Racing at Mth

[Josephus]

Made the trip down to this beautiful track by the shore, but the racing is a different story...There\'s the bell..the gate opens , race over...if your not on the lead by the time the horses pass the first timer, forget it, dirt or turf.  I was standing next to the Lawyer Ron connections during the race, they were dumbfounded that LR couldn\'t run him down.  I passed the race, figuring JV would ride too confidently and the race would be crapshoot

[marcus]

Mth was the first Race Track I ever went to for Racing - it was an unforgettable experience and probably is  my favorite track in the region - though I\'ve never been to Saratoga .

It sure is tough at Mth when they are more than 3 1/2 back coming into the top stretch - maybe better if 4 wide than 4 back . The surface looks to me like it favors late running styles a bit more when it\'s \"good\" or drying out  .

And it\'s so humid , I\'ve seen more Horses Bleed right through they\'re Lasix or Bute at Mth than in NY  . It\'s chalky alright but IMO - it\'s not a bad pattern or sheets track , but it really would be nice if they had wager taking vendors with portable bars coming right to your seat in the stands   ...

[Boscar Obarra]

I had a religious experience  at MTH.

  I rarely put my brains and my balls together at the same time in my many years of playing , but somehow, I managed that feat many years ago at MTH. Late 70\'s early  80s, I forget now.

  I\'d rented a basment apt in town to play the meet that year.

  Just came to me the night before that it was a two horse race in the 10th , and I had a horse or two for  a suck up third in mind.

  10th race.

  Played a few exactas, did a 1/2/all 2/1/all and for some reason bought one triple combo an extra 10 times. Really out of character , don\'t know what possessed me. And the 3 slot was a 35-1. Invested 120 or so , which was a decent bet in for me in those days.

    The keys ran 1 /2 with lots of daylight, and the 35-1 gets up for 3rd by a nose.

    All me.  Payed something like 2300 even with my 11 tickets which I held on to for a while and eventually got a check for.

   Yeah, MTH is a nice track.

[Bally Ache]

Racing at Mth (not Math)

There was an old trainer, who most of you guys never heard of or wouldn\'t remember, so I won\'t even mention his name, who said; \"Saratoga is for people who don\'t know about Monmouth Park\".

[richiebee]

While I am certain California beaches and New Jersey beaches are not comparable
(Robert Duvall had something to say about this in Apocalypse Now), if you
continue driving about 10 minutes past Mth on Rte 36, you will come to the
Atlantic Ocean and a fairly clean beach at Seven Presidents Park. Not quite as
captivating a surf and turf scenario as is found at DelMar or Frankstream Park,
but I guess about the best we have here in the Northeast.

In the early 1980s, the ocean could be seen from the third floor of the
grandstand. Alas a quarter of century of tree growth and you can no longer see
the surf from your grandstand seat.

Also in the early 80s, Tuesday racing was an event at MTH as it was a dark day
at NYRA and many NY horseplayers made the trip south. A lot of stake races,
like the Salvator Mile, were carded on Tuesdays. Two of the top MTH trainers at
the time were Harry Wells (Colonial Farm) and Tony Bardaro (Bright View Farm).

In 1985, I was a low percentage low volume trainer who had a decent run of luck
at Keystone Park over the winter/ spring. (I had a \"good\" vet who was later
indicted). I put in for 5 stalls at Mth and was shocked when I was granted
them. It turns out that Robert Kulina employed me as a buffer of sorts-- my
stalls separated two trainers, Bill Cunningham and the late Virgil \"Buddy\"
Raines, who couldn\'t stand the sight of each other yet insisted on being
stabled in the same barn each summer.

\"Buddy\" (we called him \"Pop\" around the barn) was a little tough on me. He was
in his late 70s at the time. I would guess he was at work each morning by about
4:30 AM. When I would amble in, usually between 5:30 and 6:00, he would always
make a point of looking at his watch and shaking his head in disgust.

[miff]

Tricky Rickey, Pletcher and Levine taking all the cash back to NY with their second and third stringers being just too much for the usual Jersey garbage pails.


Mike

[alm]

Why do you suppose your boys aren\'t taking the cash at Delaware, where the purses are generally larger?

[miff]

Alm,

If you are suggesting that drugs are being used at Monmouth and not at Delaware, it\'s more the opposite. The ship is much easier to NJ also, and all 3 trainers have stables there,I believe.It mainly goes to the inferior horses that normally run in NJ vs NY on the whole.


Mike

[jma11473]

Pletcher did just fine last year at Delaware, 25% or 30% winners. This year he applied for stalls and they \"never got back to him\". He was quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was mystified why they weren\'t interested in giving him stalls.

[bobphilo]

marcus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And it\'s so humid , I\'ve seen more Horses Bleed
> right through they\'re Lasix or Bute at Mth than in
> NY  .

Bute, like aspirin and other NSAIDS is a blood thinner and, if anything, actually CAUSES bleeding. As for Lasix, studies have shown it is of dubious value in preventing bleeding and its performance enhancing effects are likely due to its ability to mask other drugs.

You might however have a point about the effect of high humidity on bleeding, Marcus, though I haven\'t seen any data on this one way or the other. It would make for an interesting study. I know there is some correlation with bleeding and air pollution.

Bob

[marcus]

Bob - Good to see your health is back on track , perhaps with  no world cup matches this year , the NCAA CWS might be worth taking in to augment your convalescence !  

With Bute actually increasing chances for bleeding or hemorrhage , and I\'m not a Vet , how prudent can be the use of both Lasix and Bute at the same time .

Also , imo - the 1st time Lasix angle isn\'t as  viable at Mth as it is at other tracks - I\'ve always considered the close proximity to the ocean as a contributing factor for the very humid conditions , I\'d be curious if DMR has similar trends or nuances . A study would be great  ...

[bobphilo]

Marcus, thank you my friend, I greatly appreciate your concern for me health-wise and I\'m always glad when my health permits me to contribute to the discussions here. As far as the related issue of the horses\'s health, it is indeed a shame how Bute and Lasix work at cross purposes and and can think of no better argument for restricting horses to oats, hay and water.

Bob

[spa]

Fellas, I\'ve been on Bute and Lasix for 25 years...............

[marcus]

So it\'s working out for you spa - maybe it could be stepped up with some of  Dr Jameson\'s instant breakfast drink . The one time I did mix whiskey and coffee before going to the track for a contest , a horse winked at me in the post parade and then won paying $18.00 - but unfortunately I didn\'t bet him  ...

 I\'ve always had the impression that a race horse under a Doctors care should be  a positive sign for everyone concerned , I guess my view is somewhere between spa and Bob\'s .

Many on this board have much more practical sense and experience than I on the medication issues . Richiebee for one trained horses at Mth - and no one here is checking to see when he gets in - but maybe when he does , \"bee might have have some observations about the humid conditions at Mth  ...

[spa]

Hot and humid conditions do affect chronic bleeders.