Ha! Ha! Your killing me Blue. Of course sitting in those seats that have now been removed by the wrecking crew, many times after losing a tight photo or just having a miserable day i would say to myself i wish this place would get hit by a tornado with me in it.
Arlington memories
- Thread starter blueline
- Start date
I remember those doors. Sometimes had to use both arms to get them to open.
A couple of photos up where you can still see the seats....3 sections from the right/east end of the grandstand in the last row was where Johnny Morris and Gene Siskel would hang out
A couple of photos up where you can still see the seats....3 sections from the right/east end of the grandstand in the last row was where Johnny Morris and Gene Siskel would hang out
exactly...as time goes along more and more things are disappearing from my life.....actually seeing the pictures bothers me a little more than I thought it would
I remember those heavy doors, too.
ROCKFISH, BLUELINE and I share some of the same memories.
Hawthorne Race Course was my least favorite racetrack on the Chicago circuit.
Too bad it's the last one standing.
Johnny Morris loved playing the horses. Was there everyday of the Arlington meet. Great looking guy too even as he aged. He is twenty years older than me. When he was 75 he looked much better than me at 55.
Johnny Morris was telegenic.
Do you remember Jeannie Morris, ROCK?
She did not age as well as Johnny.
Jeannie was on the Channel 2 payroll, too.
Johnny lost Jeannie three years ago at the age of 85.
Johnny is still kicking at age 87.
Do you remember Jeannie Morris, ROCK?
She did not age as well as Johnny.
Jeannie was on the Channel 2 payroll, too.
Johnny lost Jeannie three years ago at the age of 85.
Johnny is still kicking at age 87.
Yes. Jeannie And Johnny were divorced for some time. i saw Johnny interviewed a few years ago when Jeannie died and he said she was the love of his life.
You know, i never heard anything about Johnny whether he was a player with the ladies or not. Never heard anything either way.
Yes, that one he was pretty drunk. There were other ones where he was definitely tipsy.
I know you guys are a bit younger than me.
If you remember old Hawthorne the race secretary's office was located on the far east end of the grandstand. if you were in the clubhouse and wanted to go get entry sheets for races in two days it was like a mile walk.
If you remember old Hawthorne the race secretary's office was located on the far east end of the grandstand. if you were in the clubhouse and wanted to go get entry sheets for races in two days it was like a mile walk.
I don't have memories of the racing secretary's office at Hawthorne.
But I do remember the racing secretary's office at Sportsman's Park.
It was great to watch a race on the one television there because you could hear some horsemen offer their commentary before, during or after a race.
Also with old Hawthorne before it burned down. They did not sweep up the floor during the races, they waited until the races were over.
On a Saturday harness card when you walked the bottom floor grandstand after the last race you walked through tons of garbage. Race programs, newspapers, losing tickets, beer and soda cups, food containers, and empty pint glass bottles of hard liquor littered the floor. Fun Times!
On a Saturday harness card when you walked the bottom floor grandstand after the last race you walked through tons of garbage. Race programs, newspapers, losing tickets, beer and soda cups, food containers, and empty pint glass bottles of hard liquor littered the floor. Fun Times!
You reminded me of Garden State Race Track in Cherry Hill, NJ burning down over 40 years ago…very sad time…
Sure, the race office at Sportsman's was great. They posted fine and suspension notices for drivers and trainers. You went in to get entry sheets you might see a Jim Dennis or Daryl Busse doing business in there.
I remember very little of old HAW...never really went there much as a kid
As for Sportsmans....racing office was at the west end of the paddock....jocks room was on top of the racing office with a big kind of sun deck area..........came into the track about 11am one day from the east entrance...walked by the paddock and sitting out on the sun deck was Silva....he yells down " hey hows your horse doing?"....Silva won on him a few days earlier...thought it was the coolest thing.....Im about 20yo.....own one nickle claimer for a trainer that had 3 horses total at the time
My father went to Washington Park harness....got crushed....found out his car was stolen.....thats a bad night
Im on North Ave about 1 mile west of Maywood at a stoplight looking at the program ....its about 15-20mins before the first race.....Im in the center lane....from the right lane I hear a guy yell " hey am I driving anything in the first race? ".....it was Busse
Great story…could spend hours telling horse racing stories like this on the Jersey circuit…I know fifty cint could also….
