The drive up from Florida last week was very easy for me. I only stopped when I needed gas and made the trip in 17 hours. You always see weird things while on a long drive; and that trip was no exception! From south Florida to the Georgia border takes about 5 hours; and during that stretch of road there must have been 7 RVs with blowouts. From the big expensive motor coaches on down through the little pop-up campers, Florida was like a campers graveyard! I imagine they assume that if the treads are okay they are good to go. Dry rot doesn't care about treads, people driving campers around need to change their tires more often.
Even though that drive is long I still prefer that than flying coach! Jonas sent me up to qualify a few the week before; and, I flew United Airlines. On the way up north I had a window seat next to an older couple in the last row in the plane. I'm 6'3" and 2 something and I felt like a cow stuffed onto one of those livestock trailers! I had to pee for the last hour of the flight, but, didn't want to deal with asking the cranky old couple to get up and let me out. Then on the way back to Florida I was in a middle seat sandwiched between two guys even wider than me if you can believe that! I was reading a book, and that always makes me want to sleep. Every time I dozed off the 3 year old girl in the next row would start screaming bloody murder for 15 minutes or so. I'm going to get Jonas to buy us a company plane to make our travels more comfortable!!
Getting moved into Winners farm has kept me pretty busy. The very large office is on the second floor overlooking the track. It's an awesome setup, but, it was in dire need of a paint job. I put on my "HandyRandy" hat after getting the riding done and went to work up there. It came out nice, and now if owners visit Jonas has a nice room for them to watch their horses train.
After almost a year away from racing my body is slowly adjusting to the erratic sleep schedule. So far we've raced at the Meadowlands a couple times, qualified a few times up there, and raced at Pocono one night. You have to learn to take a nap here and there, whenever the right time comes. While in Florida my internal clock had me waking up at 3am every day and I would toss and turn till about 5. Racing has sure cured that problem! I have no trouble "sleeping in" until 5 now!
The stable of horses Jonas has put together is a very nice bunch! Racing them is fun because they are well mannered and so far have been very competitive. I see no reason for us not to have a very good year with this group! In horse racing a trainers job is to bring a horse to the track happy, fit, sound, and properly classified; the rest is up to the driver and racing luck. We will take care of our part and hope for the best...talk to you soon
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Some more stories from the winter of '84
I am very much a heterosexual person. I have no problem whatsoever with homosexuality, I was around it during my childhood and never judge anyone based on their personal preference. Actually, I could write a whole book about my childhood, but, we'll keep this blog based on racetrack stories. I will say this though. I think I may be more open minded and accepting of different lifestyles because I was exposed to so much growing up. That being said, let me tell you a few stories...
I think the first gay guy to hit on me was Leroy who was sooo much fun to hang out with up at Vernon Downs. I think he worked for Popfinger at the time, and he was just flamboyant about it. He would even dress in drag sometimes and looked fabulous! We used to play pick up softball games and there was no better athlete on the field. He used to just torment me saying stuff like "Come on over here and warm me up Randy!" or other pick up lines that most guys would use on a girl at a bar. It was a little uncomfortable, but, I would always just laugh it off since he was just talking crap anyway!
We got to the South Florida Trotting Center and there was a guy working for Garnsey named John. He was very nice, clean cut, and drove a big pickup truck. He had been separated or divorced and was in Florida from the mid-west I think. Since I only had a bicycle it was handy to go to the laundromat or store with John, and, we became friends. One night he asked me if I'd like to get off the farm and go catch a movie. "Great idea" I said, so away we went. The movie house he took me to was nothing like the one in Vermont! There were XXX's on the front of the building and the movie was pretty graphic. I sat through it, and he didn't do anything inappropriate, so that was that. We went to Pompano at the same time(He rubbed Armbro Aussie for the big Cam Fella race), and the girls from Continental were all over him every day! He didn't like it as much as I might have and would never succumb to their advances. Finally, he came out of the closet in hopes of getting one girl in particular to back off. She went the other way and took it as a challenge to get him to jump back over the fence! One night we all got drunk at The Greenbrier and the girl, Tracy, got him into her bed. She wound up very disappointed and with her ego taking a hit when John had a case of E.D. and that ended that!
There was another openly gay guy working for us in the mornings and he was a male dancer at night. His name was Frank, and he tried desperately to teach me some dance moves. Unfortunately, I dance like Steve Martin in the opening scene of the movie "The Jerk"! He was great fun to work with, and one day we all decided to go to the beach. I only had shorts, but, no bathing suit. Frank said "no problem, I'll lend you one." The one he lent me was one of those "banana hammocks" and I didn't feel very comfortable wearing it to say the least! It must have looked okay in it though, I got lots of compliments from the guys!;)
The last guy I'll tell you about is an older gentleman named Dennis who worked for Dr. Lee. He started coming by the barn at the Trotting Center and just loved to talk and tell stories. When we moved to Pompano he'd come by every Sunday and take a few of us to IHOP for breakfast. When you are clearing $160.00 per week a free breakfast on Sunday is awesome! We became friendly and he found out I like to shoot pool. At least once a week he'd come pick me up, buy me dinner, and then we'd go shoot some pool.(I didn't win often, he was a shark!)As the winter changed to spring he must have been getting impatient; so, he made a point to tell me on the way home one night, to the penny, how much he had spent on me during the year! I don't even remember how I responded or what I said; and, he never made any moves on me, but, it sure made me feel queezy! We did stay in touch via telephone and with the odd letter after I shipped out of Florida for over a year or two. I distinctly remember our last conversation. he called me while I was stabled at Brandywine and working for Jimmy Campbell. I was very excited to tell him the big news that I was engaged to Karen, and though it was going to be a long engagement, we would be married in 1988! He was soooo pissed off I couldn't believe it was him on the other end of the phone. Years later I finally found out that he was gay....duh, naive me!!
I actually met Karen for the first time at Pompano. She was down on vacation from NJ and stopped by the barn to visit Vicki Wright(the famous photographer and great caretaker of racehorses!). They invited me out one night, but, I was a party pooper and elected not to go.
