By: Chuck Miller
Having Fun

“There’s a horse named Frontier Town racing today, Chuck!”

It’s Sunday morning, and as I’m trying to get all my plans together before my surgery date – wash my clothes, some last-minute shopping, a couple of hours blocked out to see La La Land – I received a tweet from my friend Frank.

And it was a very interesting tweet.

Follow along with me.

As you know, I’ve been keeping tabs on plans for the upcoming renovation of the abandoned Frontier Town amusement park in Essex County.Β  I’ve not only mentioned Governor Cuomo’s $32 million budget allocation to turn the Frontier Town grounds into a “Gateway to the Adirondacks,” I’ve also noted that three weeks ago, I surreptitiously sneaked onto the snowy Frontier Town campus to capture some wintry photographs – including Faith and Frost, one of my frontrunners for Competition Season 2017.

I’ve also taken an interest of late in thoroughbred and standardbred racing, depending on whether I’m going to the flat track or to the harness track.Β  That’s what they’re called, the “flat track” and the “harness track,” unless you’re not a local, then they’re “Saratoga Race Course” and/or “Saratoga Casino and Hotel.”Β  Tourists.

But I had to take a quick look.Β  And sure enough, in the first race, horse was called Frontier Town.Β  The horse was part of a seven-horse field, four-year-old maidens born in New York State.Β  I didn’t recognize the jockey’s name – Kendrick Carmouche – but I figured, hey, this has to be a sign of something.Β  And a quick glance at Equibase noted that Frontier Town actually raced at Saratoga last July.

Come on.Β  I’m interested in what’s happening with Frontier Town – the park.Β  And now here’s Frontier Town – the horse.

I gotta drop a few dollars on this.Β  It’s a sign.Β  It’s a call from the horse racing gods.Β  It couldn’t be any clearer if the horse was named Bet On Me Chuck.

I went into the OTB parlor – yes, Green Island has an OTB parlor in the same mini-shopping-plaza as is the 24-hour laundromat – and I dropped $6 on a win-place-show for Horse , Frontier Town.

And they were in the gate…

And they were off…

Frontier Town made a race of it, getting as close as third place in the first quarter mile … but as the race progressed, Frontier Town fell off and finished sixth in a seven-horse race.

In other words, I just gave $6 to NYRA and I didn’t even get a thank-you.

Dag nab it.

I looked back at Equibase’s report.Β  Oh yeah, Frontier Town raced in Saratoga in July… and came in ninth in his race.Β  And his last race prior to Sunday?Β  He had a bad break out of the gate and finished in tenth place out of twelve.Β  And you don’t get money for tenth place.

Oh well… at this point, I did what I normally do when I start losing at the horse races.Β  I simply say, “The horses were smarter than me today,” and I leave the OTB parlor without placing another bet.

Hey, I played a hunch.Β  Not every hunch pays off.Β Β  Live and learn, Chuck.

And as far as Frontier Town the horse is concerned…

Go back to the stables and eat some oats and contemplate your status.Β  Coming in sixth in a seven-horse race.Β  Fooey on that.

And don’t even contact me unless you’ve returned to Saratoga.

If you even MAKE it back to Saratoga…

And don’t end up with a new career as an Amish buggy horse instead…