90-year-old Las Vegas horseplayer has many memories to share
When Leo Polito’s older brother told him 75 years ago that there was, in fact, such a thing as a free lunch, he had no idea that he was about to be pulled into a world that would captivate him for the rest of his life.
The destination that day in 1944 was a bookie joint in Rochester, New York, right out of “The Sting.” There the teenager was offered free food and drink, as well as the opportunity to bet on five racetracks that were hosting races far, far away.
“We didn’t have to pay for nothing,” the 90-year-old Polito recalled this week from his home in Las Vegas.
Given that he was saving money on lunch, he decided to invest a few dollars on a race at Hawthorne, and threw $2 more on the Daily Double for good measure.
The horse, named Spotted Bull, turned out to be a “mudlark,” romping in the slop and paying $32 to win. To top it off, the double came in, too, completing a $350 payday.
“My brother said ‘Let’s go. This is the worst thing that could have happened to you,’” the 90-year old Polito remembered with a laugh.
Thus began Polito’s lifelong love affair with horse racing.
As befits a horseplayer with 75 years of experience, Polito can spin yarns with the best of them.
He chuckles over a couple disastrous ventures into racehorse ownership with his brothers and recalls his days as a regular at Finger Lakes racetrack. Since he helped the owners out on various projects, they set aside a table for him in the clubhouse. In 2010, long after Polito had moved west, track ownership flew him and his late wife of 61 years, Jean, to New York and named a race in their honor: the Leo and Jean Polito 56th Anniversary Purse.
One of his fondest memories was an encounter with Johnny Longden on the beach at Del Mar one morning before the races, when the Hall of Fame jockey turned trainer was riding a beautifully built 2-year-old and leading a string of horses for a jog in the surf.
“I walked up to him and I says, ‘He’s beautiful.’ I says ‘This horse is going to win the Derby.’”
That drew a smile from Longden, who was in fact sitting astride Majestic Prince, who went on to win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes the next year.
“It was a beautiful experience for me,” Polito said.
Leo isn’t close to slowing down or quitting his weekends at the Gold Coast race book, where he continues to show off the handicapping wisdom picked up over the years.
If he’s not too deeply engrossed in his Racing Form, stop by and say hello. You just might be treated to some wonderful racing stories.
#RJhorseracing featured races
The #RJhorseracing handicappers return to New Orleans this week for one of the first important Kentucky Derby prep races of the year — the LeComte Stakes — as well as a turf stakes named for the famed gambler and thoroughbred breeder Col. E.R. Bradley.
In the latter, a $125,000 handicap run at the “about” 1 1/16th-mile distance, the crowd ‘cappers are squarely behind 2-1 morning line favorite Great Wide Open, with Big Changes (9-2) and First Premio (7-2) favored for the minors.
With thunderstorms in the forecast for Saturday in New Orleans, #RJhorseracing handicapper Michael Kaczer advises keeping a close eye on the skies.
“If the 10th is taken off the turf, Silver Dust wins this. Assuming this race is on grass, Great Wide Open gets the top check mark over second choice, Big Changes. Great Wide Open beat Big Changes by over four lengths, while third place finisher Sir Dudley Digges was five lengths back at the finish.
Great Wide Open may indeed be able to take these foes gate-to-wire, but I’ll go with the Flo (as in jockey Florent Geroux) and take a shot with Pioneer Spirit (6-1), who has improved sharply in his second start off a layoff several times before. First Premio and Great Wide Open fill out my top three.
In the LeComte, a wide-open Grade 3 at 1 mile, 70 yards for newly turned 3-year-olds, the crew is taking a stand with War of Will (6-1) over Plus Que Parfait (9-2) and Tackett (6-1).
“Aired vs. maidens routing at Churchill after two Grade 1s and a Grade 3 on turf, including against Line of Duty in the Breeders’ Cup,” writes crowd ‘capper Mas Yoshinaga of the group’s pick.
I’m reaching deeper into the field, which will likely have to deal with an “off” track, and using Manny Wah (10-1) for canny trainer Wayne Catalano. I’ll use Tight Ten (8-1) and Roiland (12-1) underneath.
Last week’s picks: My top two picks in the 7th race at Aqueduct finished 1-2, though in the reverse order from how I had them. Anyone with the foresight to box them in an exacta collected $111.50 on a $2 ticket. The crowd ‘cappers had the second- and third-place finishers in their top three.
In the Say Florida Sandy Stakes, the crew had winner Honor Up ($7.10) as their second choice. I had two of the top three finishers in my picks, though not the winner.
Mike Brunker’s horse racing column appears Friday. He can be reached at mbrunker@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4656. Follow @mike_brunker on Twitter.
Ellis Starr’s LeComte Stakes analysis
In this year’s LeComte, I am going to narrow the contenders down to two horses who have a higher probability to win than the rest, and four others who can win but who also appear to have a good shot to finish second or third. Tackett is the first win contender. He is on a perfect pattern for success in his stakes debut as he finished third in his first career start, a sprint, in October before stretching out to win both two-turn races since. Trainer Michael Stidham, who is based at Fair Grounds, has seen Tackett improve markedly since the debut, first earning an 84 Equibase Speed Figure in victory in November before a career-best 93 figure last month. That 93 figure effort compares favorably with the 94 figure Plus Que Parfait earned when a neck shy of winning the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall, with Tackett having the benefit of both wins coming both over the surface and at the distance of the LeComte. Likely to continue his pattern of improvement in his 3-year-old debut, Tackett might be tough to beat in this situation.
Plus Que Parfait rallied from 11th of 14 in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last fall and was still eighth on the turn but gobbled up the ground to come up a neck shy of winner Signalman at the wire. That was his second race in a row around two turns and he improved from an 89 figure effort the prior month to a new best 94 figure effort. Given time off to mature, Plus Que Parfait is trying to follow in the footsteps of Mo Tom, who finished third in the Kentucky Jockey Club in 2015 before winning the LeComte in 2016. In his two route starts to date, Plus Que Parfait has shown tactical speed by sitting in second in the early stages, and late speed as when rallying from 11th in his most recent start. That versatility gives jockey Julien Leparoux a potential advantage in the early stages as he can watch what transpires in front of him and put Plus Que Parfait in a great spot from which he can win with just slight improvement of his last effort.
The next four, who have some probability to win and a more than decent probability to finish in the top three, are Chase the Ghost, Manny Wah, Mo Speed and Night Ops.
Ellis Starr is the national racing analyst for Equibase. Visit the Equibase website for more on the race or to purchase handicapping products.