Speaking of Vicki(and this is the last story of this chapter), she was pretty green in those days. She was very willing to learn, and had some experience working for her boyfriend Jack at the Meadowlands. She was next to me in the shed row, so whenever she had a question, she came to me with it. One day she comes running into my stall in a panic, "Dirt Band is having a heart attack or something!" I go check it out and all Dirt band was having was a "happy ending"! His hormones were raging at that time and he found out how to make himself happy the way horses will do. At the precise moment that he was finishing up he was stomping his back feet on the ground in sheer ecstacy and our girl "Vickers" mistook it for a heart attack! When the trainers were figuring out where everyone was going from Pompano they came up with Roosevelt Raceway as our destination. Vicki was thrilled at the prospect of being there so close to her lover Jack! The day before we shipped there was a change of plans and we were to go to Brandywine Raceway in Delaware instead. Vicki was livid and she just ran around ranting and raving and she came up with the famous saying "Brandyfuckingwine??Where the hell is Brandyfuckingwine??" It all worked out since it was still only a two hour ride to the Meadowlands from there.
These stories will have to hold you till the weekend since I'm driving out of Florida tomorrow. Talk to you soon...RT
I think the first gay guy to hit on me was Leroy who was sooo much fun to hang out with up at Vernon Downs. I think he worked for Popfinger at the time, and he was just flamboyant about it. He would even dress in drag sometimes and looked fabulous! We used to play pick up softball games and there was no better athlete on the field. He used to just torment me saying stuff like "Come on over here and warm me up Randy!" or other pick up lines that most guys would use on a girl at a bar. It was a little uncomfortable, but, I would always just laugh it off since he was just talking crap anyway!
We got to the South Florida Trotting Center and there was a guy working for Garnsey named John. He was very nice, clean cut, and drove a big pickup truck. He had been separated or divorced and was in Florida from the mid-west I think. Since I only had a bicycle it was handy to go to the laundromat or store with John, and, we became friends. One night he asked me if I'd like to get off the farm and go catch a movie. "Great idea" I said, so away we went. The movie house he took me to was nothing like the one in Vermont! There were XXX's on the front of the building and the movie was pretty graphic. I sat through it, and he didn't do anything inappropriate, so that was that. We went to Pompano at the same time(He rubbed Armbro Aussie for the big Cam Fella race), and the girls from Continental were all over him every day! He didn't like it as much as I might have and would never succumb to their advances. Finally, he came out of the closet in hopes of getting one girl in particular to back off. She went the other way and took it as a challenge to get him to jump back over the fence! One night we all got drunk at The Greenbrier and the girl, Tracy, got him into her bed. She wound up very disappointed and with her ego taking a hit when John had a case of E.D. and that ended that!
There was another openly gay guy working for us in the mornings and he was a male dancer at night. His name was Frank, and he tried desperately to teach me some dance moves. Unfortunately, I dance like Steve Martin in the opening scene of the movie "The Jerk"! He was great fun to work with, and one day we all decided to go to the beach. I only had shorts, but, no bathing suit. Frank said "no problem, I'll lend you one." The one he lent me was one of those "banana hammocks" and I didn't feel very comfortable wearing it to say the least! It must have looked okay in it though, I got lots of compliments from the guys!;)
The last guy I'll tell you about is an older gentleman named Dennis who worked for Dr. Lee. He started coming by the barn at the Trotting Center and just loved to talk and tell stories. When we moved to Pompano he'd come by every Sunday and take a few of us to IHOP for breakfast. When you are clearing $160.00 per week a free breakfast on Sunday is awesome! We became friendly and he found out I like to shoot pool. At least once a week he'd come pick me up, buy me dinner, and then we'd go shoot some pool.(I didn't win often, he was a shark!)As the winter changed to spring he must have been getting impatient; so, he made a point to tell me on the way home one night, to the penny, how much he had spent on me during the year! I don't even remember how I responded or what I said; and, he never made any moves on me, but, it sure made me feel queezy! We did stay in touch via telephone and with the odd letter after I shipped out of Florida for over a year or two. I distinctly remember our last conversation. he called me while I was stabled at Brandywine and working for Jimmy Campbell. I was very excited to tell him the big news that I was engaged to Karen, and though it was going to be a long engagement, we would be married in 1988! He was soooo pissed off I couldn't believe it was him on the other end of the phone. Years later I finally found out that he was gay....duh, naive me!!
I actually met Karen for the first time at Pompano. She was down on vacation from NJ and stopped by the barn to visit Vicki Wright(the famous photographer and great caretaker of racehorses!). They invited me out one night, but, I was a party pooper and elected not to go.
Speaking of Vicki(and this is the last story of this chapter), she was pretty green in those days. She was very willing to learn, and had some experience working for her boyfriend Jack at the Meadowlands. She was next to me in the shed row, so whenever she had a question, she came to me with it. One day she comes running into my stall in a panic, "Dirt Band is having a heart attack or something!" I go check it out and all Dirt band was having was a "happy ending"! His hormones were raging at that time and he found out how to make himself happy the way horses will do. At the precise moment that he was finishing up he was stomping his back feet on the ground in sheer ecstacy and our girl "Vickers" mistook it for a heart attack! When the trainers were figuring out where everyone was going from Pompano they came up with Roosevelt Raceway as our destination. Vicki was thrilled at the prospect of being there so close to her lover Jack! The day before we shipped there was a change of plans and we were to go to Brandywine Raceway in Delaware instead. Vicki was livid and she just ran around ranting and raving and she came up with the famous saying "Brandyfuckingwine??Where the hell is Brandyfuckingwine??" It all worked out since it was still only a two hour ride to the Meadowlands from there.
These stories will have to hold you till the weekend since I'm driving out of Florida tomorrow. Talk to you soon...RT
Monday, April 9, 2012
Pompano 1984 continued
As I was jogging today in the beautiful Florida sunshine(correction, the horse was jogging. I was a passenger), I was reflecting on the people I met down here almost 30 years ago. In those days Pompano Park had a racing side and a training side. The racing side had mostly blue collar stables with the overnight horses and maybe a few babies, but, the big "Grand Circuit" stables were all on the training side. That's where I was, and some of the people I met there were the ones I had only read about in "Hoofbeats" magazine or our sports bible "The Care And Training of the Trotter and Pacer".
