Sad news, RIP Harvey Pack

[westernmassbob]

Harvey was an astute handicapper with a great personality. Unlike others in the biz he didn’t need a shtick to be successful as how he was on TV was what you got in real life. He was never guilty of over analyzing races and kept handicapping to its rawest form. He always talked about not liking all the goobly gook talk but he called it something else and I forget what his term was. I agree with him. Guys nowadays talk about every angle in the book then give you 4 selections in 5 horse fields. His stories and how he tells them can never be duplicated. RIP sir.

“ Noooooooobody picked six !!!”””””

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by westernmassbob

Harvey was an astute handicapper with a great personality. Unlike others in the biz he didn’t need a shtick to be successful as how he was on TV was what you got in real life. He was never guilty of over analyzing races and kept handicapping to its rawest form. He always talked about not liking all the goobly gook talk but he called it something else and I forget what his term was. I agree with him. Guys nowadays talk about every angle in the book then give you 4 selections in 5 horse fields. His stories and how he tells them can never be duplicated. RIP sir.

“ Noooooooobody picked six !!!”””””

Harvey would appreciate this for the BS that it is.

[Robert Fischer]

Wanted to pay some respects.

Harvey was a little before my time, but some of the stuff you guys mention, as well as some of things I've seen with Andy, makes me dream of being a part of that culture.

[Dave Schwartz]

Harvey was part of the Saratoga experience for all of us.

Sorry to see this icon pass.


RIP

[Red Knave]

Sad news indeed. A character all the way through.
He will be missed.

[pandy]

He was one of a kind and a great TV host. Some of his guests weren't animated enough but he made up for it.

[dilanesp]

One Harvey Pack story (indeed, it was how I first discovered him out in California): NBC put him on the first few Breeders' Cup telecasts as their main handicapper. He was really fun to listen to, even though all of his selections seemed to tank. He'd say things like "Pancho Villa (that was the name of a sprinter in an early BC Sprint), sometimes he runs off like a thief, other times he just steals your money". Just extremely entertaining to listen to.

I later heard from someone who worked at the network that NBC jettisoned him in part because he was "too New York". And intellectually, I got that- he was very "New York", and I can imagine folks in middle America saying to themselves "who is this guy?". But if you want to promote horse racing, one of the big challenges is to present handicapping not as a dreary intellectual exercise (even though we all know it sometimes/often is one), but as fun.

Harvey Pack knew a lot, but he made it look fun. The sport needs more Harvey Packs.

[classhandicapper]

He was a unique talent in that he mastered the balance between humor and good handicapping. His analysis in the grandstand when I was a fledgling horseplayer was a must see for that reason. My few brief personal encounters with him in the grandstand were always hilarious.

Me in the 70s: "Harvey, does anyone actually beat this game?"

Harvey: "Stay in school kid".


Me at Saratoga: "Harvey would you mind taking a picture with my girlfriend?"

Harvey: "Are you sure you don't want a picture of me with you. You're a horseplayer. She's probably going to leave you".


Harvey: "Here's Andy Beyer, author of My $50,000 Year at the Races. You can find it in the fiction section".

[dnlgfnk]

I spent some of yesterday researching my early exposure to trip handicapping... retraced most of the "Sources" (Paul Cornman)...Beyer and "Charlie the Pro". That led to revisiting My 50k Year...and some of the other characters like Doc the Chartist, Axthelm, etc., within the Beyer universe. Many of them are mentioned in the interview "Little" Andy did with Harvey. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you Andy.

RIP Harvey.

[turfeyejoe]

In the early 1970s on WNBC AM radio, Harvey did short segments where he would recreate races to give listeners the results on his "Pack at the Track" spots. He would say things like "Race 4, maidens going a mile on the turf, there's 12 of 'em." Then he would replay the race and conclude with "Pack at the Track, be right back in 30 minutes." I always listened.

[lamboguy]

we all wish there were more like Harvey,

RIP

[Nitro]

My knowledge of Harvey goes all the way back to the 70’s when he was one of the announcers on a locally televised NY show sponsored by OTB. This regularly aired program also included Frank Wright and Charlsie Canty. The highlight of each show was airing a re-run of the 9th race at whatever NY track was in operation. Those were the days when the Triple was only offered in the 9th race and those Triples very often paid as much as the Supers do today.

Being an avid Triple player at the time I rarely missed that show. Harvey was quite a colorful guy when it came to discussing anything related to horse-racing. He had a great attitude and a terrific sense of humor. Over the years I lost track of his later contributions to the game, but I’m sure however he was involved that he added a unique narrative and perspective that most players would thoroughly enjoy.

RIP HARVEY
.

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by Nitro

My knowledge of Harvey goes all the way back to the 70’s when he was one of the announcers on a locally televised NY show sponsored by OTB. This regularly aired program also included Frank Wright and Charlsie Canty. The highlight of each show was airing a re-run of the 9th race at whatever NY track was in operation. Those were the days when the Triple was only offered in the 9th race and those Triples very often paid as much as the Supers do today.

Being an avid Triple player at the time I rarely missed that show. Harvey was quite a colorful guy when it came to discussing anything related to horse-racing. He had a great attitude and a terrific sense of humor. Over the years I lost track of his later contributions to the game, but I’m sure however he was involved that he added a unique narrative and perspective that most players would thoroughly enjoy.

RIP HARVEY
.

Harvey was not on the OTB show.

[Nitro]

Originally Posted by the little guy

Harvey was not on the OTB show.

Perhaps it wasn't sponsored by OTB but he was DEFINITELY on a NY regularly televised program that I watched.

So what's your problem?

[the little guy]

Originally Posted by Nitro

Perhaps it wasn't sponsored by OTB but he was DEFINITELY on a NY regularly televised program that I watched.

So what's your problem?

Yes, he was on Thoroughbred Action on Sportschannel that he created as has been listed in most obituaries.

My problem? I wish I had only one.