Photo: Bugler sounds Call to the Post; let the races begin
Inglewood, CA — Some would call him a longshot. Some would call him a nothin’. Some would call him flimsy and some might just call him Horse #14. But when he rounded that bend and came mud-flippin’ into the final stretch of the 8th race on Friday night, he wasn’t anything less than Swingin’ Jim.
It was the last race of the night and an Autumn chill had settled into the blood of the racing fans at Hollywood Park. The seven races prior to the eighth had given the crowd everything they’d come for. The first race went to Perfect Feat on a 10-1 longshot offering a big payoff to those who believed in the four-year-old Kentucky-bred filly. The second race fell into the lap of the preferred contender Forty Paces, a two-year-old gelding out of Idaho.
The fifth race want to Anga; the seventh went to Charm N’ Chuck. Winnings had filled and fallen from the pockets of the spectators and the end of the night was soon approaching. Race 8 was set to begin at 10:21 pm. The yawning fans packed up their belongings to beat traffic and the more rambunctious ones migrated toward the North Lawn where a Jace Everett concert would begin at the conclusion of the last race. The ad in the race-catalog recognizes Jace for the song “Bad Things” from the television series True Blood. Set to begin at 10:30, guitar-tuning had already begun.
Photo: Jim makes his entrance
Swingin Jim, a tall, thin chestnut gelding made his way from the stables on the far east side of the park toward the starting gate. He trotted alongside his competition: Arkham Asylum, a favored gelding from Gotham City, Big Revolution, who was nominated by the catalog commentator as a “candidate for victory”, and finally Justice Reigns, an old, grey thoroughbred gelding with a new jockey on his back, a Mr. Joel Rosariow weighing 124 lbs.
Horse-owner Jack Van Berg, a ranch-thickened cowboy roaming the track in his golfcart and beaten brown boots, came to support his horse, Bernie’s Baby, a California gelding labeled “Hard to like,” by the track commentator. All eleven horses set for the final race and Swingin Jim took the far slot next to a young gray. Jim looked comparatively slim, with his ribs pressed firmly against his hide and a long gaunt face even by horse standards.
Jim’s claiming price is set at $10,500.00 tonight, which means that certain certified buyers could pay that amount and purchase Jim right off the track. Horses in the first race each had a claiming price above 30,000.00. Purchasing Jim would be equivalent to purchasing a low mileage 2006 Pontiac Sedan.
The horses, owners, jockeys and fans gather in the historic Hollywood Park. Hollywood Park opened in 1938 with funds from the Hollywood Turf Club and has since passed through the hands of various associations. It sits on a piece of land in Inglewood large enough to house Jurassic Park. The nearest racetrack in Southern California is the Los Alamitos racetrack a little ways Southeast. Alamitos is minor-league compared to Hollywood Park, and although horseracing is no longer popular, Hollywood Park still boasts the ability to seat 10,000 fans if necessary and has the firepower to broaden their horizons with acts like Jace Everett and $2 hot dogs. I’d almost rather pay four dollars for a hot dog.
The sixth floor is the press box that floats above the stadium like the moon from the Truman Show and carries one single man named Bob Mieszerski, the Director of Publicity. The fifth floor is so utterly elegant that it’s unoccupiable in the year 2010 unless the Kentucky Derby decides to make an appearance in Inglewood. The fourth floor is nearly empty save a father and his son, both wearing full tweed suits sharing a pitcher of iced tea alongside a plate of squeezed lemon slices. The father speaks through the butt of his cigar and the son keeps his eyes fastened diligently on the racing horses below. The third floor and the second floor each have slight variations of style, each being wall-lined with oil painted portraits of horseracing-greats.
Photo: The 50-urinal bathroom in Hollywood Park 3rd Tunnel goes unused on a Friday night
The first floor is where most of the action takes place, with long tin benches lined with hollering fans, numerous bars serving cheap beer and famed hot dogs, and dozens of attendants selling tickets.
My ticket read: Race 8. $2 to Win, #14 – Swingin Jim.
They set his odds at 30-1; he was the longest shot on the track. The commentators didn’t think much of him either, as they wrote, “Outrun twice at this level since breaking his maiden at the fair. Can see no reason for a turnaround tonight and probably would be better served taking his act down the road to Los Alamitos.”
Jay Cohen, the in-house bugler, waits patiently at the end of the dirt-laden entry tunnel. When the first horse noses around the corner, he raises his long silver bugle to the air and sounds “Call to the Post,” to inform the fans of the upcoming race. In 23 years he says he’s played the Call over 80,000 times.
A woman with hair of silver and gold rises from the tin bench wrapped tight in her fleece smock to view the arriving competitors. Sitting atop Swingin Jim’s back is his122lb jockey, Mr. Daniel Dandoval, wearing a Halloween-orange pullover speckled with green polka dots. The crowd goes silent; the horses are ready to race.
“And they’re off!” the announcer yells into the p.a.
Jim started fast and the announcer knew it. The first babble of names came roaring through the air, “It’s Sticky Candy in the lead followed tight by Bellzone who’s neck and neck with Swingin Jim. And here comes Arkham Asylum on the inside track to take the lead, rounding the Southeast corner, Harlan’s Tune catches up with Swingin Jim. Swingin Jim and Harlan’s Tune on the straightaway followed by Big Revolution and Justice Reighns. Justice Reigns pulls ahead for the East stretch, catching up with Sticky Candy, Swingin Jim. Sticky Candy in the lead rounding the Northeast corner. Justice Reigns now on the inside, Harlan’s tune and Swingin Jim following close behind. On the North stretch, we’ve got Sticky Candy holding the lead but here comes Swingin’ Jim! Justice Reigns right behind him as the approach the Northwest corner. Ladies and gentlemen, here they come into the final stretch, neck and neck, Justice Reigns closing in on the outside track, Sticky Candy falling back, and Justice Reigns pulls ahead for the lead! Justice Reigns wins the race! What a race! Justice Reigns!”
Swingin Jim finished sixth, somewhere between Cat Brando and Harlan’s Tune. The jockey’s families emerged from the crowd for congratulations and within minutes the racetrack was silent and empty and a small crowd had gathered on the North Lawn for the Jace Everett concert.
Swingin Jim, the four-year-old Californian gelding, might not be invited back to Hollywood Park. With the longest odds on the track and no wins since his maiden, there’s only one place left for Swingin Jim: the Los Alamitos Racetrack. And once you race the bottom racket, chances are, that’s where you stay. Not every horse can be Secretariat.
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