Almost as soon as I arrived at Pompano I attended the races and was impressed and amazed at how Mickey McNicol drove a horse. He was the leading driver there back then and he was pretty aggressive. If the horse was tired finishing he seemed to be able to physically carry it across the wire! Junior and I both loved to bet his mounts and we usually did pretty well. Mickey was also partners with Joe Caraluzzi, and together they trained the "Sunbird Stable". They had been written about in the trade mags for campaigning "Jazz Cosmos" and quite a few other top horses. One morning I was out jogging one of Glens' babies and this guy jogs up next to me and we start chatting like we'd known each other forever. It was none other than my hero Myles McNicol! I was a very surprised at how normal he seemed. Not and ego-maniac like you would expect a rock star to be! Over the years I have played lots of cards with him in the drivers room and he is one guy that can bring me to tears laughing! He is also very sharp under pressure. I remember at Freehold 8 or 10 years ago he was racing a trotter for Jackie Ingrassia who was the heavy favorite. They had just changed the rule to do away with recalls just for a horse being off stride. Jackies horse made a break about an eighth of a mile from the start and would have been left way behind except Mickey was quick thinking enough to yank the left line and cause interference with the horse next to him; thus, causing his much needed recall! Of course he behaved the next time and went on to win the race..pretty heads up!
Continental Stable was run by Hakan Wallner, Bernt Linstead, and Jan Johnson. They must have had over 100 top quality trotting babies in the barn and I learned a lot just watching those guys operate. I was never friends with them, but, would have casual conversations with them on the track and they were all very nice. I still see Jan on the track, but, I think the other two have passed away.
Team Nordin had a lot of colts in training and watching them work was an experience to say the least! The patriarch was "Soren", and I don't think he ever looked up from his horses legs to see where he was going! Soren, and his son Jan would be either training the jogging way(counter clockwise), or just jogging really fast, single file; and at least once a week run over some hung over groom! There would be race bikes and gaiting poles flying all over the place; so we learned to have eyes in the back of our heads!
George Sholty and his son Buzzy were training the Castleton Farms horses in a shed row near ours. They ran a tight ship and always did very well in the big races.
Billy Popfinger and his son Junior had a big barn, and I remember Billy senior being pretty rough on Junior during training trips. Our bench was on the backside of the mile track so after they'd pass the 1/2 mile pole Billy would be yelling "I told you to get over to the 1/2 in 20!". Or whatever else the kid was doing wrong was being broadcast every day. Billy was in the movie "Easy Money" with Rodney Dangerfield, so he had a big star posted on his barn.
Both Stanley Dancer and Billy Haughton had their winter stables there too. Stanley pretty much just went about his business in a professional way, and so did Billy; but, Billy was much more personable to the average groom. Stanly would say good morning, but, that's about it. Haughton Stable consisted of over 200 horses in those days with about 8 assistant trainers. A fellow Vermonter named Ernie Gaskin was there, as well as Tommy Haughton, Cammie Haughton, Donnie Miller, and several others. Those training sets always had at least 8 horses in them and they say Billy could look back as the grooms were pulling them up to the trainers and ask where the head pole or tendon boots were on any individual colt! He was a terrible loss for our sport!(that's an understatement)
Delvin Miller was another who I had only read about, but, was very nice! He ran a top notch operation and was also an avid golfer..someone to look up to for sure!
Tom Harmer was married to Mickey's sister Debbie. Together they trained colts and racehorses and ran a top operation.
Gary Lewis was by far the most unique of the guys that trained down there! He is openly gay(not that there's anything wrong with that!) and to me was always the best guy to have working with a temperamental trotting filly. I still have visions of him and his purple colors tippy tapping these little witches saying "come on honey" and just getting them to go with kindness and making it their idea. I still try and handle young trotting fillies like he does, I think for sure it's the best way! One time years later I had this sulky pacing filly named "Totally Aussie" that I owned a large piece of myself. She was struggling to beat 2:10 or so as a 2 year old, and, in my opinion she just wasn't trying. I jogged her up alongside Gary one day at the Meadowlands and asked his advice on making her want to do it. I'll never forget his answer to me..."We are not all athletes you know, maybe she wants to be a librarian or something! Just because she's bred to race doesn't mean she wants to!" I have to say he was never more right!
There were many more names like,Howard Beissinger,Steve Demas, Ronnie Gurfein(who I still admire as a trainer), Courtney Foos Stable, and many more that made it almost surreal to be a part of since before that year they were just names in a magazine that I read about. Seeing them in person and watching them operate was an incredible experience!
We'll move north to Brandywine in the next edition...
Almost as soon as I arrived at Pompano I attended the races and was impressed and amazed at how Mickey McNicol drove a horse. He was the leading driver there back then and he was pretty aggressive. If the horse was tired finishing he seemed to be able to physically carry it across the wire! Junior and I both loved to bet his mounts and we usually did pretty well. Mickey was also partners with Joe Caraluzzi, and together they trained the "Sunbird Stable". They had been written about in the trade mags for campaigning "Jazz Cosmos" and quite a few other top horses. One morning I was out jogging one of Glens' babies and this guy jogs up next to me and we start chatting like we'd known each other forever. It was none other than my hero Myles McNicol! I was a very surprised at how normal he seemed. Not and ego-maniac like you would expect a rock star to be! Over the years I have played lots of cards with him in the drivers room and he is one guy that can bring me to tears laughing! He is also very sharp under pressure. I remember at Freehold 8 or 10 years ago he was racing a trotter for Jackie Ingrassia who was the heavy favorite. They had just changed the rule to do away with recalls just for a horse being off stride. Jackies horse made a break about an eighth of a mile from the start and would have been left way behind except Mickey was quick thinking enough to yank the left line and cause interference with the horse next to him; thus, causing his much needed recall! Of course he behaved the next time and went on to win the race..pretty heads up!
Continental Stable was run by Hakan Wallner, Bernt Linstead, and Jan Johnson. They must have had over 100 top quality trotting babies in the barn and I learned a lot just watching those guys operate. I was never friends with them, but, would have casual conversations with them on the track and they were all very nice. I still see Jan on the track, but, I think the other two have passed away.
Team Nordin had a lot of colts in training and watching them work was an experience to say the least! The patriarch was "Soren", and I don't think he ever looked up from his horses legs to see where he was going! Soren, and his son Jan would be either training the jogging way(counter clockwise), or just jogging really fast, single file; and at least once a week run over some hung over groom! There would be race bikes and gaiting poles flying all over the place; so we learned to have eyes in the back of our heads!
George Sholty and his son Buzzy were training the Castleton Farms horses in a shed row near ours. They ran a tight ship and always did very well in the big races.
Billy Popfinger and his son Junior had a big barn, and I remember Billy senior being pretty rough on Junior during training trips. Our bench was on the backside of the mile track so after they'd pass the 1/2 mile pole Billy would be yelling "I told you to get over to the 1/2 in 20!". Or whatever else the kid was doing wrong was being broadcast every day. Billy was in the movie "Easy Money" with Rodney Dangerfield, so he had a big star posted on his barn.
