HORSE RACING LOS ALAMITOS : Increased Banking Pays Dividends

From his perch high above the Los Alamitos Race Course, Leonard Stephens, the director of operations and track superintendent, visualized that European banking could make Los Alamitos the fastest 5/8-mile harness track in the United States.

Instead of putting the track’s money in a Swiss bank account, though, Stephens used an idea he credits to Swedish horsemen--and increased the degree in the banking of the turns at the Orange County oval--and has reaped the benefits ever since.

On Sept. 22, Tk’s Skipper tied the world record of 1:52.2 for older horses in the third leg of the American Pacing Classic Series. A week later TK’s Skipper was a neck better than Dare You To as the pair lowered the world mark by a full second.

If that wasn’t enough to prove the track’s new 17-degree banking of the far turn, on Oct. 16, trotter Magic Moose (1:57.2) obliterated his eight-month old track record while tortting the third fastest mile (1:56.4) in the nation this year on the 5/8-mile configuration.

“The Swedes have done more research with horses and they say at 17-degrees a horse thinks he’s running on flat ground,” Stephens said. “Horses are no different than race cars. The banking helps them make the turns.”

At the last harness meet at Los Alamitos, the banking in the far turn was just 12-degrees and three sulkies wide while the Clubhouse turn had a banking of only 3.5-degrees. The Clubhouse turn was also raised to 6-degrees.

“I predicted almost every horse would break his lifetime mark if we built it like we wanted it,” Stephens, who is also the mastermind behind the new $750,000 paddock and drivers facility, said. “I asked Lloyd (co-owner Lloyd Arnold) if we increased the turn if he was ready for every horse to hit lifetime bests . . . He said, ‘Go for it.”’

In the 430 races through Oct. 17, 201 of the winners have established lifetime marks. There have also been 13 track records set as well as the world records.

As far as Stephens and Director of Racing Fred Kuebler know, Los Alamitos is the only 5/8-mile track in the nation that has experimented with the higher bankin.

“One of the greatest accomplishments is getting the world record,” Stephens said. “We took the initiative and made the banks to what we thought was optimum. I don’t know another 5/8-mile track that’s done this.”

And Stephens points out that th new turn may be helping lessen the number of injured horses since only two horses have gotten hurt while racing at the 42-day meeting and one of those was when a horse kicked the wheel of the sulky in front of him.

“I think they’ve (the Swedes) known it for years, that that’s the best angle to keep the horses sound. Nobody knows for sure, but it seems to work for us.”

The immediateness of the results caught Stephens a little off guard, “I was surprised, but I knew deep in my heart it would happen with those turns . . . You’re very happy when it does happen.”

Stephens other brainchild, the new 25-stall paddock built into the west end of the grandstands for up-close public viewing, may be another innovation that helps harness racing at Los Alamitos in the future. The horses which used to get nervous in the old infield paddock, seemed to be more relaxed in the new tartan-surfaced indoor facility.

Calmer horses may also mean faster times. The first six races on Oct. 13, the first night the new paddock was used, all finished in 1:56.4 or better. And only the seventh race (1:57.1) and the 2-year-old stakes race (1:58.3) were slower on the 13-race program.

“The horses seemed a lot quieter,” Stephens said. “To me it seemed like they thought they were standing in their stalls. All the people around didn’t seem to bother them.”