I love telling them and I love hearing them
Great story. Busse was talkative very personable happy go lucky guy. That is why the fans loved him.
Maybe one of these years i will be sitting in Pattaya with you swapping old racetrack stories enjoying a beverage and taking in the walking scenery.
I used to love Hawthorne. It was my favorite track in the 90s. Lots of strong track biases on their dirt track but they would change. You'd have a couple days of inside speed then two days later, deep closers would be winning 8 paths off the rail. Back then, they would still have some good barns until around T-giving. But lots of full fields. Back then, you'd see a 10 horse field at Haw and be like WTF happened here? Only 10 horses?
Thanks for sharing, V.
Takes two races to see 10 horses these days at historic Hawthorne.
In the words of Mr Top, sad.
Those big time trainers on the Chicago circuit have either died, retired, or moved on to Kentucky, Indiana or Minnesota. I remember packed weekend crowds at Arlington. But I guess if Hollywood Park can go away, so can Arlington. The only tracks truly safe are Saratoga and Keeneland.
I agree what you say here. i think we were talking about the building itself.
Nothing more depressing than being at Hawthorne in December on a cold rainy day where it gets dark at 5:00 pm before the last race. Everything at that track was painted brown, the walls, seats, all the metal beams.
We are all gamblers here. i think if given the choice all of would choose a winning day at Hawthorne over a break even day at Arlington.
Yes, I used to hate going there. The drive down broken glass littered Cicero Avenue. The depressing nature of the building. And for many of us, a real long drive to get there and back. I didn't go often. But I will never forget my first race as a horse owner was there. A friend and myself claimed a filly for 7500 and she won her first race for us by 15 lengths. I made my own speed figures back then, and I knew she would fit well at the FNW1X level. Guidry rode our filly in the 15 length win but he spun us for a Bobby Voelkner filly. So our filly goes off at 20-1 and Laviolette sends her right to the front. She's leading every step of the way but on the outside, here comes Guidry. It goes right down to the wire, and Guidry beat us by a nose. Really tough loss. I think at the time the difference in the purse was around $10k for 1st to second.
But I can distinctly remember looking at charts where most pic 3s were signers and it seemed like the median exacta payoff was $150.
Great story Valuist…I enjoy sharing horse stories…I could write a book about Atlantic City Race Course…harness and flats…
Hawthorne TB racing at the end of the year was miserable.........dark....cold.......had a horse in ( not mine) at the end of a card on one of those dark ,cold days......horse had no shot......in the paddock the riders come out.....jockey comes over and my trainer asks him " do you speak english".....the rider clearly aggravated by the question answers with an emphatic " YES!"....the rider's name Mike Smith LOL
Guidry was an absolute beast in the 90's. More so at Sportsman's and Hawthorne where the jockey colony wasn't as good as Arlington. Best closing Jock i ever saw in Chicago.
Whenever i had a horse in the lead at the eighth pole i would automatically start looking for whoever Guidry was on because he was the one you had to worry about.
Not bad for a guy who was a heroin addict earlier in his life.
Great story and you didn't even tell us how much of a win bet Guidry beat you out of.
forgot to add yes it was that Mike Smith....think he had just come over from CBY
before I was old enough to get my drivers license I would try and find a ride from anyone to get a ride to the track....convinced someone I knew from our poker game to go to HAW....never made it into the track.......he saw the shell game in the east parking lot.....despite my warnings he played and was cleaned out in minutes.....first and last time I tried to get a ride to the track from him LOL
Fantastic story.
When Shane Sellers was winning all those race at Arlington in the 90's he let Mike Smith into his home to recuperate from a horrible spill he had in New York and had to wear a body cast.
Rumor was Smith paid Sellers back by banging Sellers wife after he got out of the body cast.
Ha! Ha! Some guys just don't listen.
The 3 card monty guys use to be in the parking lot during the Sportsman's Harness meet in the 80's. A buddy of mine got an expensive lesson.