ROCKIN N ROLLIN
The Rocknroll Hanover syndication is just about completed thus this is a last call for prospective shareholders to expedite the paperwork.

FLEXING MUSCLES
Won’t be long until MUSCULAR hits the Open level at Pompano having won his 5th straight rather impressively on Monday. Looks like still another noticeable Muscles Yankee late developer.

RANDOMS
Really shouldn’t expect an exceptional drive from what is basically a journeyman driver. You may be pleasantly surprised from time to time but don’t expect it.

Really shouldn’t take “I’m buying the colt” is an absolute. He might buy it but he might well like something better in the next aisle.

Really shouldn’t evaluate a horse on the basis of its ownership connections. Evaluate the horse on what it does.

Generally speaking if they’re not in the ring, they didn’t like the horse

If you can reverse the trips and have a different result, you have what is essentially a circumstantial winner. If you reverse the trips and the result stays the same, you have a definitive winner.

Don’t assume that it’s NOT an entry just because bottom line and/or naive officialdom are trying to induce extra handle via the uncoupled for wagering purposes only rationale. If there’s common interest there may indeed be common intent.

POKER FACE
Loved Dean Hoffman’s poker face piece in the January Hoofbeats but having been where his friend “Barry” is, can’t accept that Barry is “hurting harness racing” by preferring to play poker rather than “the ponies”.

With poker there’s a mechanical integrity of the play pitting the player’s individual skill versus the random components of chance.

Race betting adds the hurdle of intent to the equation something most players have a major problem navigating and/or overcoming.

Though gamblers can rationalize almost anything, the moment they equate losing with ambiguous intent, they’re gone.

Harness Racing has unfortunately hurt itself by its by elements of conduct which conflicts with the interest of those it’s trying to attract.

Unfortunately far too many races contain starters whose degree of competitiveness is marginal and/or questionable. The problem here is that people wagering on these scenarios lose money and formulate negative conclusions.

Therefore those entering what are essentially marginally competitive horses for any reason are actually hurting harness racing for someone is unwittingly betting on them..

Officials looking the other way by allowing or slotting marginally or non competitive horses as fillers in order to make the number needed to fill a race are hurting harness racing as someone will unwittingly be betting on them.

Officials who uncouple obvious conflicts in order to increase the betting numbers are not helping harness racing.

Sorry but in poker there’s a level playing field. The success or failure of “the play” is determined by the player’s degree of skill along with the luck of the draw -not someone else’s intentions.

MORE RANDOMS
Those who schedule features at inopportune times are ensuring they won’t be viewed by an optimum number of spectators.

Those who print fluff rather than facts are basically printing advertising shill.

Bill Weaver is a very worthy “Breeder Of The Year” in New Jersey even if he favors maple frosted donuts.

Anyone lucky enough to be on Bob “Hollywood” Heyden’s e-mail “cc” list understands why he’s getting that award.

Did the Palone Ranger inadvertently leak the secret identity of Commissioner Scotty Tickets?

Include David Carr, Janet Forry, Barbara Brooks, & Phil Sporn on the Goshen corner list.

Some 35 million people watched. This year’s ROSE BOWL!

Bob Marks