HORSE PLAY : Fun May Be the Only Sure Thing About Harness Racing

Paddock Judge Bill Vallandingham paced back and forth in his pointy leather boots, chewing a wad of gum. He glanced nervously at his watch, then shouted, “OK! Race six to the drivers’ circle. Next up, race seven.”

It was “Hat Night” at Los Alamitos Racecourse, during the last racing season, and spectators old and young were wearing the white caps handed out at the gate.

At the paddock, spectators stood three deep behind the fence, absorbing the view of the drivers’ colorful silks, the squeak of the leather harness and the earthy smell of peat.

The blanketed horses filed out, pulling sulkies and drivers toward the dirt track. Bettors watched intently, measuring the horses against the odds.

Some rushed to the betting windows. Others ignored the frenzy, content to soak up the country fair atmosphere. Children scampered along the fence near the finish line, enthralled by the excitement, bright lights and sleek horses.

On the track, outrider Bobby Adair rode alongside a nervous horse, keeping a practiced eye out for trouble. As outrider, Adair leads the post-time parade dressed in a smart red and black habit.

During the race, his job is more than ceremonial. If a horse spooks, unseats its driver and runs loose on the track, Adair must chase it down to prevent disaster. Veteran drivers say Adair’s fearlessness has saved their lives more than once. His quickness has kept minor incidents from causing injuries like those he suffered when he was thrown and trampled--ending his career as the nation’s winningest quarter horse jockey.

Starter Todd Nixon whizzed past the outrider in the pace car, a 1979 Lincoln Continental. He faced backward in the turquoise and white sedan, which is outfitted with a wing-like retractable starting gate.

Controlling the speed of the car with a remote throttle, Nixon brought 10 horses and sulkies into a trotting pack, moving in unison. When the drivers had their horses at the gate, Nixon signaled the start.

From his perch high atop the grandstand, announcer Joe Alto shouted, “Theeere they go!”

Folding its metal wings, the pace car veered to the side of the track, and the horses surged against their harnesses. Sulky wheels whined. Dirt flew. Whips cracked.

Some spectators craned their necks while others jumped up and down like children. Experienced bettors stared at their programs, motionless except for an occasional sip of coffee or beer, a drag on a cigarette or short bursts of excited scribbling.

Others gazed up at the overhead monitors, watching electronic images instead of the live action.

Everyone jumped up at the finish when veteran Ross Croghan, driving Lingan John, edged out rival Rick Kuebler, seated behind Game Advance. Bettors momentarily erupted into great joy or exaggerated anguish, only to settle back into a collective trance when the trumpet signaled post time for the seventh race.

The spectacle of live harness racing occurs only two places in California: at Cal Expo in Sacramento County and at Los Alamitos. At the Orange County racecourse, the four-month 1993 season kicks off Friday night.

Although the sagging economy and other factors have cut into the action, average nightly attendance at Los Alamitos harness races last year was 3,500, and the average nightly wagering total was $800,000.

Harness racing is said to have originated in the eastern United States, when families raced each other to church along country roads. By 1806, it had become an annual event at county fairs. It was harness racing horse Flora Temple that composer Stephen Foster immortalized as the “bobtail nag” in his catchy tune “Camptown Races.” The legendary Dan Patch, the equine hero of early 1900s harness racing, was portrayed in Currier & Ives drawings, and his likeness was used as an endorsement for everything from washing machines to padlocks.

The sport has retained its common origins and lacks the high-roller image of thoroughbred racing. Even though most horses are owned by large stables, there’s still room for small owners like Paula and Hank Hayward, who have staked their modest fortune on Picture Perfect, a 3-year-old they raised from a foal.

The horse has brought them more than $50,000 in winnings, but not without the Haywards’ total devotion. The couple makes ends meet by working for other owners--Paula as a caretaker and Hank as a trainer. The Haywards live like Gypsies, following the California harness racing circuit to Sacramento, then to Del Mar for the training season and back to Los Alamitos. Fellow harness racing aficionados make up the couple’s main social network, which consists mostly of people from Canada, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand--countries where the sport is popular.