Both Stanley Dancer and Billy Haughton had their winter stables there too. Stanley pretty much just went about his business in a professional way, and so did Billy; but, Billy was much more personable to the average groom. Stanly would say good morning, but, that's about it. Haughton Stable consisted of over 200 horses in those days with about 8 assistant trainers. A fellow Vermonter named Ernie Gaskin was there, as well as Tommy Haughton, Cammie Haughton, Donnie Miller, and several others. Those training sets always had at least 8 horses in them and they say Billy could look back as the grooms were pulling them up to the trainers and ask where the head pole or tendon boots were on any individual colt! He was a terrible loss for our sport!(that's an understatement)
Delvin Miller was another who I had only read about, but, was very nice! He ran a top notch operation and was also an avid golfer..someone to look up to for sure!
Tom Harmer was married to Mickey's sister Debbie. Together they trained colts and racehorses and ran a top operation.
Gary Lewis was by far the most unique of the guys that trained down there! He is openly gay(not that there's anything wrong with that!) and to me was always the best guy to have working with a temperamental trotting filly. I still have visions of him and his purple colors tippy tapping these little witches saying "come on honey" and just getting them to go with kindness and making it their idea. I still try and handle young trotting fillies like he does, I think for sure it's the best way! One time years later I had this sulky pacing filly named "Totally Aussie" that I owned a large piece of myself. She was struggling to beat 2:10 or so as a 2 year old, and, in my opinion she just wasn't trying. I jogged her up alongside Gary one day at the Meadowlands and asked his advice on making her want to do it. I'll never forget his answer to me..."We are not all athletes you know, maybe she wants to be a librarian or something! Just because she's bred to race doesn't mean she wants to!" I have to say he was never more right!
There were many more names like,Howard Beissinger,Steve Demas, Ronnie Gurfein(who I still admire as a trainer), Courtney Foos Stable, and many more that made it almost surreal to be a part of since before that year they were just names in a magazine that I read about. Seeing them in person and watching them operate was an incredible experience!
We'll move north to Brandywine in the next edition...
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Current News
I thought it may be a good idea to let my friends and family know whats happening currently in my life. For various reasons; most notably my kids are pretty much all grown, and my own personal happiness, I have jumped back into the racing business with both feet! Jonas Czernyson posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that he needed an assistant trainer. I sent him an e-mail and then we spoke on the phone and I felt right away that it would be a good fit for us both. He winter trains at Sunshine Meadows in Delray Beach, Fla and then ships to Winners International farm in Chesterfield, NJ for the summer and fall. I was still following the business closely, but, had just been doing home improvements and driving a van for an eye clinic for the past 10 months or so. Timing is everything; and it so happens that my good friend and former Vet, Joe Deleo had just passed away. I was thinking about doing something I really truly love to do, and I think was born to do, so the horses have won out and drawn me back in!
I drove to Mom and Dads two weeks ago Friday and spent the weekend with them and then finished the drive through Florida Sunday morning. I actually woke up at 3am and hit the road because I was so anxious to get there! I arrived at the training center at around 8am and met Jonas and Christine and some of the other team members. We started work(you could call it that!) on Monday morning and I feel rejuvenated and more relaxed than I ever have! It'll get much busier as the racing season gets underway, but, the horses and people are all wonderful to work with, and I very much look forward to it! I can remember all 30 or so horses names and temperments already, and enjoy them all equally for the challenges that they represent.
I came to NJ to qualify 3 of the older ones at the Meadowlands Friday, and everything went very well. In two weeks we will begin to race those, and I move back to NJ for the summer this Thursday. Almost all the 3 year olds will be coming north this week, and the balance of the stable comes up at the end of April. I hope to see many of my old friends and new ones around the races this summer!!
I drove to Mom and Dads two weeks ago Friday and spent the weekend with them and then finished the drive through Florida Sunday morning. I actually woke up at 3am and hit the road because I was so anxious to get there! I arrived at the training center at around 8am and met Jonas and Christine and some of the other team members. We started work(you could call it that!) on Monday morning and I feel rejuvenated and more relaxed than I ever have! It'll get much busier as the racing season gets underway, but, the horses and people are all wonderful to work with, and I very much look forward to it! I can remember all 30 or so horses names and temperments already, and enjoy them all equally for the challenges that they represent.
I came to NJ to qualify 3 of the older ones at the Meadowlands Friday, and everything went very well. In two weeks we will begin to race those, and I move back to NJ for the summer this Thursday. Almost all the 3 year olds will be coming north this week, and the balance of the stable comes up at the end of April. I hope to see many of my old friends and new ones around the races this summer!!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Pompano winter of 1984
Being roomates with Junior was fun, but, could be annoying! He was just like a little brother to me and knew how to get on my nerves. If an Army Ranger commercial would come on TV he would get all wound up and want to wrestle or he would just jump on me while I was taking a nap and I'd have to rough him up! Most of our battles ended up with me carrying him to the manure wagon and tossing him in it; that usually settled him down for a while. Any horse he took care of was going to be the next big star. He had a trotting filly that was good gaited and doing everything right named "Talratha". I can't tell you how many times we had to hear him bellow out at the top of his lungs the stretch drive of the "Marie Annabelle" with Talratha winning of course! He pretty much raced her into the ground over the winter, and, she turned out to be a dissapointment as I don't think she ever made it at all.
There was a fast food place across from the barn area called "Wuvs" where we would go and flirt with the 2 girls working there. I was working on a girl named "Tina" and he was chasing one named "Lori"(I think). We'd go over there at around closing time and try and get them to go out with us, usually with no success. Tina liked me but she had trust issues, especially with horsemen with their nomadic lifestyle. The black guy that worked there with them would try and teach us the "moonwalk" which would have been a great thing to have on tape! One night Tina invited me over to her trailer to watch a movie. Half way through it she makes the first move and the rest is history! Lori was having a party the next night and Junior and I were invited. I vividly remember Junior and I getting into the Jack&Coke, and him dancing on the tables and couches like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business". Tina had to leave early and Junior passed out, so I wound up making out with Lori. It was getting a little hot, and Lori used her better judgement despite my begging, and sent us home. Of course she told Tina and confirmed her already bad opinion of horsemen, and that ended that!
