Post by petergross on Mar 17, 2009 6:08:36 GMT -5
I'm sure there's other people on this planet somewhere who involved themselves in a wide range of horse racing activities over the past weekend, but I challenge anyone to match me for the most diversified and entertaining series of events. Let me chronicle them for you.
Thursday morning, in what I hope was the last snowstorm of winter, I drove to Woodbine for an appointment to interview Woodbine Entertainment Group President Nick Eaves. I suspect most racing fans aren't too familiar with Eaves, who at 40, is the youngest man to hold this post. Eaves is almost annoyingly un-screwed up. He's tall, in great shape ( two time defending champion at a mile and a half on the E.P. Taylor Turf United Way corporate race) and always pleasant, receptive and engaging to a curious reporter. A little dysfunction would be reassuring, but you don't get that from Eaves.
"Everything is on the table," he advised me when I asked if there were any issues he'd prefer me to ignore. So we talked about how the economic depression was affecting horse racing, Woodbine's policy on horse slaughter, how incredibly slow things move when Woodbine tries to get the feds to help incorporate new betting strategies, the very strange and mostly fractured relationship Woodbine has with the Ontario Harness Horse Association and the less than complete way that Woodbine promotes the fascinating jockeys and drivers who make the whole thing work on the track. I got 45 minutes of very usable stuff which will be transcribed and published in an ensuing issue of Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper.
Right after that I drove to Jr. Scholars day care centre in Mississauga to shoot part of a commercial that we're producing about Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper. And I guess you're wondering - what the hell is there in a day care centre that would show up in a commercial for a racing publication? I'll leave that to your imagination, but I will suggest it might have something to do with four of the most precious cutest kids pretending to be our crack team of proof readers.
On Saturday, I experienced the perfect storm of celebrity, horse racing and betting. Our guest in the Favourites dining room was the iconic puppet, Ed the Sock, invited to take the Down The Stretch challenge to bet $50, with all winnings going to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Agency. As I waited to meet Ed, I loitered in the harness paddock. Actually I had a real purpose. On opening day for the thoroughbreds, Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper will be part of community day and we will be promoting ourselves from a table on the second floor. I had printed up several shiny copies of a November issue of Down The Stretch, which featured Paul MacDonell driving Somebeachsomewhere to victory. I found the ever-obliging Macdonell and he kindly risked carpal tunnel syndrome by signing all the covers for me. We'll give them out on April 4.
Meanwhile, Ed showed up just before the third race and found me distracted because the third race was a $19,000 trot and the two-horse was Son of Paige, of which I am a 1% owner with the Harness Racing Canada syndication. Son of Paige's recent form was not encouraging, but I did bet $3 win/place at 9-1 and driver Mike Saftic deserves some kind of trophy for his work in the stretch, rallying Son of Paige from seventh, pinned in at the rail, through an infinitely minute opening in midstretch - Son of Paige was full of trot as he hit the wire first by almost a length.
"We gotta go be in the picture!" I exclaimed to my group, which included Ed, writer Perry Lefko and my teenage son, Roger. When we got to the winners circle, we realized that I was the only one from the syndicate at the track that night, so we made a cozy gathering as track photographer Clive Cohen snapped us. Driver Saftic was ecstatic that Ed the Sock was there and he actually ordered a closeup of himself, me and Ed with the winning horse.
Unfortunately, Ed didn't bet on Ed, though he did take my advise in subsequent races which mean the $50 voucher was soon exhausted. However, when advised that Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper always contributes at least $50 on behalf of its wagering guests, Ed reached into his pocket and volunteered $50 of his own ( which is quite the feat for a puppet with no hands!).
My exciting weekend was hardly over. I was back at the track on Sunday to shoot some live action for the commercial. Woodbine producer Paul Salvalaggio and cameraman Matt huddled with me and we decided on three little scenes to be edited into a fast paced, heart pounding spot that will run many times on HPI, the horse racing channel.
I want to thank Kiran, Sadaf and Samantha, students at my Radio News class at Seneca who showed up with friends and relatives to form the crowd that was needed for the scenes. It was a lot of fun and in between shots I hit an $87 exactor at Gulfstream.