For about the same price as a movie, you can take in harness racing’s carnival atmosphere and observe both human and animal natures at their competitive and compulsive best.

You can dine on $1.75 hot dogs and a 12-ounce draft beer for $2.65 in the grandstand. Or you can enjoy a glass of wine and a whole Maine lobster for about $20 in the clubhouse’s Turf Terrace Dining Room, where a maitre d’ will greet you.

The seats immediately across from the finish line are the best place to observe the sport and its human sideshow. Here you are likely to find a computer programmer seated next to a gardener and his family. Children scamper about with their heads down, looking for winning tickets dropped by distracted bettors.

“I come here on weekends with my neighbor,” said John Garcia of Garden Grove, whose two children had just returned from the track’s arcade to hit him up for quarters. “Sometimes he wins a lot of money, but I never bet. I just sit and watch.”

Garcia and his children--Tony, 8, and Anna, 12--were among those attending the recent “Hat Night” races. Garcia’s neighbor, unnerved by a reporter’s questions, declined to give his name. “If my ex-wife hears I’ve been at the track, she’ll haul me into court and ask for more alimony,” he said, glancing up briefly from his mangled program.

“Don’t mind him. He’s all caught up in the action,” said Garcia, giving the reporter a sly glance. “I’m here because it beats watching TV.”

Behind them, a crowd of rowdy fraternity brothers razzed a lucky bettor on his way to collect his winnings with his date in tow. “Buy the lady dinner! Don’t be a cheapskate!” they shouted.

Over at the clubhouse, things are generally a little more sedate. Tiny color monitors flash race results to every table in the bar while big-screen TVs in living room-style alcoves offer viewers a chance to keep up with the latest football, basketball or hockey action.

If you decide to bet, remember the odds. The big winner seated next to you may have lost his paycheck in a previous visit. And the state extracts approximately 16 to 24 cents in taxes from every dollar, depending on the type of bet. An additional four cents is split between horse owners and the track, leaving 80 cents for distribution among winners.

Determine how much you would have spent that evening on any other form of entertainment, establish a budget and stick to it. An evening at the races can be an inexpensive, novel and educational experience, as long as you are careful not to bet the ranch.

What: Harness racing.

When: Opens Friday, Jan. 22, and runs through April 24. Races held nightly Wednesday through Saturday. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. First race starts at 7:45.

Where: Los Alamitos Racecourse, 4961 Katella Ave., Cypress.

Whereabouts: San Diego (405) Freeway to the Valley View Street exit. Head north on Valley View and turn left on Katella Avenue. The main gate is between Walker and Lexington streets.

Wherewithal: Grandstand admission is $3, clubhouse admission is $4.50. Programs are $1.50. General parking is free, preferred parking $3, valet parking $7.

Where to call: (310) 431-1361, general information and dining reservations; (714) 995-2222, race results hot line.

A Harness Racing Primer

Driver: Unlike jockeys, harness drivers come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tall and lanky while others are downright portly. Obviously, the driver’s skill, not his build, is more crucial in harness racing. Most bettors pay close attention to the driver’s career win-loss ratio.

Sulky: Chariot-like buggy hitched to the horse to haul the driver around the track.

Reins: Used to maneuver the horse into position.

Bridle: Open bridles permit a horse to see in all directions. Others limit the horses side and forward vision to prevent distractions.

Shadow roll: Prevents horse from observing shadows and other distractions.

Hobble (and hobble hanger): A tether worn by pacers that connects the legs on each side to prevent it from breaking stride.

Boots: Protects the horses’ shins, ankles & knees.

Harness collar: Attaches the horse to the sulky.

Head number: Makes horse identifiable from the stands and in a photo finish.

Sources: Los Alamitos Racecourse, The Daily Racing Form, U.S. Trotting Association.

Researched by JANICE L. JONES