Dave and I rode our bikes to the beach one Sunday. After a day of fun in the sun we stopped for a soda and headed back to the stable. For some reason he was about 100 yards ahead of me as we crossed I95 on Atlantic ave. He was crossing the entrance ramp from the highway(riding with no hands no less!) and I could see a pickup truck rounding the ramp. I remember thinking "man I hope that guy sees Junior!" and then "OMFG he hit him!!" and then " I hope he doesn't come rolling from under the truck!". By the time I got up to him Junior was sitting on the curb in the fetal position screaming in pain, but, very lucky to be alive! The Jerk that hit him threw our bikes in the back and gave us a ride to the hospital. He gave Dave his address and promised to pay the bill and left us there. There were no broken bones or any major injuries, but, he had road rash from head to toe. All in all he was very lucky with the exception of getting stuck with the hospital bill which of course the guy never paid.
The grooms from Continental stable were mostly Swedish girls and they all lived in a dorm behind our barn. I was friends with a few of them and used to go hang out and watch tv and listen to their complaints about boyfriends and other barn drama. There was an American girl living in that dorm named "Georgia" who I thought was pretty hot. One night after a night of drinking at The Greenbrier and staggering back to the stable area Junior and I climbed the fence and we both fell over it. I couldn't sleep because the room was spinning, so I made the genius descision to go serenade Georgia. I forgot to get dressed and was outside her room doing my best version of the song "Georgia"(in the nude), but, got no response at all from her. The next morning I was up early, since we were swinging on 3, and Georgia came up to me shaking her finger in my face. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again I'll have you thrown out of here!" She had to remind me of what I had done since I was drawing a blank, but, then it all came back to me. I apologized profusely, and promised to never do it again...blah, blah, blah. Soon after that we were hanging out, going shopping and to the movies, and riding our bikes around. We were just friends, but, it was waaay better than having her hate me!
Throughout the winter there was a lot of racing action. Juniors mare "RD's Misty Rain" won a few heats, and I took care of a good mare named "Empress Express" who worked her way up through the classes and was a lot of fun to have. The highlight of the winter was helping John Haywood in the paddock with "Armbro Aussie" the night that "Cam Fella" was making his final appearance on the racetrack. Jimmie got the drive and he was nervous about the race. He called his brother John to ask him his thoughts on the race. John knew what every horse and driver would do just off the overnight sheet and advised Jimmy to be 2nd over and "do not be 3 wide in the last turn!". Jimmy drove exactly as John recommended and he missed by less than a nose to the great "Cam Fella"! That was a thrill to be a part of, one of many more to come in the future!....stay tuned
There was a fast food place across from the barn area called "Wuvs" where we would go and flirt with the 2 girls working there. I was working on a girl named "Tina" and he was chasing one named "Lori"(I think). We'd go over there at around closing time and try and get them to go out with us, usually with no success. Tina liked me but she had trust issues, especially with horsemen with their nomadic lifestyle. The black guy that worked there with them would try and teach us the "moonwalk" which would have been a great thing to have on tape! One night Tina invited me over to her trailer to watch a movie. Half way through it she makes the first move and the rest is history! Lori was having a party the next night and Junior and I were invited. I vividly remember Junior and I getting into the Jack&Coke, and him dancing on the tables and couches like Tom Cruise in "Risky Business". Tina had to leave early and Junior passed out, so I wound up making out with Lori. It was getting a little hot, and Lori used her better judgement despite my begging, and sent us home. Of course she told Tina and confirmed her already bad opinion of horsemen, and that ended that!
Dave and I rode our bikes to the beach one Sunday. After a day of fun in the sun we stopped for a soda and headed back to the stable. For some reason he was about 100 yards ahead of me as we crossed I95 on Atlantic ave. He was crossing the entrance ramp from the highway(riding with no hands no less!) and I could see a pickup truck rounding the ramp. I remember thinking "man I hope that guy sees Junior!" and then "OMFG he hit him!!" and then " I hope he doesn't come rolling from under the truck!". By the time I got up to him Junior was sitting on the curb in the fetal position screaming in pain, but, very lucky to be alive! The Jerk that hit him threw our bikes in the back and gave us a ride to the hospital. He gave Dave his address and promised to pay the bill and left us there. There were no broken bones or any major injuries, but, he had road rash from head to toe. All in all he was very lucky with the exception of getting stuck with the hospital bill which of course the guy never paid.
The grooms from Continental stable were mostly Swedish girls and they all lived in a dorm behind our barn. I was friends with a few of them and used to go hang out and watch tv and listen to their complaints about boyfriends and other barn drama. There was an American girl living in that dorm named "Georgia" who I thought was pretty hot. One night after a night of drinking at The Greenbrier and staggering back to the stable area Junior and I climbed the fence and we both fell over it. I couldn't sleep because the room was spinning, so I made the genius descision to go serenade Georgia. I forgot to get dressed and was outside her room doing my best version of the song "Georgia"(in the nude), but, got no response at all from her. The next morning I was up early, since we were swinging on 3, and Georgia came up to me shaking her finger in my face. "If you ever pull a stunt like that again I'll have you thrown out of here!" She had to remind me of what I had done since I was drawing a blank, but, then it all came back to me. I apologized profusely, and promised to never do it again...blah, blah, blah. Soon after that we were hanging out, going shopping and to the movies, and riding our bikes around. We were just friends, but, it was waaay better than having her hate me!
Throughout the winter there was a lot of racing action. Juniors mare "RD's Misty Rain" won a few heats, and I took care of a good mare named "Empress Express" who worked her way up through the classes and was a lot of fun to have. The highlight of the winter was helping John Haywood in the paddock with "Armbro Aussie" the night that "Cam Fella" was making his final appearance on the racetrack. Jimmie got the drive and he was nervous about the race. He called his brother John to ask him his thoughts on the race. John knew what every horse and driver would do just off the overnight sheet and advised Jimmy to be 2nd over and "do not be 3 wide in the last turn!". Jimmy drove exactly as John recommended and he missed by less than a nose to the great "Cam Fella"! That was a thrill to be a part of, one of many more to come in the future!....stay tuned
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Chapter 3..Fall of 83
I became friendly with Pete, the 2nd trainer, so he invited me to ride from Detroit to Lexington in his car rather than the back of the Brook Ledge truck. It was nice to have someone to talk to on the road, and not have horses blowing their noses all over me as I slept in the lawn chair in front of them. He was telling me about the drama in his life(that he created), and I already sort of knew the other side of the story since I'd already met his girlfriend in Syracuse. We pulled into Lexington and she was sitting in the front of the barn just giving him the evil eye! They say paybacks are a bitch, and she payed him back for his unfaithfulness right under his nose in Kentucky that fall. There was a Swedish playboy named Mickey that she used and abused under Peters nose just to make him jealous. I don't know how long she tortured Peter for before they finally worked it out, but, they wound up getting married and I think they are still together now.
