Life on Thoroughbred “Dirt Tracks”

Folks who follow Thoroughbred racing on TV only see the pomp and ceremony in gorgeous, bucolic settings – IOW, the elites – not the mundane and yes, often seedy, environs of the small, cheap, so-called “dirt” tracks. It is rare for trainers from these small tracks to make the big time. Jack Van Berg was one of them. I worked for him briefly at Ak-Sar-Ben, which, by the way, is Nebraska spelled backwards.

I first began in the early ’70’s at Fonner Park in Grand Island, which has now been incorporated into the State Fairgrounds. Atokad Racetrack (Dakota spelled backwards for the Indian tribe) in So. Sioux City has been closed and Ak-Sar-Ben has been demolished. This was the first race of the season last year at Fonner Park.

The horses are walked to the paddock before every race, where they are tacked up, and a Paddock Judge checks the lip tattoo of each horse. All racehorses have a number tattooed on the underside of their upper lip, which identifies them. He also gives every horse the once-over for any injuries or injection sites. Yes, some of the dirt-track trainers dope their horses. As with any insular culture, there is a hierarchy and most are fully aware of which trainers dope or mistreat their horses.

Usually, it is the groom – the 2nd to lowest in the pecking order – who is at the heads of those horses, trying to keep them calm and focused. Grooms literally live with their horses for every minute of every day within a very transient life. You move from track to track, staying in various places – a hotel in Gr. Island, a rented room in a private home in Columbus, an apartment in Omaha, a hotel across the river in Sioux City.

By the way, if you want to know who to bet on in a race, find a way to talk to the grooms. They know ALL of the inside skinny – which jockey is going to throw which race in order to help a young jockey into the winner’s circle (called a “boat race”), which horse is drugged out of it’s mind, which horse is particularly sore that day, which one is a “machine” horse……they know it all!

Ah yes…..a “machine horse.” I had one of those: Stumpy the Boy, sire named Stumps. It was he who stomped on my bare foot right over my arch (NEVER go barefoot in the shed row) with the sharp toe grabs on his new shoes. I almost passed out and couldn’t wear my boots for weeks but I ran my horse!

A “machine” is an electric buzzer that jockeys hold in their hands or, if there is a “shakedown” in the starting gate, hide in their clothes. Stumpy would be 15 lengths behind into the last turn, yet end up 10 lengths in front at the finish line! He was THAT fast but it took a shock from a machine to get him moving! Here’s a trick for you: when you see a horse corkscrewing their tail, going round and round, that is often an indication they were just “plugged in.”

Stumpy did NOT like men – he had been hand-raised by a woman; he also hated for someone to stand outside his stall and look at him – with Stumpy, you did NOT dawdle in front of the stall. Walk right in or he would come at you with ears laid back and teeth bared. I put a metal gate on his stall rather than the webbing seen in this picture of a shed row on the backside at Belmont Park.

A groom’s life is repetitive – every single day, there are certain activities that must be completed for each horse and there are generally 4 horses for each groom.

Each horse must be fed at the same time every day with it’s own individualized feed mix, with supplements and medications. In the spring, it is around 6 am; in the heat of the summer, it is 4:30 am. When it is 90 degrees and humid by 8 am, you want your horses done with their workouts and back in the barn early. While they eat, the grooms head to the track kitchen to fill their own bellies, gulp as much strong black coffee as possible, and gossip; back to the barn within an hour or so, often making a stop at the head on the way back since your barn is a long way to walk.

The trainer will have provided instructions as to which horse is to be taken to the track to work-out and which are to be just walked. Most trainers have “hot walkers,” i.e., people who walk the horse around in a circle. Many also have mechanical walkers, such as this homemade one.

Some horses are very laissez-faire about this procedure, while others are absolutely terrified. The on/off switch is at the center – if a horse is acting up on the walker, you take your life in your hands trying to get to the on/off switch, all while holding your horse. So, you wait until the open spot comes around, step in and walk along as you connect the snap to your horse’s halter. It takes talent and agility!!

