Derby Trail Forums

Go Back   Derby Trail Forums > Main Forum > The Paddock
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Today's Posts

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-11-2011, 10:07 AM
BigBlue's Avatar
BigBlue BigBlue is offline
Cahokia Downs
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Posts: 171
Default Birmingham (AL) Turf Club

Over the past few weeks, I've learned that there are a lot of SEC fans that hang out in the DT Forum. Thought I would start a thread about a SEC topic other than football.

I know of the dog tracks that have operated around the state but not sure of the history horse racing in the state. I know something was going on outside of Birmingham about 20 years ago but don't know much about it. Not before my time but before my interest in the sport.

Does anyone here remember this and/or have any stories to share?
__________________
"God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of." - Bruce Springsteen
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-11-2011, 11:26 AM
cmorioles's Avatar
cmorioles cmorioles is offline
Santa Anita
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Moore, OK
Posts: 3,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBlue View Post
Over the past few weeks, I've learned that there are a lot of SEC fans that hang out in the DT Forum. Thought I would start a thread about a SEC topic other than football.

I know of the dog tracks that have operated around the state but not sure of the history horse racing in the state. I know something was going on outside of Birmingham about 20 years ago but don't know much about it. Not before my time but before my interest in the sport.

Does anyone here remember this and/or have any stories to share?
Larry Collmus was the track announcer, and Lost Code won the first Alabama Derby. I believe it was 1987. The place didn't last long. You had to be 21 to bet on track so I had to keep sneaking around to get bets in.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-11-2011, 11:35 AM
BigBlue's Avatar
BigBlue BigBlue is offline
Cahokia Downs
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Posts: 171
Default

I heard somewhere that there were "opportunities abundant" for the informed horseplayer during the first few weeks after the opening. Would make sense but didn't know whether or not it was true.
__________________
"God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of." - Bruce Springsteen
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-11-2011, 11:36 AM
Kasept's Avatar
Kasept Kasept is offline
Steve Byk
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Greenwich, NY
Posts: 43,505
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmorioles View Post
Larry Collmus was the track announcer, and Lost Code won the first Alabama Derby. I believe it was 1987. The place didn't last long. You had to be 21 to bet on track so I had to keep sneaking around to get bets in.
You had to be 6' 2" by about age 11. Who was asking you for ID?

I've heard nice things about Birmingham's racing days. I suppose as many people recall it as do the Birmingham Bulls!

__________________
All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. ~ Joseph Conrad
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right. ~ Thomas Paine
Don't let anyone tell you that your dreams can't come true. They are only afraid that theirs won't and yours will. ~ Robert Evans
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-11-2011, 11:42 AM
Kasept's Avatar
Kasept Kasept is offline
Steve Byk
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Greenwich, NY
Posts: 43,505
Default

http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-...8_1_race-track

Beyer from 1987..

Interesting sidebar inside the piece:

In a speech he recently gave in Lexington, Ky., about expansion of racing into new states, Killingsworth said that wagering has been increasing at Birmingham, but he conceded that he had made a mistake--"and nobody forgets your mistakes." Killingsworth evidently overlooked a crucial point that author Eugene Christiansen made before the American Horse Council's convention in Washington last month.

"It is impossible for a new track in a virgin market to perform as well as comparable tracks in mature markets right out of the gate," Christiansen said. "No form of gambling is as difficult to learn as horse racing. It takes time to make new horseplayers. It takes years."


That point can't be reiterated enough...
__________________
All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind. ~ Joseph Conrad
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right. ~ Thomas Paine
Don't let anyone tell you that your dreams can't come true. They are only afraid that theirs won't and yours will. ~ Robert Evans
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-11-2011, 11:44 AM
cmorioles's Avatar
cmorioles cmorioles is offline
Santa Anita
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Moore, OK
Posts: 3,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kasept View Post
You had to be 6' 2" by about age 11. Who was asking you for ID?

I've heard nice things about Birmingham's racing days. I suppose as many people recall it as do the Birmingham Bulls!
I was 19 at the time, but they did a lot of carding, especially when you cashed. It was pretty crazy. They'd let you bet, then card you if you won. I always got paid eventually. I spent two weeks there visiting. I remember meeting Dave Johnson and Chris Lincoln who were there for ESPN. Hard to believe they covered a race like the Alabama Derby back then.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-11-2011, 01:16 PM
DaTruth's Avatar
DaTruth DaTruth is offline
Churchill Downs
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 1,969
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmorioles View Post
Hard to believe they covered a race like the Alabama Derby back then.
The Alabama Derby was worth $350k, so that was a nice chunk of change. ESPN also covered races like the St. Paul Derby, so they weren't ignoring the second-tier 3yo stakes back then.

