* If you're planning on breeding your mare (s) this spring, then you'll want to check out the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association's Stallion Season Auction, being hosted on the web site http://www.thoroughlybred.com/. There is a top-notch selection of stallions being offered, including Bellamy Road, Bull Market, Cactus Ridge, E Dubai, Eurosilver, Grand Reward, Jump Start, Perfect Soul, Sir Shackleton, Smarty Jones, Toccet, Wiseman's Ferry, Zanjero ... to name but a few. Check out the Thoroughlybred web site and perhaps you can get a bargain. The auction runs on January 27, 28, and 29. All proceeds are going to the PHBA's PAC Fund.
* The Open House season is in full swing, and we enjoyed seeing Pennsylvania's "big guns" at Ghost Ridge Farms last Saturday - E Dubai, Jump Start, Smarty Jones, Grand Reward and Greatness. This Sunday, January 30, Northview Stallion Station in Chesapeake City, Md. holds its annual Open House, and we're eager to see its new young stallions Bullsbay (by Tiznow) and Street Magician (by Street Cry). On February 6, Glenn and Becky Brok's Diamond B Farm in Mohrsville, Pa. will host an Open House to showcase its stallions Talent Search, Ecclesiatic and Senor Swinger. And weather permitting, Dr. William Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, Pa. will be having its annual Open House on Sunday, Feb. 20, showcasing stallions Albert the Great, Lite the Fuse, Alex's Pal, Invisible Ink and Coastal Storm.
* When did you become a racing fan? Was it when you were very young, or did you become interested later in life? Did a family member introduce you to the wonderful world of the racetrack, or did you discover racing's charms on your own? Was it the beauty and majesty of the horse that intrigued you, or were you mesmerized and challenged by handicapping? Can the sport of horse racing survive if there are merely fans of a particular horse, without their active participation at the pari-mutuel windows or as owners or breeders?
We'd like to hear your thoughts on this matter, as recently there has been a raging debate among turf writers as to what value Zenyatta's rabid fans, or any other recent famous horse, for that matter, have for racing. Feel free to drop us a line.
My involvement started as a young girl, when my father and grandfather took me to Monmouth Park. I am not joking when I say that I could not sleep the night before one of those trips; the excitement level was sky-high. While I loved the horses, I also loved the challenge of getting the Daily Racing Form, handicapping the card, and trying to pick some winners, and my father or grandfather would make bets for me until I reached legal age. Even excursions with my grandfather on Saturday mornings to a grimy New York City OTB on Liberty Boulevard in Staten Island was a treat. I remember the little pencils, the dirty floors, and the suspect clientele, but the thrill of making a bet on a race at the Big A, and then watching the results later that evening on the WOR-TV (Channel 9) show hosted by Frank Wright and Charlsie Cantey, was enormous.
A scene inside a Staten Island OTB
For me, horses and gambling will always go hand-in-hand. I have a hard time understanding those folks that just hero-worship a horse without plunking down a few bucks through the windows. Thoroughbred racing needs a new generation of horseplayers, not slots or poker players. If there's a young person in your life, why not take him or her to the track one day and let them experience its charms? I feel I have done my part in raising the next generation of racing fans, as both of my daughters love horses and the racetrack. Without young people, the sport is doomed.
Thanks Linda,
ReplyDeleteMy mother was from KY, near Lexington and used to make us watch the KY Derby every year...also any big race that was televised. We would make yearly trips (3,sometimes 4, kids in the back of a station wagon with sleeping bags and pillows, NO seatbelts) every June, to her childhood home, to visit relatives. Along the drive, we would pass horse farm after horse farm. I am sure we saw others, but one visit to see Citation , really sticks in my mind. I love the picture of myself with him, trying to eat my hat! My mother's sister worked in the office at Claiborne for a while, and we always visited her and the horses that were there at the time. Horses, not so much the handicapping, were my love, until my 9th grade Math teacher started a Harness Racing Handicapping club after school. He even took us on a field trip to Liberty Bell track and placed bets for us. I won $47 ! I was hooked. I think that folks would have better odds and more fun on a $2 bet at the track than playing slots! I can never understand the lure of slots.. now Black Jack, Poker etc... is a different story, and I am glad to see the tables near enough where players can also bet on the horses. OTBs are necessary, however, taking kids to an actual track, is what is going to get them interested in the horses and betting... and possibly NEW OWNERS one day!
I discovered my love of horse racing in an interesting way. In high school, I bowled with a league. Our season ending banquet was at the Meadows harness track in Washington, PA. I got very interested, more from a love of the horse standpoint, in that sport for a couple years, then fell in love with Thoroughbred racing when I watched the 1986 Kentucky Derby. I do wager sometimes, probably not as often as I should. I've belonged to more than one HorseHats ownership group. It was a VERY small investment and share, but it was fun to follow the horses and watch their races on one of the racing channels. Unfortunately, I don't drive and can't get to the track myelf and I don't have any young people in my life to share my passion with. You are correct, though, Linda. The sport needs young blood to survive.
ReplyDelete