While the horse is out of the stall, you clean the stall, re-bed it, wash the feed and water tubs, and refresh the water and hay. You bring the walking horse in and commence the daily grooming – brushing, clipping, cleaning and treating the hooves, etc., etc. Some horses have their legs rubbed each day with liniment and stall bandages that must be applied carefully – too tight in the wrong direction and you run the risk of a “bowed” (i.e., damaged) tendon.

If your horse has been to the track that morning, about the time you get the stall done, the exercise rider is bringing your horse back and it is now time for the bath. I always trained my horses to ground-tie, i.e., I could drop the lead shank on the ground, say “stand,” and they would stay there while I bathed them. That proved challenging at the Columbus track, since our barn was located just 20 feet from the railroad tracks. THAT was fun!!!! Not really so grand, in truth.

Another of my favorites, Z Irish Lover, was indeed, the lover in the stable! Everyone simply adored her – she was a laid back, lanky bay mare, with white markings, who simply loved people – ALL people – but especially children. It is rare, indeed, to find a Thoroughbred race horse who can be trusted with children. Lover was that one! After a race, the horses have to be “cooled out,” or walked and watered until the sweat dries, they are breathing normally and their adrenaline has leveled off. Lover always tried to go down the shed row where the most people were located. She loved the attention.

Of course, we grooms always wanted our horses to look especially pretty. We would often make our own yarn pompoms, in the owner’s racing colors – Gary’s were Kelly green and white (his last name was Kelley). I would use a white bridle on her, with green and white pompoms in her braided mane and tail, and green or white “rundown” bandages. These are stretchy bandages that provide a little bit of support for their legs during a race. These are bell boots to protect the coronet band, from which the hoof grows (white area at top in pic below).

There are different classes of races at every track: allowance, stakes, claiming, maiden, etc. I won’t get into the details but will provide a link for those who are interested. The majority of the races on the dirt tracks are claiming races – btw, if the horse dies during the race? Too bad – you just bought yourself a dead horse!

“Claiming Races are when owners can buy or sell their thoroughbred horses. Every thoroughbred horse running in a Claiming Race can be purchased (“claimed”) for a specific claiming price prior to the race. The horses usually have a similar value in price, bloodlines, and age.

A claim has to be put in before the actual race goes off. The outcome of the race is inconsequential once the horse has been claimed. The prices range on a low end of $1,000 to as much as $100,000.

The previous owner receives any winnings if the horse is in the money and the new owner receives the horse. Over half of the Thoroughbred Horse Races in America are Claiming Races, this serves as a way for owners to buy and sell horses.”

https://horseracingbettingknowledge.com/types-and-classes-of-horse-racing/

Lover always ran in stakes races but did not have the skills and ability necessary for the top races. She won repeatedly up to a certain level but was unable to compete above that. Finally, the owner decided to run her in a $15,000 claiming race, thinking no-one would take her for that amount. Lo and behold! She was claimed!!! It was THE hardest day ever for all of us working for Gary.

As her groom, it was my responsibility to take her over to the claiming shed so the owner could take possession. I cried all the way and passed by one of my fellow grooms on the way who was also in tears. I was required to remove her bridle and watch as they put on their own halter. I almost exploded when I saw them put the chain over her nose. There are many methods used to control a horse with a lead shank – usually leather with a measure of chain and a snap at the end. Some horses need this chain over their nose, some under their chin, and some inside their upper lip on their gums, called a “lip chain,” in order to control them. Lover NEVER needed such harsh tactics! I refused to allow them to take her away until they moved that chain!

The only thing that gave me any solace was that she had been purchased for breeding purposes and would never be raced again. Some years later, when my b-Mom was working on the racetrack in New Mexico, she happened to see a young horse on the program whose dam was Z Irish Lover. She bet on her because she remembered me raving about Lover and won hundreds of $$$’s on her win ticket.

I was happy envisioning my Lover romping in the fields with her foal by her side!