I met Billy in Pompano. Great guy ! I'm sorry I didn't go back to work for him in October. Would have been a great. experience. Nowadays , it's not the same. I feel fortunate that he offered me a job. Missed opportunity. Memories.
Gives me chills watching videos like this. Billy was such an awesome horseman and person. I am so glad that I was around in those days. Today is so different! There are no more Glen Garnsey's, George Sholtys, Delvin Millers, Stanley Dancers just to name a few...God, those were the days!!! People today just have no idea what is was like to be around in the prime of the Grand Circuit......
I agree with you. He drove overnights rather than grand circuits and had over 15,000 wins. One could only imagine what he would have achieved if he tried all the time.
Sadly, it would be two nights later (July 5, 1986) that Haughton would be involved in an accident at Yonkers that took his life. As I remember, it was in an elimination for the Lawrence B. Shepard Pace, at the time a big-money event for two year old pacers.
Great horseman. Only good that came out of this was that drivers started wearing the motorcycle type helmet. Billy and Shelly Goudreau both died with their heads hitting the ground, these helmets splitting and going right into their skull. Shelly had died 3 or 4 years earlier. I remember he had taken himself off of horses, and had Bill O'Donnel drive the great Niatross, as Billy was getting older, and a tick slower in reaction time, something most of us now older see in ourselves driving cars, so we drive a little slower and give a little more room to adjust, but you can't do that in a horse race, and Billy knew that. It almost seemed as if he had to drive at this point to keep busy.....after losing his son Peter in a car accident, it was like he went out and drove because he had to. He died doing what he loved doing, but I doubt he was ever really happy again after Peter died. I agree about the racing with the woman below who talks about the best days. From these guys, through the top catch drivers, when the game was at it's peak and on sound financial ground was the best. Had a good run, but casinos lottery ruboffs killed the sport. Don't get me wrong, these top young kids could drive with any of the best of any year. But the sport was much stronger. These younger guys also do a lot for the sport, putting themselves in the public eye very often giving interviews and on social media, making it better in those ways. I just wish we could get younger people to see what they are missing....they would KNOW there is not comparison to getting the form the night before, handicapping, getting to the track to watch warmups, no simulcasting, just the races that night. The calmness and fun of handicapping. The incredible excitement of the race. How do pinball machines and crap tables match this, let alone flipping a coin with the lottery? They are just knockout games, which is what racing tried with simulcasting. I guess we will have to see racinos to continue, and it is what it is. But my heart longs for the old days......probably a reason is I was young too!!! LOL....I know age is a factor in music, and why every single person thinks the music of their youth was the best and the new stuff stinks. Everything is great when you're young with your life in front of you!!!
It was a sad evening in harness racing history when Haugjhton was killed in a race. Didn't pay much attention beforehand because it seemed like a lower class race with drivers who don't compete to often in it. The single shaft sullky was also getting advertising promotions..(as I recall Marion Tolson , a trainer who rarely drove replaced Carmine Abbietellp in the bike for that race and remained 8th from start to finish..also other lesser known drivers. Equivocal moves. They rarely show the actual film of the race. Shocking and astonishing!
I remember when Goudreau died. He actually was supposed to be at Roosevelt the night after he had the accident at Hollywood Park that took his life as he had drives on what was the night of the Roosevelt International.
I met Billy in Pompano. Great guy ! I'm sorry I didn't go back to work for him in October. Would have been a great. experience. Nowadays , it's not the same. I feel fortunate that he offered me a job. Missed opportunity. Memories.
Gives me chills watching videos like this. Billy was such an awesome horseman and person. I am so glad that I was around in those days. Today is so different! There are no more Glen Garnsey's, George Sholtys, Delvin Millers, Stanley Dancers just to name a few...God, those were the days!!! People today just have no idea what is was like to be around in the prime of the Grand Circuit......
Herve Fillon was the KING but, he gambled it away in AC. Shit happens.
I agree with you. He drove overnights rather than grand circuits and had over 15,000 wins. One could only imagine what he would have achieved if he tried all the time.
I remember Benny calling him and Stanley the Godfathers of the sport and then I met him at Buffalo Raceway with Loaded Yankee and I understood.
Sadly, it would be two nights later (July 5, 1986) that Haughton would be involved in an accident at Yonkers that took his life. As I remember, it was in an elimination for the Lawrence B. Shepard Pace, at the time a big-money event for two year old pacers.
I was there that night and it still bothers me today to have seen it. One of harness racings best!
Great horseman. Only good that came out of this was that drivers started wearing the motorcycle type helmet. Billy and Shelly Goudreau both died with their heads hitting the ground, these helmets splitting and going right into their skull. Shelly had died 3 or 4 years earlier. I remember he had taken himself off of horses, and had Bill O'Donnel drive the great Niatross, as Billy was getting older, and a tick slower in reaction time, something most of us now older see in ourselves driving cars, so we drive a little slower and give a little more room to adjust, but you can't do that in a horse race, and Billy knew that. It almost seemed as if he had to drive at this point to keep busy.....after losing his son Peter in a car accident, it was like he went out and drove because he had to. He died doing what he loved doing, but I doubt he was ever really happy again after Peter died. I agree about the racing with the woman below who talks about the best days. From these guys, through the top catch drivers, when the game was at it's peak and on sound financial ground was the best. Had a good run, but casinos lottery ruboffs killed the sport. Don't get me wrong, these top young kids could drive with any of the best of any year. But the sport was much stronger. These younger guys also do a lot for the sport, putting themselves in the public eye very often giving interviews and on social media, making it better in those ways. I just wish we could get younger people to see what they are missing....they would KNOW there is not comparison to getting the form the night before, handicapping, getting to the track to watch warmups, no simulcasting, just the races that night. The calmness and fun of handicapping. The incredible excitement of the race. How do pinball machines and crap tables match this, let alone flipping a coin with the lottery? They are just knockout games, which is what racing tried with simulcasting. I guess we will have to see racinos to continue, and it is what it is. But my heart longs for the old days......probably a reason is I was young too!!! LOL....I know age is a factor in music, and why every single person thinks the music of their youth was the best and the new stuff stinks. Everything is great when you're young with your life in front of you!!!
It was a sad evening in harness racing history when Haugjhton was killed in a race.
Didn't pay much attention beforehand because it seemed like a lower class race with drivers who don't compete to often in it.
The single shaft sullky was also getting advertising promotions..(as I recall Marion Tolson , a trainer who rarely drove replaced Carmine Abbietellp in the bike for that race and remained 8th from start to finish..also other lesser known drivers. Equivocal moves.
They rarely show the actual film of the race.
Shocking and astonishing!
I remember when Goudreau died. He actually was supposed to be at Roosevelt the night after he had the accident at Hollywood Park that took his life as he had drives on what was the night of the Roosevelt International.
Billy said they're are good drivers and great drivers then they're is Herve.
I remember his 3000 win at Roosevelt.top driver great horseman.trained for the potato farmer