eventually went on to be a well-respected rider at Finger Lakes and many may recall that she rode Mercedes Won to victory in the '89 Florida Derby.

Speaking of tall, anyone remember when breakdancing was all the rage and Mike McCarthy was walking around the upper grandstand one Saturday with a couple of guys holding a boombox for him while he was breakdancing? Now I was skinny as a rail but Mike was even more so, very strong though, took a ton of strength to do some of those moves, spinning with full weight on one arm etc, pretty impressive. The horses are strong, he knew how to hold em too. Way back sitting in last place was where Mike liked to be early, sometimes he was so far back he'd just miss getting up for last. lol Yea he won his share though because everyone sent like madmen it was such a speed track, he'd be way back with Overkeyed or whomever it was scraping paint and then it all falls apart and you'd hear Ross and I'll always remember this one call he had, "Overkeyed is flying!! Mike McCarthy has Overkeyed flying... "

The dead sea parted, he'd get up just in time near the line and then snug up on the reins to win eased up for the last stride.

[MJC922]

Originally Posted by MJC922

Of all the things to have in a handicapping course, lol. In my mid-teens as I was just about throwing in the towel of my dream to be a jockey (too tall) I took a stable management course taught by a woman who allegedly was an instructor for Michelle Harris in her early years. Michelle eventually went on to be a well-respected rider at Finger Lakes and many may recall that she rode Mercedes Won to victory in the '89 Florida Derby.

Speaking of tall, anyone remember when breakdancing was all the rage and Mike McCarthy was walking around the upper grandstand one Saturday with a couple of guys holding a boombox for him while he was breakdancing? Now I was skinny as a rail but Mike was even more so, very strong though, took a ton of strength to do some of those moves, spinning with full weight on one arm etc, pretty impressive. The horses are strong, he knew how to hold em too. Way back sitting in last place was where Mike liked to be early, sometimes he was so far back he'd just miss getting up for last. lol Yea he won his share though because everyone sent like madmen it was such a speed track, he'd be way back with Overkeyed or whomever it was scraping paint and then it all falls apart and you'd hear Ross and I'll always remember this one call he had, "Overkeyed is flying!! Mike McCarthy has Overkeyed flying... "

The dead sea parted, he'd get up just in time near the line and then snug up on the reins to win eased up for the last stride.

My mistake, looks like Earlie Fires rode Mercedes Won in the Florida Derby win. I believe Michele Harris rode the horse in several other winning races.

She passed away unfortunately:
https://www.democratandchronicle.com...at-62/2398965/

[aliancia]

Originally Posted by Achilles

I took Mel Logan's course. Part of it was a field trip to Graywood Farm, a breeding farm, south of Rochester. We got to see a mare being bred by one of their stallions, and the whole business was pretty comical. To protect the stallion, the mare's hind legs were hobbled and they put a lip twitch on her. She was still as a statue. They covered her hind quarters with some kind of (canvas?) shield to protect her from the stallion's hooves (and teeth?). Foreplay amounted to a couple of folks washing the stallions private parts (not very private really, with forty people watching). It takes at least three or four people to accomplish all this. The act itself could not have lasted a minute, plus clean-up time, but at least no sheets were stained in the making of this movie. The upshot of all this was that it provided an opportunity for the guy standing near me to answer his young son's question ("What do the horses do now daddy?") with the classic response, "He takes a shower, and she smokes a cigarette."


Achilles

I'd forgotten about the trip to Graywood, but as I read your description it all came back to me, exactly as you describe it. Thanks for the memory.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by BIGTKLO

I wish somehow, which I know will never happen, we could have those days again at Finger Lakes, even if it's once in a blue moon.

If we ever qet back to fans on track next year, maybe we can put together a "TOGA West" get together at the Thumb for PA'ers.

I miss the old Season Pass Picnic - back when we had to pay to get in, they would throw a free party for us ticket holders in the tent outside. Great tine - fun day every year. I remember one year, we had a trainer who was like 0 fer EVER! an he had a horse who was all early speed but always quit. Witt something or other was the name. He was running the day of the picnic, and that day, it was very speed favoring and the horse kept on going.

The trainer was sitting at my table, and we were watching on the TV in the tent. When the field got to the tote board and his horse was still in front, he jumps up from the table and runs to the rail to see it live.

Only problem was, when he first sat down, and tucked his napkin into his belt, he tucked the TABLECLOTH in as well, and when he ran off, he took the whole table full of our food with him! I literally fell off the bench laughing so hard!

[BIGTKLO]

Sounds good Tom