News comes to us that Up The Credit will be breeding and racing during his four year old season. With all the debate about four year olds retiring, this would be the perfect solution for everyone. You could say, it is having your cake and eating it to. If Up The Credit can do this, why not others? After all, this is what they do in Europe.
Why not here?
It is with sadness that I read about the passing of Dale Ross. Many propbably never heard or remember the name Dale Ross, but if you were around during the Racing from Roosevelt/Yonkers years, you certainly remember some of his horses such as Kash Minbar, and Momentum. Dale was only 71 years old when he passed, which these days is not that old. It probably is this way every year, but it seems like we are losing a lot of good people this year. May those I mention and others Rest in Peace.
5 comments:
I do remember Dale Ross. As a young bettor coming of age at Roosevelt and Yonkers, I remember cashing bets on him when he invaded from Ohio and stayed for a meet or two in the metro area. Quite a different era in contrast to today, where outsiders seemingly have no shot to succeed at Yonkers, where the racing is dominated by the same two or three catch drivers, and a steady parade of odds-on favorites completes an evening of dreary, non-competitive racing.
Going even further back, Pacingguy, do you remember Bill Dawkins coming up from Delaware and repeatedly lighting up the tote board, esp. at Roosevelt?
Unfortunately, I don't remember Bill Dawkins. I remember Eddie Cobb coming up with Genghis Kahn and a couple of others.
Another one I took notice of was Eldon Harner at the Meadowlands. The one thing you knew about Levi was he didn't ship in unless he knew his horse was capable of winning; not that they one each race, but they always were competitive and typically got a check. No trips around the track for him.
I just thought. Wouldn't it be neat if those who have passed could read these blogs and see they are still being talked about? They would be able to say 'Gee, I did something that people still remember fondly; I haven't been forgotten.' It would be such a cool feeling.
Levi was the father-raced mostly at Monticello and the Pa. fair circuit, plus NYSS. Eldon was the son and was indeed a capable trainer/driver. They both trained for Theodore Zornow, who I believe at one time was President of the USTA.
Thank you gentlemen for remembering Dale Ross. He would have been honored. I served as his groom from 1980 to 2011. I was also with him to the end. He spent his remaining hours reminiscing. He told me about places like Yonkers and Roosevelt. He loved racing in New York. Some of the dangers he encountered befit a novel. You had to be tough. You also had to be game to learn how to get along with peopl--especially those who could be both powerful and menacing. Dale loved to gamble. He adored horses that showed speed, endurance, and enough brains to play the field. They were special horses like Momentum who loved the game as much as he did. When he was young, better drivers taught him when it was wiser not to use a horse. He used to say, "You don't pull a horse unless you can win with authority." Well, if he could change anything, he wished tracks went back to book betting as they do in the UK. He also wished the tracks--especially in Ohio--respected horsemen enough to offer purses that were more respective and equitable to the profits made from on and off track betting. It's awful to watch horses go a blistering speed for money that doesn't cover the feed bill. It's also a shame to win a triple for a pay back that's only pennies on the dollar. Love to all.
One other thing Dale Ross wished would happen: He wished race tracks moved horses in classes based on their speed--not by the amount of money they earned. There's something wrong when a horse--that averages !:58--suddenly breaks loose to win a race in 1:54. You can't credit that sudden burst of speed to horsemanship especially when that horse can't make that kind of time for the next few weeks. It's also not fair to move a horse up in class based on earnings especially when that horse seldom breaches 1:59 and the higher class is going in 1:56 and 1:57.
it's forcing good drivers to drive like cowboys. instead of racing to win based on fine driving skills and strategy, it becomes a front runner's game.
Post a Comment