Behind the Gate it? 
     
    
   
   
    
     Two additional improyements inyolye the 
     
     racing gear or equipment and the tracks. 
     
     \Ve haye better bikes. harnesses. etc. 
     
     Tracks are maintained better today 
     
     because track maintenance is almost a 2+ 
     
    
   
   
    
     hour—a—day job at most successful tracks. 
     
    
   
   
    
     When I asked Dayid what the best 
     
     change in the game or industry was. he 
     
     answered. "Probably the simulcasting of 
     
     races is helping it a lot because it is con— 
     
     tributing to the purse pools." The topic 
     
     of simulcasting is certainly a controyersial 
     
     one. One faction belieyes it is killing liye 
     
     horse racing and another faction belieyes 
     
     it is the salyation for liye horse racing 
     
     The answer probably will be found 
     
     somewhere between these two extreme 
     
     views and only time will reyeal the out— 
     
     come. Many dedicated owners have 
     
     helped to keep horse racing alive in the 
     
     past but that is not enough today. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The ct)mpetitiyeness and challenges of 
     
     his profession are what this trainer driver 
     
     really enjoyed. lle experienced and 
     
     enjoyed the competitiye juices before 
     
     each of his races. 11 was important for 
     
     him to win each time he went behind the 
     
    
   
   
    
     gate. Drivers and trainers regard success 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     David O’Brien 
     
    
   
   
    
     or failure in a race as a reflection on them 
     
     personally. There is always pressure to 
     
     earn good statistics and purse money or 
     
     their owners might look for another train— 
     
     er or driyer who can do better with their 
     
    
   
   
    
     horses. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Something else that David enjoyed about 
     
     this sport and business was the challenge 
     
     of bringing colts along to mature into 
     
     good race horses. Watching and helping 
     
     them deyelop was yery rewarding for 
     
     him. You didn't haye to be around Dayid 
     
     O‘Brien \‘ery long to realize that he real— 
     
     ly loyed horses just because of the nature 
     
     of horses. He explained. " I enjoy being 
     
     around horses and I believe it gets in 
     
     your blood. You get attached to horses 
     
     because each is different with its own 
     
     temperament and personality. liach 
     
     horse is different and must be treated as 
     
     an indiyidual." 
     
    
   
   
    
     l)a\'id knew that each must be fed prop— 
     
     erly and trained intelligently keeping in 
     
     mind that each horse is different with dif— 
     
     ferent needs. \\'hat works for one might 
     
     not work for another. You must be 
     
     patient especially with the difficult ones. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Horses must be looked after properly if 
     
    
   
   
    
     “ I enjoy being aronna’ borses and I believe 1'! gels in your blood. 
     
    
   
   
    
     You get allacbec/ to boises because eacb 1's cit/feral! with its own 
     
    
   
   
    
     temperament and pelsmza/ify. Eacb borse 1's c/gf/erenz‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     and mus! be treated as sue/.7. " 
     
    
   
   
    
     141