{"id":4414,"date":"2007-06-22T16:08:42","date_gmt":"2007-06-22T16:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blacktypebugler.com\/?p=4414"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"oldbtb_99","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/?p=4414","title":{"rendered":"The Savage Sixties: Wild Night at Arlington Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Flashback time.\u00a0 I recently stumbled across a ton of ancient\u00a0racing programs from the mid-late 1960s.\u00a0\u00a0Some are in good shape.\u00a0 Some\u00a0are severely water damaged, unfortunately.\u00a0 But most are legible to some extent.<\/DIV>
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I’ve only gone through about 20% so far.\u00a0 But already I’ve found the programs from Buckpasser’s 1:32.3 mile, Dr. Fager’s Arlington Classic win, Damascus’ American Derby triumph and the greatest betting\u00a0night this college kid (at the time) ever had.\u00a0 Please allow me to tell you about that evening.<\/DIV>
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I’ve had bigger days since then, but at the time, it was a dream come true.\u00a0\u00a0It was almost impossible to win big bucks on a limited budget because the only gimmick offered back then was one daily double on the first and second races.\u00a0 And each type of wager (win, place, show, combination, and daily double) had to be made at a separate window.\u00a0 There were also separate windows to cash.\u00a0 The lines were much shorter there.\u00a0 LOL!!<\/DIV>
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Normally, in Chicago, thoroughbreds race days and standardbreds race at night.\u00a0 But the Illinois harness horsemen were on strike at Washington Park in September of 1969.\u00a0 So Governor Ogilvie’s racing board approved temporary night T-bred racing for Arlington at the request of track owner Marge Everett.<\/DIV>
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I was a senior in college.\u00a0 Full time student and working 15-20 hours a week part time at a medical clinic making $2.15 an hour.\u00a0 Money was tight.\u00a0 But I always managed to scrounge up a few bucks to bet the horses.\u00a0 You guys know how that is. <\/DIV>
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First race was a 5000 claimer, 3+, seven furlongs dirt,\u00a0 $4500 purse.\u00a0 Nine entrants.\u00a0 Five fillies and four males.\u00a0 You don’t see that much anymore.\u00a0 I bet 5 WP on a four year old bay filly by Promised Land named Romilda.\u00a0 Trained by Eddie Cole and ridden by Craig Perret.\u00a0 Off at 7-2.\u00a0 Ran third in 1:25.\u00a0 Winner was a horse I bet the previous week named Carlstoe who was trained by Bill Resseguet, Jr. and piloted to victory by Bill Gavidia.\u00a0 Minus $10.00<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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Second race was at six panels on the main course for $6500 claimers down to $6000.\u00a0 I bet a total of eighteen bucks, $6.00 across the board (three green combo tickets) on 1a Fancy Knave (Resseguet, Eddie Belmonte).\u00a0 The entrymate was scratched.\u00a0 Fancy Knave flew home like a champ at 7-1.\u00a0 Paid $16.80, 6.80, 4.00.\u00a0 Time 1:11.\u00a0 Oh yeah!\u00a0 Plus $54.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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The third was a 20K down to 18K claimer at 6 furlongs on the dirt.\u00a0 Bet 10 WP on a chestnut mare named Controlada (18-1\u00a0 B. A. Thompson, J. R. Anderson).\u00a0 Raced bad.\u00a0 Bill Shoemaker won on Son O’ Swoon for trainer G. Nugent and owner Mary Keim at 5-2.\u00a0 1:11.1\u00a0 Plus $34.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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Fourth event was a MSW for 2YOs.\u00a0 6.5F main track,\u00a0 $4500 purse.\u00a0 I bet 5 WP on Classic Ticket ridden by Martinez Heath and off at 19-1.\u00a0 Photo for place.\u00a0 Inquiry, too.\u00a0 Classic Ticket finished second\u00a0but was\u00a0placed first when the winner, Zoom Loom and Eddie Arroyo, was DQ’d.\u00a0 40.60, 12.20.\u00a0 Time: 1:20.1\u00a0 Woo-hoo!!\u00a0 Plus 156.80<\/STRONG> <\/DIV>
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Sat out the 5th to spend some of\u00a0my winnings and get a bite to eat.\u00a0 The Arlington cafeteria had great food.\u00a0 Had a big plate of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, roll and butter for $1.85.\u00a0\u00a0 Good decision.\u00a0 Jerry, one winner\u00a0per meet, Podlinski\u00a0(remember this name) got his annual\u00a0victory\u00a0on Eternal Idol.\u00a0 <\/DIV>
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6th race was a 20K overnight handicap for fillies and mares, three and up, at\u00a0a mile and one sixteenth\u00a0on the grass.\u00a0 Now I’m feeling my oats!\u00a0 20 WP on the Gallant Man mare, Pattee Canyon,\u00a0ridden by\u00a0my Austin High School buddy, Heriberto “Eddie” Arroyo.\u00a0\u00a0Eddie, who is now the head steward for the Chicago area tracks, rode her to perfection.\u00a0 Broke 7th, gradually moved up along the rail on the backside, and ran down a dead game Dark Stream (Bobby Nono)\u00a0right at\u00a0the wire!\u00a0\u00a0 $6.40, 5.00.\u00a0 I was delirious now. \u00a0Plus $230.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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7th was for claimers 10K down to 9K.\u00a0 7 F dirt.\u00a0 I bet 20 WP on Bomb Star and Herbie Hinojosa.\u00a0 Got nosed out by Free Tumble and David Whited (Harvey Peltier, J.O.Meaux)\u00a0 $7.60 place.\u00a0 1:24.\u00a0 Plus $266.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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Featured 8th was the $150,000 Arlington-Washington Futurity.\u00a0 7F dirt.\u00a0 I made my biggest lifetime wager to date.\u00a0 $50.00 win on the chalk, Wheatley Stables highly regarded Irish Castle and jockey Braulio Baeza.\u00a0 I cannot read my comments about Irish Castle.\u00a0 I guess I was too crushed to write legibly.\u00a0 At any rate, he wasn’t in the top four at the wire.\u00a0 The winner was Johnny Rotz aboard Silent Screen.\u00a0 Other riders in the race were Shoe, Eddie Belmonte, Walter Layland, Lonie Ray, Angel Cordero, Jr., David Whited, Craig Perret, Alvaro Pineda, Don Brumfield and Cowboy Jimmy Nichols.\u00a0 1:22.4.\u00a0 Plus $216.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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Nightcap was truly that.\u00a0 About 11:30 P.M.\u00a0 Six furlongs on the dirt for claimers 7,500 down to 7,000.\u00a0 Nine starters.\u00a0 Six males and three females.\u00a0 I bet $20 WP on a filly named Anne P (11-1)\u00a0ridden by J. R. Anderson.\u00a0 Nubia and Jerry Podlinski set all the pace and looked to be a sure winner close to home.\u00a0 But Poddles never won two races in one meeting, much less on one card, at AP in his life.\u00a0 Anne P dropped from the clouds\u00a0to get a narrow decision in 1:12.3.\u00a0 $24.20, 10.80.\u00a0 Plus $526.80<\/STRONG><\/DIV>
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What a night!\u00a0 I’ll never forget\u00a0that one\u00a0as long as I live.\u00a0 Thanks for\u00a0reliving it with me.\u00a0<\/DIV>
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Bill Blessing (Nextbonus Stables)<\/DIV><\/DIV><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

College Student Has Adventure to Remember<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4414\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}