Back in those days the grooms slept in front of the horses most of the time when they were on the road. We did in Lexington until the nights got too chilly, then we all bunked together in a tack room at the end of the barn. We had a motley bunch working there, and one guy in particular was extra crazy! His name was Bruce Mossy and I think he had been in Vietnam, but, who knows he was so full of BS. Anyway, there were beds all around the perimeter of the room and a bunch of us on the floor in sleeping bags one night when at about 2am the cops were knocking on the door with their billy clubs. Apparently, Bruce had been arguing with his wife on the pay phone(I think she was dumping him, can't figure out why!) and ripped a whole row of phones off the wall. I don't know if he was thrown in jail or not, but, I never remember seeing him again.
There truly is no place in racing like Lexington in the fall! Back then there were a lot of guys time trialling horses to try and improve the lifetime mark or just get a record on one for breeding purposes. That was fun to watch with Fred Bach and his thoroughbred prompters galloping with jog carts next to and behind the horse that was time trialling. The atmosphere is second to none, with all the great drivers, trainers, and horses going at it during the day, and then a non stop party after the work is done! Glen had a large RV as did many of the top trainers, and he had a little MG that he towed behind it. Some of his assistant trainers were given a Cadillac to drive, and everything was spotless...first class all the way!
It was also in Lexington that I met 2 people who are still my good friends to this day. Dave (Junior) Sabatelli and Jimmy Campbell. Dave was a groom there and we wound up sharing a room in Pompano that winter. Jimmy was Glens other assistant trainer who had been racing the horses in the Canadian operation during the summer. Junior and I would go the extra mile around the barn and the trainers all noticed that. Glen even started to like me after our less than smooth introduction in Detroit.
Meanwhile things for my friend John Hafford were not going so well. Glen sent him to Florida while we were still in Lexington to start breaking some colts. There was a $250,000 colt named Trident Almahurst that they were trying to get harnessed up for the first time. John, being scared of a horse was standing outside his stall with the longe line while a groom was fighting with the horse trying to get his girth on. The horse reared, Hafford yanked the line, and the horse wound up hanging over the stall gate by his stifles for quite a while until they could cut the gate down. That was the end of Johns career in the Garnsey Stable and I can't say I shed many tears over that!
Glen got me to drive his Caddy to Florida from Lexington, while another groom, Rob, drove the big RV. That was a fun trip; we had CB radios in the vehicles and made up funny handles and bs'd with the truckers on the drive down through.
We arrived at the South Florida Trotting Center and it was so freeking hot and muggy that it took me several days to acclimate! There were millions of mosquitoes, and the water stunk like sulfer..outside of that the place was great! The beer in the track kitchen was only 25 cents on Monday nights, so we used to have "chug a lug" contests. I'd win a few heats, then get too full and have to go vomit. After that I'd win the next few heats and so on...the walk back to the dorm was the hard part! After a few weeks at the Trotting Center, Jimmy and Glen decided to have me sent to Pompano to work under his shedrow. That's where I moved into the end of the barn with Junior and many memories were created that I'll write about tomorrow...
Back in those days the grooms slept in front of the horses most of the time when they were on the road. We did in Lexington until the nights got too chilly, then we all bunked together in a tack room at the end of the barn. We had a motley bunch working there, and one guy in particular was extra crazy! His name was Bruce Mossy and I think he had been in Vietnam, but, who knows he was so full of BS. Anyway, there were beds all around the perimeter of the room and a bunch of us on the floor in sleeping bags one night when at about 2am the cops were knocking on the door with their billy clubs. Apparently, Bruce had been arguing with his wife on the pay phone(I think she was dumping him, can't figure out why!) and ripped a whole row of phones off the wall. I don't know if he was thrown in jail or not, but, I never remember seeing him again.
There truly is no place in racing like Lexington in the fall! Back then there were a lot of guys time trialling horses to try and improve the lifetime mark or just get a record on one for breeding purposes. That was fun to watch with Fred Bach and his thoroughbred prompters galloping with jog carts next to and behind the horse that was time trialling. The atmosphere is second to none, with all the great drivers, trainers, and horses going at it during the day, and then a non stop party after the work is done! Glen had a large RV as did many of the top trainers, and he had a little MG that he towed behind it. Some of his assistant trainers were given a Cadillac to drive, and everything was spotless...first class all the way!
It was also in Lexington that I met 2 people who are still my good friends to this day. Dave (Junior) Sabatelli and Jimmy Campbell. Dave was a groom there and we wound up sharing a room in Pompano that winter. Jimmy was Glens other assistant trainer who had been racing the horses in the Canadian operation during the summer. Junior and I would go the extra mile around the barn and the trainers all noticed that. Glen even started to like me after our less than smooth introduction in Detroit.
Meanwhile things for my friend John Hafford were not going so well. Glen sent him to Florida while we were still in Lexington to start breaking some colts. There was a $250,000 colt named Trident Almahurst that they were trying to get harnessed up for the first time. John, being scared of a horse was standing outside his stall with the longe line while a groom was fighting with the horse trying to get his girth on. The horse reared, Hafford yanked the line, and the horse wound up hanging over the stall gate by his stifles for quite a while until they could cut the gate down. That was the end of Johns career in the Garnsey Stable and I can't say I shed many tears over that!
Glen got me to drive his Caddy to Florida from Lexington, while another groom, Rob, drove the big RV. That was a fun trip; we had CB radios in the vehicles and made up funny handles and bs'd with the truckers on the drive down through.
We arrived at the South Florida Trotting Center and it was so freeking hot and muggy that it took me several days to acclimate! There were millions of mosquitoes, and the water stunk like sulfer..outside of that the place was great! The beer in the track kitchen was only 25 cents on Monday nights, so we used to have "chug a lug" contests. I'd win a few heats, then get too full and have to go vomit. After that I'd win the next few heats and so on...the walk back to the dorm was the hard part! After a few weeks at the Trotting Center, Jimmy and Glen decided to have me sent to Pompano to work under his shedrow. That's where I moved into the end of the barn with Junior and many memories were created that I'll write about tomorrow...
