UPDATE- Case has apparently been granted his license, has been cleared by the State of Ohio to travel and all info has been forwarded to the USTA. It now appears he WILL debut Friday at Plainridge.
It appears that Walter Case, Jr., after earning early release from prison, will attempt to drive at Plainridge Racecourse in Massachusetts. While much has been made of this on blogs and message boards, the likelihood of him driving at Plainridge this Friday, where he is listed on 5-6 horses, is slim. As of the normal Tuesday deadline, he had not applied for a license, nor did he have formal permission to travel there to work. His probation remains in Ohio, meaning he would have to fly back weekly (my understanding, anyhow) to report in. Will he find a patron to pay for those flights? Too many questions in too short a time period. But it certainly appears Walter will be driving somewhere eventually. I hope it will be later rather than sooner so that all the issues are considered.
Frankly, I am torn. He did the crime and he served his time. He is the second bets half-mile track driver I have ever seen (behind only Lew Williams) and he could make speed with a horse like nobody I have ever seen. I can even live with his foot out of the stirrup violations
and if Major League Baseball gave Steve Howe (the pitcher, not the guitar player from Yes) 7 chances, I can see giving Walter another chance. But he tried to kill his wife.
I know, he was convicted of assault, not attempted murder, but I am not sure that putting him back into the high-stress situations of being a driver, in the lifestyle where he had his previous problems, with nothing but a weekly probation meeting is the best thing for him. Maybe a year in a half-way house (or six months) and then six months more working on the backstretch without driving, is called for. As opinionated as I am, I really don't know what the answer is on this one.
An argument can be made in either direction. Let's hope that the Massachusetts Commission (or whatever state he does apply to) gives his application (if it is filed) due consideration and does not rush to a conclusion either way.
5 comments:
The second best behind Lew? You'd better think again, Mr. Giss.
Case is the best driver who ever lived and looks nothing like any other driver at any track - as much as the George Brennan's try.
He probably has lost some timing, but will win his first mount back and probably 2 or 3 more Friday.
I wish him well. I don't have mixed feelings, as he has served his time. There are plenty of guys who cheated the public racing day and night. Case is not one of them.
-dusty nathan
Dusty- the issue can be argued either way, but Lew CHANGED THE WAY RACING WAS contested. Walter, as good as he was, simply won a lot of races.
It's my blog and my opinion (and if Lew was living in an age of catch drivers, who knows) that he was better, which not to demean Walter at all.
I have no memories of Lew W myself because of my age. From what I have gathered, you are right, Giss. Lew did change racing and I was happy to learn earlier this year that he will enter the Hall of Fame. I did have the pleasure of watching Walter in person and and I have seen him win a lot of races. No one comes to mind who could get more out of a horse than he could. His stature and style in the bike have been mimicked by countless drivers since he hit the scene but none have, in my opinion, had near the success. It really is unfair and pretty much a mute point to compare the two. I do think it will be interesting to see just how much "rust" Walter needs to shake off. It looks like the driving colony is pretty soft at Plainridge to say the least. I would think that he should spend some quality time in a backstretch setting jogging horses and getting reacquainted with the lifestyle. I do wish him the best and hope that he has finally exorcised his demons without losing his edge that helped him compete so strongly for so long.....
Dustin Miller
Mr. Giss Apparantley You Know About As Much About Harness Horses As The Next Idiot At Northfield Park. Lew Williams Wasnt a Quarter Of The Driver That Walter Case Is. He Was Always Too Good For All You People To Watch In Cesspool Cleveland.All The People He Brought To Northfield And You Still Have To Trash Talk Him. What About Don Irvine Jr. And All The Trouble He Caused At Northfield Driving Drunk. Maybe You Should Get Off Your High Horse Or Big Fat Butt And Give Walter Case His Due.
I go back to the Lew Williams days. I also saw Walter drive nightly at Y.R. Plus he drove a few of my horses. If you never believe another word, believe me, L. Williams was at best, a "good driver" and Walter one of the best to ever sit in a bike. In 10 lifetimes Lew W. couldn't be a speck of dirt on Walter's boot. And the fact that small time hick from Ohio who watched Walter make all their drivers look like amateurs nightly and brought record handle to that dump, could even think L.W. was better, shows you all it doesn't take any smarts to work at a harness track in a small time venue. Like some of you know, all Walter did night in and night out was "WIN"...
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