Birmingham attracted some pretty nice horses for its first meet. Up The Appalachee, Queen Alexandra, and Weekend Delight all ran in stakes there.
__________________
Still trying to outsmart me, aren't you, mule-skinner? You want me to think that you don't want me to go down there, but the subtle truth is you really don't want me to go down there!
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-11-2011, 01:25 PM
cmorioles's Avatar
cmorioles cmorioles is offline
Santa Anita
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Moore, OK
Posts: 3,169
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaTruth View Post
The Alabama Derby was worth $350k, so that was a nice chunk of change. ESPN also covered races like the St. Paul Derby, so they weren't ignoring the second-tier 3yo stakes back then.
Yes, I should have said it more like "it is hard to imagine ESPN covering a race like that now". I still have painful memories of my favorite all-time horse Broad Brush losing to Cheapskate in Minnesota!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-11-2011, 01:42 PM
blackthroatedwind blackthroatedwind is offline
Jerome Park
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 9,936
Default

I saw the Dead in Birmingham in 95, and went to the track, but it was Dog Racing ( and simulcasting ) by then.
__________________
Just more nebulous nonsense from BBB
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 12-11-2011, 07:43 PM
TheSpyder's Avatar
TheSpyder TheSpyder is offline
Del Mar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Nothing could be finer
Posts: 5,130
Default

Lost a transmission in the parking lot and had to stay an extra two days. I believe I ended up $305 with a $760 repair bill.

The racing was basic to say the least, but it was racing.
__________________
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 12-11-2011, 08:35 PM
rgustafson rgustafson is offline
Bowie
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 224
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmorioles View Post
Yes, I should have said it more like "it is hard to imagine ESPN covering a race like that now". I still have painful memories of my favorite all-time horse Broad Brush losing to Cheapskate in Minnesota!
Hi CJ, I was at Canterbury that day for the St. Paul Derby, part of a huge crowd to witness one of the greatest races ever run at the track, I believe it was 1986. Wish I could tell you that I bet on Cheapskate( dont recall, did he pay over $70 for the win) but like most in the crowd, my money was on Broad Brush. The other race at Canterbury that I put on equal footing for excitement was the 1988 Chaucer Cup when Don's Irish Melody who shipped in from California hooked up with the midwest legend Who Doctor Who and ran lapped onto to each other from start to finish to set the track record for 6 1/2 furlongd in 1:14 flat with Don's Irish Melody winning the photo by a nose.
Alas those days for Canterbury are long gone.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 12-12-2011, 09:19 AM
rgustafson rgustafson is offline
Bowie
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 224
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cardus View Post
I was at Canterbury in June 2010 on a Thursday night and enjoyed it immensely.
I was there on the first day the track opened for business and have been present on every opening day since then. Still a regular weekend warrior, but I do miss the caliber of racing that existed the first few years the place was open.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 12-13-2011, 10:14 PM
ddthetide's Avatar
ddthetide ddthetide is offline
Arlington Park
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: western maryland
Posts: 4,230
Default

i can remember being there once in the late 80's. it was still nice new facility. the group i was with, was into dog racing and didn't have much interest in the horses.
i found this article in the birmingham paper from Aug. this year.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2..._return_t.html


and i do remember the Birmingham Bulls from the early 90's.
__________________
"Always keep your heads up and act like champions."
Coach Paul Bryant
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 12-14-2011, 09:24 PM
BigBlue's Avatar
BigBlue BigBlue is offline
Cahokia Downs
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Posts: 171
Default

Great info from days gone by. Thanks.
__________________
"God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of." - Bruce Springsteen
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 12-15-2011, 01:59 PM
pmayjr's Avatar
pmayjr pmayjr is offline
Fairgrounds
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Canterbury Park- 3rd Floor Clubhouse
Posts: 1,603
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by rgustafson View Post
Hi CJ, I was at Canterbury that day for the St. Paul Derby, part of a huge crowd to witness one of the greatest races ever run at the track, I believe it was 1986. Wish I could tell you that I bet on Cheapskate( dont recall, did he pay over $70 for the win) but like most in the crowd, my money was on Broad Brush. The other race at Canterbury that I put on equal footing for excitement was the 1988 Chaucer Cup when Don's Irish Melody who shipped in from California hooked up with the midwest legend Who Doctor Who and ran lapped onto to each other from start to finish to set the track record for 6 1/2 furlongd in 1:14 flat with Don's Irish Melody winning the photo by a nose.
Alas those days for Canterbury are long gone.
I'm only 30.... and didn't get taken to the track in my teens by my parent's until CBY re-opened in the mid-90s. I heard when it was open in the 80s there was some great racing there. But Broad Brush actually ran at Canterbury at one point!? Crazy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rgustafson View Post
I was there on the first day the track opened for business and have been present on every opening day since then. Still a regular weekend warrior, but I do miss the caliber of racing that existed the first few years the place was open.
Amen to that... I barely bet live racing anymore when I'm there anymore... just has really gone sour in recent years.
__________________
Facebook- Peter May Jr.
Twitter- @pmayjr
You wouldn't be ballin' if your name was Spauldin'
If y'all fresh to death, then I'm deceased...
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 12-15-2011, 08:47 PM
rgustafson rgustafson is offline
Bowie
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 224
Default

[quote=pmayjr;825347]I'm only 30.... and didn't get taken to the track in my teens by my parent's until CBY re-opened in the mid-90s. I heard when it was open in the 80s there was some great racing there. But Broad Brush actually ran at Canterbury at one point!? Crazy.

Peter,

My daughter is about your age and those first years that Canterbury was opened, on the weekend when my wife and I went down there we would take her and her best friend along. They became some of the best "stoopers" around picking up dozens of discarded tickets. When we got home, the next day I would look at the results in the morning paper and check them against all the tickets they collected. Virtually every time there was a ticket or two worth a few bucks and on occasion a lot more than that.
Reply With Quote
Reply



Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:02 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.