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...
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