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Top Comments: Monticello Raceway Edition [1]
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Date: 2022-08-16
Could not find a free image of harness racing
I want to thank brillig for a comment she posted in her diary last night that inspired this evening’s diary. She wrote about her uncle owning horses that raced at Monticello Raceway in Monticello, NY. That racetrack is actually a big part of my life. In fact, you could say I would not exist if it weren’t for the track
As I noted last night, my mom’s family owns a large amount of land around the corner from the Aquarian Festival location in Bethel. What I did not mention is my mom was born and raised in Monticello and spent every summer with her extended family at “The Farm” in Bethel. I also spent many summers at “The Farm” growing up with my grandmother and multitude of cousins and aunts and uncles. My grandparents were frequent attendees at the raceway and while my mother wasn’t a gambler, she wasn’t adverse occasionally going as well.
My dad, OTOH, was from a long line of family members involved in harness horse racing. He was a frequent owner of race horses and most of his friends outside of work were also involved in horse racing. His horses would race at various tracks through the Northeast including the Meadowlands, Roosevelt Raceway, Goshen, Freehold, Dover Downs, etc. But most often my father’s horses were paddocked at Monticello Raceway. Back in the 70s, my father’s best friend, a degenerate gambler if there ever was one, was dating my mom’s best friend. In fact, I believe they were engaged at the time. My mother’s best friend invited her to the track to go on a double date with her boyfriend becuase he had a friend that was coming she thought my mom should meet. That person would become the man my mom would marry and later my father. I should mention my mom’s friend did marry my dad’s friend and our families have been close friends ever since.
Growing up, I spent a lot of my youth at the track usually at either Roosevelt Raceway which was 20 minutes from home or at Monticello Raceway whenever we went up to visit my mom’s family. Dad usually brought me to Roosevelt when mom went out and he couldn’t find a babysitter. Considering he would leave me alone under one of the CCTVs while he placed his bets, it was amazing I was never kidnapped. LOL I did enjoy watching the horses run around the track cheering for whichever horse he told me to cheer. It was also fun to go to the different tracks to watch the races sometimes where his horses were racing and sometimes just because he had to place some bets.
Since his horses were usually at Monticello, when we would go up there, I would get to go on the track to take a picture when one his horses won. That was always cool. On a few occasions, I would be allowed to ride and feed the horses when they doing training. It was one of the few positives to such an awful business.
Whatever you may think of the horse racing business, I will always be thankful for it considering it was the thing that brought my parents together. Without it, you would not be reading this diary tonight.
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Top Comments for july 16, 2022
From fosterbob:
Toro Blanco has an excellent comment in response to Jen Sorensen's diary, Cartoon: Black hole seized from Mar-a-Lago.
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