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Chapter 2 continued.....
So after Jill and I graduated high school at Burr and Burton Seminary we moved to Saratoga Harness and into the dorm. We were best friends and roommates and were always respectful of each others privacy and could (and still do) confide in one another. We were 17 or 18 and the world was ours for the taking!! She got a job for Joe Danosky, but, I don't think it lasted long. I went over there with Kennys horses for a while, but, very quickly was hired by John Hafford who was the assistant for Glen Garnsey. We shipped out after a couple weeks for Syracuse, and Mom and Dad thought I should travel as light as possible. Mom sold my van and road bike, and I left Saratoga in the back of a Brookledge truck with just a bicycle, folding bed, and a foot locker. The Syracuse fairgrounds was a fun place to stable, and I saw my first concert there...Air Supply. My cousin says I took her to see Billy Idol at SPAC, but, I don't remember that...so Air Supply was my first concert. We were at Syracuse only a couple weeks and then the stable moved on to Vernon Downs. Vernon, NY had one stop light and 17 bars, and I tried them all on many occasions! The laundromat in town was right next to a bar, so we would start a load and then go for a beer. It's never just "A" beer, but, we flirted with the girl in the laundromat and got her to finish it for us. We'd be staggering back to the dorm at Vernon with perfectly folded laundry, and if we were lucky we wouldn't stumble and have it fall all over the ground. One night John Hafford had to leave Vernon and go race some stakes horses at Saratoga. His girlfriend Karen and the rest of us went out on the town in Vernon and had a great time dancing and shooting pool. Someone must have told him that I was after his girl because he made my life a living hell for the next month! He'd bring my horse back after a training trip and say " why is this horse on a line? You'd better get your mind off the booze and the broads or you'll be on the unemployment line!". Everyday he tortured me like that, but, I think they needed help too much so he kept me around. It was a great day when I got the word that I was leaving for Detroit with a few horses and would be hooking up with a different assisitant trainer...Peter Ruscuitto. The Brook Ledge truck pulled into DRC at 4:00am on a Sunday morning. I was the only person in the back with a few horses, and the truck was immediately surrounded by a pack of very unfriendly looking dogs! It took a few minutes, but, I befriended them and they allowed me to unload and start setting up. There was a horse in the barn next door that was still sweaty from racing Saturday night, and still had his pacing scalpers on his back feet! He had won the open pace and his trainer/driver got so excited that he forgot to completely undress the poor horse! The guys name was Ron Muntz I think, and he came from the Bea Farber school of thought which was horses want to be dirty, and a bath does them no good. Those horses could sit outside a nice shiny ones and race them right into the ground. That was an eye opener for me! I met some really cool people out there, and learned how to do "Upside down Kamikazis" and how to play "bank the 8" and "last pocket 8 ball". All very good things to know as you go through life! I also met Mr. Garnsey for the first time. He raced a horse and made his standard pull at the 3/8s and brush to the top move. The horse got tired and finished out of the money so when Glen brought him back I just casually said "got a little tired, huh?". He never uttered a word, just looked right through me with daggers in his eyes, hung up the lines and walked away. I almost had a heart attack right then and there! Lesson number one...speak when spoken to! In the next chapter I'll tell more stories about the very interesting crew and the fall in Lexington. Stay tuned!!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Chapter 2: The end of high school and Saratoga summer
I was always a hard worker and went over and above what was asked of me no matter what the pay was. When Dad and I worked together there was no pay, and that created a problem when I turned 16 and started driving. Actually, he did buy me my first car. It was a 1967, canary yellow, Dodge Dart convertible. The old man was inside the sellers house writing out the check for $750(if my memory is correct) while I focused on the more important job of getting the top down. I guess I could have asked the previous owner, but, it seemed simple enough. Anyway, the top was almost all the way tucked in when I heard an awful explosion! The back window was supposed to be zipped down first and since I didn't know that it had just disintegrated. I drove that car less than a year when I wanted to upgrade to something roomier. I found the coolest Dodge conversion van that had been all pimped out with big fat tires and a racing engine. It was loud and fast and would pass anything but a gas station!! My friends gave it the nickname of the "ASM", which stood for "Awesome Sex Machine" which it may have been for them, but, not so much for me;( The point is that to support my van and insurance, and the rest of my unbelievable social life I had to have a job that actually paid. That's when my buddy Ken Palmer hired me to take care of his 5 horses while he started a horse shoeing business. I worked for him my Senior year on the co op program. I attended school half a day and then went to work. Kenny trained for his father and grandfather and didn't charge them much more than his expenses. I started out at $70.00 per week and then after a while I got a raise to $90.00. I know that sounds like a lot of money, I though so too! An old timer named Leo LaPage went to the Ohio sale and bought a mare named Warringtons Queen and asked Kenny to get her ready to race. One day we were heading out of the barn to train a trip and she spotted Ken down the path on his way to the track with another horse. In her haste to catch up she forgot about me and I was more or less water skiing behind her on the ice before I fell and was dragged and finally cut the biotch loose! She galloped from the fairgrounds into the town of Manchester, headed down route 7 toward the Village and we finally caught her in a housing development. The jog cart was still attached and she didn't have a scratch on her! I also remember Kenny and I standing up in the jog cart seats while jogging because there had been a picture of Herve Filion doing it with Hot Hitter after winning the Little Brown Jug. We somehow managed to do that without getting killed! We had an old Australian horse named Beau Chief A who was so lame with sesamoiditis that I used to just take him into the creek and wade with him for a while after he raced. He was so tough that he hardly ever missed the board! I liked him so much that one day Kenny had to ship him out to Vernon to race and I had to get the barn work done. I rushed through the work and picked up my best friend Jill with my moms Chrysler New Yorker, and we absolutely flew out through Albany and the NY Thruway in time to make the post parade. He won, we got our picture taken, and we left. Probably spent 15 minutes there in total, but, it was worth it! Tomorrow I will continue this chapter and write about the Garnsey Stable and moving away from home.
