Some Light Reading

[richiebee]

WARNING: THIS POST HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE 2013 KENTUCKY DERBY
(and as Covel might say, \"Its Richiebee. What else is new?\")

Today\'s Staten Island Advance⁽¹⁾ reports that former former NY
horseman Frank Pagano, Sr. has published a book titled \"My Buddy, King of the
Hill.\"

The \"Buddy\" in this case is Buddy Jacobson, the late father of current top NYRA
trainer David Jacobson. For those too young to know (or too old to remember),
Buddy Jacobson was a leading trainer on the NYRA circuit during the 1960s and
1970s. His results were sometimes astonishing, and maybe Buddy was the first of
the move up trainers. Buddy was also controversial in that he tried to improve
the lot of the downtrodden backstretch workers, as I recall even going as far as
trying to unionize them. This put Buddy in poor standing with the elitists who
controlled NYRA at the time, and Buddy found himself on the outside looking in.

Buddy Jacobson probably became better known for being convicted of murder in 1980,
after his much younger model girlfriend, Melanie Cain, became involved with a
younger man, Jack Tupper. Mr. Tupper left his Upper East Side apartment one day,
and was found, dead, in a burning crate in an abandoned lot in the South Bronx.
This was the 1970s, and both fires and abandoned lots were rather prevalent in the
South Bronx.

Buddy Jacobson was arrested for the murder of Jack Tupper. Before they could bring
Jacobson to trial, he escaped from the Brooklyn House of Detention and spent a few
months on the lam. Returned to NY for trial and convicted, Buddy Jacobson died in
prison at the age of 58.

Apparently Mr. Pagano was very close with Buddy Jacobson, and contends in his book
that Buddy Jacobson was framed, that Mr. Tupper had organized crime/drug
connections which led to his demise.⁽²⁾

According to the Advance, Mr. Pagano now lives in the south of France. He
is currently collaborating with Jean Cruguet on a biography called \"My Ride to the
Triple Crown\".

After reading the Advance article, I cynically had one thought: If Mr.
Pagano wrote a book claiming that Buddy Jacobson was framed, it is quite possible
that Cruguet\'s biography will contend that Seattle Slew was a moderately talented
colt who benefited from being paired with a superior rider.

------------
⁽¹⁾ The Advance used to cover racing extensively. The story I
have heard is that they got tired of the racing writer\'s bookmaker and shylock
hanging around the building.

⁽²⁾ There is a New York Magazine article from September 11, 1978,
written by Anthony Haden Guest, which covers the Tupper murder/ Jacobson trial in
detail.

[Fairmount1]

Did you attend Washington University richiebee?  Just curious based on a previous post.

[richiebee]

Fairmount:

I was enrolled at Wash U and Wash U Law School between 1973 - 1980. I majored in
Political Science and minored in Fairmount and Cahokia.

[Fairmount1]

The \"old\" guys that I enjoy listening to every Saturday afternoon during simulcasting that tell me about \"Cahokia Downs,\" a bull ring track allegedly, have the best stories from that place.  Sounds like you took David Gall Closers 101 and maybe a little Owen Rainwater 2yo\'s classes.

I was born in the midst of your Southern Illinois racing adventures.  I have a similar education story for a 7 years stretch at the WashU\'s rival in Midtown although WashU would never consider it a rival in undergrad or law school....

I guess you actually heard Dave Johnson call races live at Fairmount/Cahokia I assume?  Or was Durkin learning the ropes when you were following?

I\'d love to meet you one day if you would ever get out of Living Room Downs.  I remember a post about Fairmount Park visit you made not so long ago (last year?) but I was just lurking at the time.

[toppled]

Years ago the NY Post (I think it was Ray Kerrison) wrote a series of articles about Buddy Jacobson with the same conclusion, that Tupper was murdered for his mob connections & that Buddy Jacobson was innocent.  It was very credible & there\'s at least a 50-50 chance he was innocent.