Guest Interview: February 17th, 2005
Volume #2/Issue #7
Who really hangs out at the track everyday? We see
them at every track in America. Of course, most of the
time, we have know idea what their name is, but if we
were asked to pick them out of a crowd, we would be
able to do it without any hesitation.
This week, we interview a guy who spent a whole year hanging out at tracks in Chicago writing about these characters.
In the book, HORSEPLAYERS, Life at the Track, Ted McClelland takes us on a journey through the lives of real people who spend their entire lives chasing that elusive fortune at the windows. Sometimes they win, but most lose.
However, Ted McClelland, rewards us with their rich endeavors.
Da' Goat: Where are you from?
Ted McClelland: Lansing, Michigan
DG: Where do you live?
TM: Chicago, Illinois
DG: How did you first become involved in Horse Racing?
TM: My dad came to town and we decided to spend a day at the races. I won $150. There’s nothing worse than winning big on your first day at the track.
DG: What jobs have you held in the industry? (fan, writer count, punter!)
TM: Just a chronicler of the mooks in the grandstand.
DG: How many tracks have you been too?
TM: Let’s see -- Monticello, Jackson Harness Raceway, Arlington, Sportsman’s, Hawthorne, Fairmount, Blue Ribbon Downs, Fair Meadows, Eureka Downs, Miles City, Brown County Fair, Prairie Meadows, Belmont, Saratoga, Great Lakes Downs,
Newmarket, Sandown.
DG: Favorite? Worst?
TM: Belmont is my favorite. On a weekday, the only people there are the hardcore addicts. Those are my people. I love looking at the colors of the Triple Crown winners and thinking “This is where it happens. This is where immortals are made. The worst is Saratoga. There are so many Dixieland bands and French fry booths you can’t concentrate on the races. And you’ll see every stereotype of Upper Class East Coast WASPs you’ve ever imagined. People come to Saratoga to be seen, not to watch the races.
DG: Any crazy stories from them? Describe a day
TM: I went on a tour of Western racetracks with my Terry Bjork, who runs the site mcchump.com. We woke up in Illinois, made it to Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw, Oklahoma, for the 2nd race, and spent the evening at Fair Meadows in Tulsa.
DG: You wrote the book: Horseplayers. A great read! Explain to us how you first came up with the idea of
writing this book…what is the book about? (Give us the what, where, who, how, and why)
TM: I’d been trying since 1998 to do a book about a year at the races. I’d done an article for the Chicago Reader about putting myself under the tutelage of an expert horseplayer. Back then, nobody wanted to publish a horse racing book. The “Seabiscuit” came out, poker got on TV, and horses and gambling were hot topics.
DG: Describe some of the characters in short detail…what are some of the same characteristics you found in every one of them? Differences?
TM: The Blind Man is an 80-year-old who begs outside the track and bets Daily Doubles based on “numerology.” Scott McMannis, aka, “The Professor,” is a former college dean who teaches handicapping classes and has made several five-figure scores. Bob the Brain dropped out of college in the mid-60s to “join the revolution,” and ended up at the track. He drives a can and occasionally wins handicapping
tournaments. Same characteristics? Y chromosomes. Differences? Discipline, baby.
DG: What were some of the pitfalls writing this book? Did you go broke? Did you end up single?
TM: I had to take some time off from my job, and I lost more at the windows than the publisher gave me, but I wasn’t broke or single when it was all over.
DG: How about the best part of writing this book?
TM: Seeing myself as the “horse racing expert” on the NBC Preakness broadcast. I was up there for 17 seconds!
DG: You said you were a "horse racing expert" during the Preakness...could you explain what
you did, and did your pick come in?
TM: At the Preakness, I boxed Afleet Alex, High Fly and Scrappy T in the exacta, and collected the $150 payoff. Did no one else see that Scrappy T had the best last-race Beyer?
DG: In your book, Horseplayers, you wrote about "two-percenters" on page 80...describe what a two-percenter is and what is the best way to acheive it?
TM: Some people estimate that only 2% of horseplayers make a consistent profit. Be patient, disciplined and watch thousands of races.
DG: The picture on the cover of the book really tells a story. What is the picture
on the cover?
DG: Is this a real character from your book? Or is it someone you came across at
the track? And, did you take it?
TM: That was actually a file photo my publisher found. Someone pointed out that the
Racing Form in his hand was a Midwest edition from the '50s or '60s.
DG: Are you planning a follow-up book?
TM: Someday, I may write a book on how to bet. There are a million books about handicapping, but very few on betting. Yet the two are inseparable, and a good bettor will outperform a good handicapper any day.
DG: What are some of the problems facing the Horse Racing Industry?
TM: The take-out is too high!
DG: What are some of the solutions?
TM: Lower it to 10 percent across the board.
DG: What about the Chicago-area tracks specifically? What are some of the problems and solutions?
TM: Arlington is too expensive for the average fan, between food and admission. Hawthorne runs too late in the year. They should stop at Thanksgiving instead of running full cards of $5K claimers from Great Lakes Downs.
DG: What advice do you have out there for anyone planning to become a full-time horse player?
TM: Have a job on the side in the racing industry, perhaps as a selector. Don’t depend on winning to pay the rent.
DG: Explain your handicapping techniques: what do you look for?!
TM: Early speed and class drops.
DG: How about the betting strategies?
TM: I only bet when there’s a false favorite in the race, and then I may to try to beat it with two horses.
DG: Biggest hit ever? Best day at the track?
TM: When I gave the Blind Man $20 and hit at $1320 exacta. I wrote an article about that day, which led to “Horseplayers.”
DG: Worst day at the races?
TM: I took an NPR reporter to the track and lost every bet I made. Luckily, the interview never aired.
DG: Favorite music?
TM: Beethoven, Kanye West, Van Morrison, Dave Brubeck, Eminem, Mussorgsky
DG: Best concert ever?
TM: Golden Smog at the Lounge Ax
DG: Blondes, brunettes, or redheads?
TM: Chestnuts, roans and grays.
DG: Best race you’ve ever seen?
TM: 1998 Belmont. Victory Gallop nipping Real Quiet at the wire.
DG: Favorite horse?
TM: Bonnie Rob. Never lost at Arlington, and always paid more than $8.
DG: What are some books you recommend to read about horse racing?
TM: “Picking Winners,” “The Wrong Horse,” “A Breed Apart,” “Betting Thoroughbreds,” Damon Runyon stories
DG: Where can one purchase you book?
TM: Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble
DG: Who is going to win the Kentucky Derby?
TM: The 12 horse.
DG: Thanks Ted! Great interview
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