I was always a hard worker and went over and above what was asked of me no matter what the pay was. When Dad and I worked together there was no pay, and that created a problem when I turned 16 and started driving. Actually, he did buy me my first car. It was a 1967, canary yellow, Dodge Dart convertible. The old man was inside the sellers house writing out the check for $750(if my memory is correct) while I focused on the more important job of getting the top down. I guess I could have asked the previous owner, but, it seemed simple enough. Anyway, the top was almost all the way tucked in when I heard an awful explosion! The back window was supposed to be zipped down first and since I didn't know that it had just disintegrated. I drove that car less than a year when I wanted to upgrade to something roomier. I found the coolest Dodge conversion van that had been all pimped out with big fat tires and a racing engine. It was loud and fast and would pass anything but a gas station!! My friends gave it the nickname of the "ASM", which stood for "Awesome Sex Machine" which it may have been for them, but, not so much for me;( The point is that to support my van and insurance, and the rest of my unbelievable social life I had to have a job that actually paid. That's when my buddy Ken Palmer hired me to take care of his 5 horses while he started a horse shoeing business. I worked for him my Senior year on the co op program. I attended school half a day and then went to work. Kenny trained for his father and grandfather and didn't charge them much more than his expenses. I started out at $70.00 per week and then after a while I got a raise to $90.00. I know that sounds like a lot of money, I though so too! An old timer named Leo LaPage went to the Ohio sale and bought a mare named Warringtons Queen and asked Kenny to get her ready to race. One day we were heading out of the barn to train a trip and she spotted Ken down the path on his way to the track with another horse. In her haste to catch up she forgot about me and I was more or less water skiing behind her on the ice before I fell and was dragged and finally cut the biotch loose! She galloped from the fairgrounds into the town of Manchester, headed down route 7 toward the Village and we finally caught her in a housing development. The jog cart was still attached and she didn't have a scratch on her! I also remember Kenny and I standing up in the jog cart seats while jogging because there had been a picture of Herve Filion doing it with Hot Hitter after winning the Little Brown Jug. We somehow managed to do that without getting killed! We had an old Australian horse named Beau Chief A who was so lame with sesamoiditis that I used to just take him into the creek and wade with him for a while after he raced. He was so tough that he hardly ever missed the board! I liked him so much that one day Kenny had to ship him out to Vernon to race and I had to get the barn work done. I rushed through the work and picked up my best friend Jill with my moms Chrysler New Yorker, and we absolutely flew out through Albany and the NY Thruway in time to make the post parade. He won, we got our picture taken, and we left. Probably spent 15 minutes there in total, but, it was worth it! Tomorrow I will continue this chapter and write about the Garnsey Stable and moving away from home.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Introduction to the author
Chapter 1: The Early Years
Hi, my Name is Randy Taft and I have an addiction! Since I was 10 years old there has never been a day that I wasn't somehow involved in the "standardbred" or "harness horse" racing business. I was born in Vermont,and my dad Norm held a full time job as well as having one or two race horses on the side. We stabled them at the Fairgrounds in Manchester, and I met him there every day after school, Saturdays, Sundays, and during all school vacations. Since there was no racetrack right in Manchester we had to ship out of state to race. We started in Hinsdale, NH, and then upgraded the stock a bit , and started racing at Saratoga Harness. Dad bought an evil little trotting filly named "Pomps Wee Bairn" for $1,000 in the mid to late 70'S and we had a blast with her. She had a reputation(well deserved I might add) for destroying jog carts and injuring people while they tried to work her. Stabled next to us was Ed Hayes, and his right hand man at the time was a guy they called "Trottin Bob". Well Bob helped the old man get her head in the right direction, and as it turned out she was great gaited and pretty fast for that point in time.
When "Pomps Wee Bairn""(Bear)" turned 3 she was eligible to the NY county fair stakes so we hit the road. Some of those fairs were a 4 or 5 hour drive, so Dad would wake me up at 3 or 4am and off we'd go! Well "Bear" learned her lessons well in those fair races going 2 heats a day and turned into a real solid racehorse for Pop. He could tell you to the penny how much she made, but, I know she was pretty successful and graduated to Saratoga Harness. To make a long story short she turned into a nice earner in the winners over classes, but, wasn't quite open class stock. She did create a love for the sport in me and Pop that still lives to this day. Dad drove in most of her races, so it was always nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. If he drove bad in the race I'd be mad all the way home so he used to feed me beer and potato chips all the way home to shut me up. If he drove her well and I was happy we drank beer and ate chips to celebrate! Anyway, I knew at that age (13 or 14) where I was headed in life for better or worse. Going through high school I gave up sports after my freshman year because I didn't have time to practice.(plus, I sucked) I worked for dad and then my buddy Kenny Palmer my Senior year and left Vermont for good right after graduation.
Hi, my Name is Randy Taft and I have an addiction! Since I was 10 years old there has never been a day that I wasn't somehow involved in the "standardbred" or "harness horse" racing business. I was born in Vermont,and my dad Norm held a full time job as well as having one or two race horses on the side. We stabled them at the Fairgrounds in Manchester, and I met him there every day after school, Saturdays, Sundays, and during all school vacations. Since there was no racetrack right in Manchester we had to ship out of state to race. We started in Hinsdale, NH, and then upgraded the stock a bit , and started racing at Saratoga Harness. Dad bought an evil little trotting filly named "Pomps Wee Bairn" for $1,000 in the mid to late 70'S and we had a blast with her. She had a reputation(well deserved I might add) for destroying jog carts and injuring people while they tried to work her. Stabled next to us was Ed Hayes, and his right hand man at the time was a guy they called "Trottin Bob". Well Bob helped the old man get her head in the right direction, and as it turned out she was great gaited and pretty fast for that point in time.
When "Pomps Wee Bairn""(Bear)" turned 3 she was eligible to the NY county fair stakes so we hit the road. Some of those fairs were a 4 or 5 hour drive, so Dad would wake me up at 3 or 4am and off we'd go! Well "Bear" learned her lessons well in those fair races going 2 heats a day and turned into a real solid racehorse for Pop. He could tell you to the penny how much she made, but, I know she was pretty successful and graduated to Saratoga Harness. To make a long story short she turned into a nice earner in the winners over classes, but, wasn't quite open class stock. She did create a love for the sport in me and Pop that still lives to this day. Dad drove in most of her races, so it was always nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. If he drove bad in the race I'd be mad all the way home so he used to feed me beer and potato chips all the way home to shut me up. If he drove her well and I was happy we drank beer and ate chips to celebrate! Anyway, I knew at that age (13 or 14) where I was headed in life for better or worse. Going through high school I gave up sports after my freshman year because I didn't have time to practice.(plus, I sucked) I worked for dad and then my buddy Kenny Palmer my Senior year and left Vermont for good right after graduation.
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