“Few newcomers to the sport could believe what we dinosaurs actually had to go through just to get a bet in and then try to find the results. Although it was a very comfortable time in racing with many excellent horses, there were certainly a few bumps in the road if you wanted to gamble. Here’s but a glimpse into the past and what a dedicated New York horseplayer had to endure, as well as the “perks” he received in the 1970s and 80s.
In the area surrounding Ozone Park, the locals would be bustling around on race day anticipating the gates opening at Aqueduct. Some were waiting to get in and others hawking newspapers, racing forms, or selection sheets. Peter Monaco tells what life was like back in the 70s and 80s for NY horseplayers
