May The Horse Be With You: Pack at the Track

by Harvey Pack, Peter Thomas Fornatale (Collaborator)

If there were a picture next to the word horseplayer in the dictionary, odds are it would be the familiar visage of Harvey Pack, the legendary and curmudgeonly face and voice of racing to generations of New York racetrack denizens. In May the Horse be with You: Pack at the Track, Pack reflects on over a half century of racing's most memorable people, places and moments. From his seat in the grandstand as a childhood fan, to his decades of dedicated work behind the microphone and in front of the camera, Pack recalls a lively life at the track amidst millionaires, busted-out bettors, and ever-changing crew of wagering compatriots. Pack, with the help of author Peter Thomas Fornatale, tells Runyon-esque tales from his seven decades as a racing fan, highlighted by the characters he was fortunate (and unfortunate) enough to meet. In the end it wasn't the celebrities or racing superstars that Pack connected with best, but the regular racetrack Joe. Whether one finds himself lumped with the hundreds of fans who risk the rent money or just a casual $2 across-the-board bettor, it's the everlasting comradeship associated with being a horseplayer that Pack and so many others are drawn to day in and day out.

Genres: Sports, Horse Racing

176 pages, Hardcover

First published July 25, 2007

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's face it. This book is not "War and Peace." It's about a much more serious topic - horse racing.

I first encountered Harvey Pack at my maiden trip to Saratoga in 1983. My buddies and I stumbled across Harvey's Paddock Club when it was actually across from the paddock, next to the jockey's dressing room. There was Harvey holding court. He did his shtick: reminded us to gloat over our victories and to keep track of our winnings/losses with his tale of warning concerning Clark at Aqueduct who lost his house, car and family but thought he was about even. We ate it up. Even though he was about 30 years older than us we all wanted to be Harvey or at least have his job but we couldn't figure out how to get it.

Well, thanks to this book we now know how to get the job of a lifetime while have no discernible skills. At least Harvey would like you to think that. Actually, Harvey had a great skill of being able to transfuse his love of racing to whatever audience he was facing - Be it the live at the Paddock Club, doing race recaps on radio or TV or hosting the Breeders Cup.

Reading this book is like a full season of the Paddock Club and more. Anyone who follows horse racing will enjoy Harvey's insight on racing and handicappers. Anyone who has glancing acquaintance with Harvey over the past 50+ years will love it.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s be clear. If you’re a horse racing person this book is required reading. I knew Harvey Pack as a kid an by “knew him” I mean he would talk to me when I talked to him and he adored my father - then a racing handicapper with the New York Past, Ray Kerrison.

Harvey Pack defined the New York horseplayer and this book with story after story after story shows you how.

I can hear his voice in every word I read. This was a horse players joy.

I am not kidding when I tell you IF you’re. A horse racing person OR if you’re a degenerate gambler (in the kindest definition of the word degenerate) you NEED to read this. To experience the life he had. To hear his stories. His jokes. His bad beats.

Folks. No ****ing around, if you’re a horseplayer and you know who Pack is you’re doing yourself a great disservice by not buying this book.

Buy it and keep it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I miss Harvey Pack. He is part of a dying breed of horseplayers.