There are many songs with the horse as the main theme or character in the lyrics. “Wildfire” by Michael Murphy and “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones are a couple. But I set out to find the top 10 songs specifically about horse racing.
Whether from the racing aspect or the wagering side of the sport, the list was dreadfully small, but probably more than most major sports. With the exception of baseball, horse racing probably has more songs than the rest.
I can’t name more than one or two songs about golf or tennis or soccer or basketball and car racing. Even our country’s most popular sport, football, only has a couple that I know of “Are You Ready for Some Football” and “The Lonesome Kicker”.
If you would like to see my Top 10 Horse Race Songs just click on the picture and “I’ll Take You There”.
10) The main dress code rule was, “Cover your privates! It’s all we expect.”
9) If you threw a betting ticket on the ground outside it was a $500 fine BUT in our OTB parlor it’s OK, our $19 an hour union “floor sweeper guy” who’s building his pension will get it.
8) The only designated smoking area was within 2 to 4 feet of the front door (see picture above).
7) Coughing and hacking was required by all bettors prior to and after each race.
6) If you were a bad employee, that was OK…. your union and the government guaranteed your job, your wages and your pension.
5) The government was in charge of running the company…. and they can’t even run the government!
4) The smell was bad, the windows greasy, the fixtures trashed, the food was yuk and bathrooms were filthy, other than that they were OK.
3) Women were allowed but very few braved the cold-hearted, germ-infested confines (see above picture again). Would you want your wife or your mother-in-law to go in there?? (Don’t answer that.)
2) Foul language was not only permitted but was #$%^&@ng required.
And the number one reason the NYC OTB parlors went under……
1) Profit? Whazza profit? Hey, I get paid, no matta…. whateva!
