"It's in the blood." That's what a horseman once told me when I asked how he got started training race horses. I knew exactly what he meant because it's in my blood too. Now, I don't train horses but my interest and enthusiasm for them is certainly far beyond the norm.
People often find that mystifying when they learn of this strong interest of mine. "I wouldn't have expected that you'd be into horse racing,"they frequently say. People make assumptions, don't they? I think, too, that many of their assumptions about horse racing are wrapped up in stereotypical beliefs and the tab ops of gambling. For many folks, you can't be interested in race horses, unless you gamble on them. Not so. But then, I do bet a few bucks from time to time.
"If there were no betting on horse races, I'd still watch them," I tell them. I don't really think they believe me, but it's really true. My interest in horse racing and thoroughbred breeding began early in my life well before the days of modern communication when I followed the local racing scent in Los Angeles through a once a week TV program and of course the daily newspapers we all read. Papers...plural...is correct because about 60 years ago there were morning and afternoon papers and sometimes even a "Final Edition" late in the day.
I knew my grandfather liked t play the ponies. But he lived 3000 miles away and was more interested in trotters and pacers rather than flat running thoroughbreds. New York, his home had more than a few standard bred tracks only a bus ride away. think when he visited and stayed with my family for about a month when I was 13, he found his way to Santa Anita or Hollywood Park a few times.
As a 10 year old, I began to follow the Southern California racing scene via the Saturday "Race of the Week'' broadcast on the local CBS channel. My dad and I would watch together as the horses were introduced, some background given and then the race and post race coverage would follow. We'd make our picks and then revel in our genius, or wallow in our disappointment, We saw such local greats as Native Diver, TV Lark, The Axe II, and Round Table. I knew the jockeys by name because among that colony were such icons as Bill Shoemaker, Laffit Pincay, and Johnnie Longden. Of course the legendary race caller, Harry Henderson, was very much in evidence too.
In the summertime, I'd wait for the afternoon newspaper to arrive and go immediately to the Sports section to see the race results from the previous day and then look at the entries and handicapper's selections for the next day. It was great fun, cost nothing, and gave me something to look forward to. Sure I was a bit more involved in major league baseball scores and college sports, but following the races was often just as joyful.
As I reflect back on my love affair with horse racing, I recall something from the 10 year-old days of my life. In our living room, we had an oval, sort of brown woven rug. It sat in the middle of the living room floor and I occupied the center of that run while watching TV with my family. In those days (late 1950s) the family TV was a piece of furniture. It was often encased in wood with double doors to shut out the screen when desired. That rug became a race track on which to re-create memorable races I'd seen. I had a small stash of plastic cowboy vs. Indians, complete with their plastic horses. Most kids growing up in that era had them. I'd long eschewed the people and just played with the horses. The rug made the perfect racing surface. That oval was home to my recreations of the Kentucky Derby and other big events. I'd line up between 10-20 horses and then with the roll of a pair of dice the horses would one at a time make their way around the oval. Stir of a horse race in slow motion. But...it provided some thrilling finishes and gave me the opportunity to become the announcer. My little track on a rug was much more fun than any of those spin a wheel paper horse racing board games available at the time.
At age 15, I was invited to accompany a neighborhood family on their trip to Del Mar, the beautiful oceanside track near San Diego. My mom gave me a few dollars to which I added about 4 or 5 others I'd saved. My friend's father placed a bet for me on the first horse race I ever witnessed in person. $2. to win on a horse called Never Happen. He won; I got a huge adrenalin rush, and haven't been the same ever since.
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