Heart of a Mohawk superfan
“SPiN to Win” Sean Patrick Nolan at the Breeders Crown.
by Melissa Keith
It’s a well-known refrain: North American harness racing audiences and handle aren’t what they used to be. Even marquee events like the Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park battle for attention, particularly with the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series run and the NHL season underway. What brings fans and bettors, ideally fans who bet, to the track today?
Sean Patrick Nolan offers clues on how to tackle that question. Well known on harness racing Twitter (X) by his nicknames “The Mayor” and “SPiN to Win,” Nolan is a Boston, MA, bettor and public handicapper with an affinity for Woodbine Mohawk Park and Woodbine Racetrack. On Friday (Oct. 24) evening, he stood along the Mohawk fence for the Breeders Crown 2-year-old finals, eyeing up a post parade.
“I flew into Buffalo and drove up the two hours, and I’m thrilled to be here,” he said.
Has anyone ever interviewed this dedicated horseplayer before?
“No,” said Nolan, adding that his lifelong interest began at Suffolk Downs (1935-2019), which survives today as an East Boston, MA, simulcast outlet. “I’m honored that you are the first person to do so.
“My dad used to go from Cambridge, Mass. He would take the subway every weekend to Suffolk Downs, and he fell in love with them right away. I’ve been at the track ever since I was barely walking. I’m 51 now, and ever since I was a little baby, I can always remember going to the track.”
While Suffolk Downs is best known as a thoroughbred venue, it also conducted a fall harness racing meet from 1959 through 1970. Nolan was born after standardbred racing ceased at Suffolk, but he said that he soon discovered the sport at other Massachusetts tracks.
“We had Plainridge [1999-present] and Foxboro [1947-1997, under various names] that had the standardbreds, so I saw them too, and that was exciting,” Noland said. “Both breeds to me are absolutely fascinating. The animals are fascinating and I just love it.”
Asked about his early favorite horse, Nolan responded with a regional celebrity.
“Being from New England, Morning Fantasy [p, 4, 1:57.1f; $167,580],” he said. “She was fantastic. She was owned by Gary Piontkowski, who used to own Plainridge and Foxboro.”
The daughter of Morning Breeze—Triple H Conna was bred by Roger Slobody of West Brookfield, MA, and won an impressive 49 of 117 career starts, racing mainly in Foxboro distaff preferreds, opens, and invitationals. Her final race was Nov. 6, 1995, a place finish in the filly and mare preferred handicap for trainer/driver Wendell Donaway.
Nolan said he started following certain drivers at the dawn of the simulcast era.
“I used to like Jackie Mo [Moiseyev], John Campbell, and I loved Cat Manzi, with his blue-and-white colors,” Nolan said. “Manzi was the one who really got me into [harness racing], and the Minister of Speed, George Brennan. Really, The Meadowlands was the one track that really got me hooked on it, Rockin’ Ronnie Pierce and all of them. They were kind of my inspirations growing up, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Making the trip to Campbellville for the Breeders Crown showed Nolan’s recent preference for the Ontario track. Contrary to appearances, he is not employed in the racing industry. Nolan said he works in revenue management for Hertz Car Rental, but added that he regularly fields the same question: “What track do you work at?”
The Massachusetts-based handicapper said the confusion was understandable. He’s a numbers guy who loves nothing more than a day or night at the races.
“I mean, I do a lot of picks, I do podcasts, and people naturally think, ‘He works in horse racing,’” Nolan said. “I’m a bettor, and [former senior vice president of standardbred and thoroughbred racing at Woodbine Entertainment] Jessica Buckley, when she was here, really got me into the Mohawk thing.
“She said, ‘SPiN, come over and check out everything,’ and I loved it! I’ve been hooked ever since.” Buckley, who left Woodbine Entertainment in 2022, was also president of Woodbine Mohawk Park during the years of its renovation to a year-round racing facility.
Superfan Nolan told HRU that he feels welcomed into the Mohawk racing community.
“I feel like a part of the colony, I really do,” he said. “I’ve gotten to know Bob McClure and some of the drivers through Jessica Buckley and then Mark McKelvie [current senior manager of communications for Woodbine Entertainment], who brought me over. Then all the [former racing analysts], Monique [Vág], Chad [Rozema], and Porty [Jason Portuondo] had me on the [simulcast] shows. A real relationship developed there.”
Also, a Woodbine thoroughbred handicapper and player, Nolan said he’s honored to count Horseplayers Journal author Garnet Barnsdale and simulcast host Randy Waples among his friends on the standardbred side. Nolan›s handicapping selections regularly appear in statistician Gabe Di Paolo’s @noahurstats Woodbine Mohawk Park tables on Twitter/X.
Last Friday night, the visiting superfan said the Breeders Crown 2-year-old colt and gelding pace featured his lock of the card.
“Beau Jangles and Bob McClure, definitely,” he said. “I think this horse could just be an absolute monster. I’m also really excited to see [3-year-old filly pace finalist] Miki And Minnie [on Saturday night]… If those two win, I’ll have a really, really good Breeders Crown.”
After Beau Jangles’ decisive Breeders Crown victory, Nolan said he thought the undefeated colt would transcend boundaries in divisional year-end voting for the Dan Patch Awards.
“Beau Jangles actually had another gear at the end,” he said. “Somebeachsomewhere won 2-year-old male pacer of the year [in 2007] and he never raced in the United States [that season]… The best Americans came up to race [Beau Jangles], so I think he’s deserving of it.”
Always optimistic, Nolan stands out as a believer in harness racing’s entertainment value, one who puts his money where his social media posts are.
“It’s a wonderful sport, and I think sometimes it’s not publicized enough, so people don’t have the knowledge of just how exciting it can be,” he said. “If you just go one or two nights, you could be instantly hooked [as a fan], like I was. That’s why I try to promote this sport as much as I can, because it’s just as good as thoroughbreds, and just as exciting.”
Nolan said that greater fan engagement by drivers could help drive interest in the sport locally.
“The jockeys walk through the crowd at Saratoga and they sign autographs all the time,” Nolan said. “The general public does not know the drivers like that… It has to be a little bit more interactive, I think… If the public knew the drivers’ personas more, it would be huge for harness racing.”
Nolan was in the Woodbine Racetrack winner’s circle Saturday (Oct. 25) afternoon, alongside the connections of Eternal Search Stakes winner Little Teddy.
“My good friend, [trainer] Santino Di Paola won the race, so I was pretty psyched,” he said.
Then it was back to Mohawk for the Breeders Crown 3-year-old and open finals Saturday night, always keeping in mind Garnet Barnsdale’s half-joking advice to avoid the word “run” at the harness track.
With political tensions between the USA and Canada flaring in recent news, Nolan said he is “a little half and half” because of his friendships on both sides of the border and his appreciation for Canadian racing.
“I celebrate two Thanksgivings, which is great,” he said with a warm smile. “When I get up here, I just think about racing and my racing family. If they love horse racing, I’m with them.”
