Welcome to Tautog

[trackrat]

On behalf of the board administrators and all our members, we'd like to welcome Tautog as our newest member and he's already jumped into the $100 One Race Challenge. Good luck in our newest contest.

Tautog, if you would like to share some background information with the rest of the board, this would be the place to post that info... i.e. what experience you have in following harness racing, Northfield Park, etc. Just gives us a general idea of where you are coming from. We have a wide range of perspectives on this board, from the casual fan to the long time owners, but everyone is welcome.

[tautog]

Hi I'm from NJ 55 years old. I've been following harness racing when there there were 40,000 plus fans on a Saturday night at Yonkers and the now defunct Roosevelt Raceway. When there was only one trifecta for the last race, no supers, pick 4's or the like. My have times changed. Saw all the great horses from way back when and watched the industry decline to where it is today which is sad.

As for today even though I live in NJ, I usually travel to Yonkers with my friends because it's more comfy than the Meadowlands which has become a dump to go to. We hang out at the bar where there are about a dozen of us who are so called "regulars", its sort of a club. I will say that Northfield is probably the first or second most popular track this is bet with the simulcasting but that's a small sample with 12 people. I'm surprised that most people are against the ten cent supers because with the handle you have the more people who bet there might get to like the track. Northfield is always in the center screen at the bar right next to the Meadowlands when it's running. Balmoral is always on the left side so just to give you an idea.

I'm not an exotic player but one who looks for value and will only bet 5-10 races a right from all the tracks. Hit a $30 horse at NF Saturday night and usually get good value from NF. The only bad thing is that the odds change so drastically because of the small handle.

I know Grismore came from NF and now races mainly at Yonkers. His girlfriend used to be at the bar all the time but a few guys pestered her about "tips" and I haven't seen her in quite a while now. Her reply was "he always tries and we never talk about the horses driving down". At least I bough her a drink a few time but I never bothered her but we did talk about the state of Ohio since I have family who lives there.

You seem like a great bunch of guys and I look forward to talking some more with you on racing. Any questions on the Meadowlands or Yonkers please feel free to ask away. Saw that Deaton won the first race he killed me yesterday with the 6 (longshot) going first over and never even thinking of tucking. But he gave me a try, I never kill a driver for doing that it's better than sitting on the rail unless your second.

I watch the Giss from my NJ OTB account on a small screen on the computer or when I'm at Yonkers. He's quite entertaining and so are his writings in Harness Eye.

Time to go my picks for tonight are the following:

Race 3=5
Race 4=6
Race 8=3 with an eye on the 8
Race 10=7 (it's a contest just a hunch to win it)
Race 13=4 (ml favorite ugh)