I thoroughly enjoyed reading about my fellow horseman, Archie McNeil, from back in the day, 1970, to be exact. Archie and I were stabled at the satellite training center for Maywood Park. Archie had some nice horses; mine were mostly low-level claimers. Engare was a muscular chestnut gelding with a broached mane. I bought him for $300 just before I shipped from Northfield Park. The training center’s track finishes slightly uphill, and I trained him faster than he’d have to go in a $2,000 claimer (purse $2,200). Those were the halcyon days of harness racing!

Being an excited young man of 22 years old, I bragged to Archie that “Engare” would win from the 8-hole on the front end (those who raced at Maywood knew how quick it was to the first turn). So he bet me $10. Engare won going away, and he paid $69.00 to win. When I saw Archie the next day, he thanked me since he used the $10 to bet, figuring he couldn’t lose. We had a wonderful laugh about it.

Sadly, like Archie, I also had to give up my dreams. Although I was a very talented driver while earning my license, as told to me by the presiding judges at the Jackson (Michigan) race track — great hands, awareness of the unfolding race, keeping a horse alive, and so on. Getting catch drives was like a root canal without Novocaine. A few years later, Bob Zimmerman (Song Cycle) said the same to me after winning a race at Washington Park. After his compliment, I asked to drive any of his horses; I’d do it for free. I wanted and needed the exposure, but his reply was ‘NO.’ “Why? I asked. ‘Because you don’t have enough experience.’ “Huh?” I replied. “How is a guy like me ever going to get enough expertise if a man of your caliber won’t at least give me a chance to prove myself?” ‘Catch 22,’ he said. Soon after that painful lesson, I listed the pros and cons of my “future” in harness racing. Pros: family dynasties (nepobabies), successful. Cons: Independent stables, broke and struggling.

Fortunately, my aunt’s husband worked for the U.S.’s largest wire and cable distributor. I started at the bottom, a warehouse “grunt” at $3/hr. There, I learned everything about electrical and electronic wire and cable types, moved into sales, and eventually started my own successful value-added manufacturing company. I’ve retired, and two of my three sons are now running the operation. Kudos to you, Archie, with your family and other happy pursuits.

As my dad used to say, if life hands you a lemon, squeeze it and make lemonade.

Retirement is great, and although I live in Chicagoland, where harness racing is all but “dead,” I still can watch it and, yes, bet thanks to TVG online. I hear the call to post. Keep those articles coming, Mr. Brown.

Marc Abramson / Buffalo Grove, IL

Time to fix boring races

I am tired of watching boring races where the first quarter is quick and second quarter is slow. Every race is the same. Just once I would love to see someone from the back move early.

There is no strategy, except do the same thing every race. I think one way to stop this problem is to force drivers to drive. How do you do this? Put in a lighted pole at the three-eighths. If no one moves off the rail from the back when the lead horse hits the pole, then the last four or five drivers are fined for not getting off the rail. The money can go into purses or charity.

The rule would have to be tweaked depending on the field size. Ten-horse field – trailing six drivers fined; nine-horse field – last five drivers fined; eight-horse field – last four drivers fined etc.

The other issue that needs to be fixed is odds tanking on a horse at the last minute. I can’t believe I see a horse go from even money to 1-5 at the last second. There has to be a way that you can lock in odds on a horse up to five minutes before post. Sports betting can do this. Tracks are playing a dangerous game letting syndicates run the show. If they leave, tracks will close immediately.

The only way to build up customers is to not tick them off with rapid odds drops at the last second.

Time to shake things up!

Mike Kozuchowski / Elmhurst, IL