So that was my four day all horse racing experience.Wonder what mischief I'll get into this week?
Thursday morning, in what I hope was the last snowstorm of winter, I drove to Woodbine for an appointment to interview Woodbine Entertainment Group President Nick Eaves. I suspect most racing fans aren't too familiar with Eaves, who at 40, is the youngest man to hold this post. Eaves is almost annoyingly un-screwed up. He's tall, in great shape ( two time defending champion at a mile and a half on the E.P. Taylor Turf United Way corporate race) and always pleasant, receptive and engaging to a curious reporter. A little dysfunction would be reassuring, but you don't get that from Eaves.
"Everything is on the table," he advised me when I asked if there were any issues he'd prefer me to ignore. So we talked about how the economic depression was affecting horse racing, Woodbine's policy on horse slaughter, how incredibly slow things move when Woodbine tries to get the feds to help incorporate new betting strategies, the very strange and mostly fractured relationship Woodbine has with the Ontario Harness Horse Association and the less than complete way that Woodbine promotes the fascinating jockeys and drivers who make the whole thing work on the track. I got 45 minutes of very usable stuff which will be transcribed and published in an ensuing issue of Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper.
Right after that I drove to Jr. Scholars day care centre in Mississauga to shoot part of a commercial that we're producing about Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper. And I guess you're wondering - what the hell is there in a day care centre that would show up in a commercial for a racing publication? I'll leave that to your imagination, but I will suggest it might have something to do with four of the most precious cutest kids pretending to be our crack team of proof readers.
On Saturday, I experienced the perfect storm of celebrity, horse racing and betting. Our guest in the Favourites dining room was the iconic puppet, Ed the Sock, invited to take the Down The Stretch challenge to bet $50, with all winnings going to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Agency. As I waited to meet Ed, I loitered in the harness paddock. Actually I had a real purpose. On opening day for the thoroughbreds, Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing paper will be part of community day and we will be promoting ourselves from a table on the second floor. I had printed up several shiny copies of a November issue of Down The Stretch, which featured Paul MacDonell driving Somebeachsomewhere to victory. I found the ever-obliging Macdonell and he kindly risked carpal tunnel syndrome by signing all the covers for me. We'll give them out on April 4.
Meanwhile, Ed showed up just before the third race and found me distracted because the third race was a $19,000 trot and the two-horse was Son of Paige, of which I am a 1% owner with the Harness Racing Canada syndication. Son of Paige's recent form was not encouraging, but I did bet $3 win/place at 9-1 and driver Mike Saftic deserves some kind of trophy for his work in the stretch, rallying Son of Paige from seventh, pinned in at the rail, through an infinitely minute opening in midstretch - Son of Paige was full of trot as he hit the wire first by almost a length.
"We gotta go be in the picture!" I exclaimed to my group, which included Ed, writer Perry Lefko and my teenage son, Roger. When we got to the winners circle, we realized that I was the only one from the syndicate at the track that night, so we made a cozy gathering as track photographer Clive Cohen snapped us. Driver Saftic was ecstatic that Ed the Sock was there and he actually ordered a closeup of himself, me and Ed with the winning horse.
Unfortunately, Ed didn't bet on Ed, though he did take my advise in subsequent races which mean the $50 voucher was soon exhausted. However, when advised that Down The Stretch, Canada's most informative and entertaining horse racing newspaper always contributes at least $50 on behalf of its wagering guests, Ed reached into his pocket and volunteered $50 of his own ( which is quite the feat for a puppet with no hands!).
My exciting weekend was hardly over. I was back at the track on Sunday to shoot some live action for the commercial. Woodbine producer Paul Salvalaggio and cameraman Matt huddled with me and we decided on three little scenes to be edited into a fast paced, heart pounding spot that will run many times on HPI, the horse racing channel.
I want to thank Kiran, Sadaf and Samantha, students at my Radio News class at Seneca who showed up with friends and relatives to form the crowd that was needed for the scenes. It was a lot of fun and in between shots I hit an $87 exactor at Gulfstream.
So that was my four day all horse racing experience.Wonder what mischief I'll get into this week?
