SC Rewind: The O'Donnell "Magic" Show

In this week's edition of Rewind Robert Smith takes readers back about 38 years ago to 1985 as he recalls a very big day of racing at the Meadowlands track which was then in just its tenth year of existence, having opened in 1976. With this year's Hambletonian approaching this is a timely topic.  

On August 4, 1985 a total of 37,652 fans crowded into The Meadowlands to see what had to be one of the greatest race days not only of the decade but in the long history of harness racing.   Canadian born driver Bill "Magic" O'Donnell was clearly the driving star of the day as he was the winning pilot of the two highly featured events on the card.  The bettors had a field day as they sent a total of $4,412,057 through the mutuel machines. 

He was a double heat winner in the Hambletonian behind Prakas, winning both races rather handily for his first career win in this prestigious event. He took home a whopping $636,000 in purse money  for his efforts. Prakas took the final in 1:54.3,  the fastest mile in the history of the Hambletonian. He broke the existing record of 1:55 set by Speedy Somolli and Florida Pro in the 1978 event.  As stated above this was O'Donnell's first Hambo victory; this was the fifth horse he had driven in the Classic. Prakas went on to be voted trotter of the year in 1985. 

Winner's circle after Prakas won the 1985 Hambletonian. From left groom Tina Lindgrom, Prakas, winners circle attendant Teri Sharkey, driver Bill O'Donnell and trainer Per Eriksson  (Photo courtesy of Hambletonian Society archives) 

Prakas wins the Hambletonian as part of big day at the Meadowlands   (Photo courtesy of Hambletonian Society archives) 

Nihilator and Bill O'Donnell close out a record mile on Hambo day in 1985 (Photo courtesy of Hambletonian Society archives) 

Also of note on that Hambletonian day was the influence of the Swedish connection to North American harness racing.  At the tender age of 23 Per Eriksson became the youngest trainer to win the Hambletonian.  Also winning co-owner  Hans Enggren bred not only Prakas but also Torway, winner of the first elimination in a short lived record of 1:55 1/5 which of course was later eclipsed by Prakas.  Eriksson would go on to train two more Hambo winners and was very recently enshrined in the U.S. Hall of Fame.  

On this same card O'Donnell drove the pacer Nihilator to a new lifetime mark of 1:49.3 in winning the $50,000 Invitational Pace for three and four-year-olds. While this time did not set a new overall mark for the mile it did set a new standard for a competitive race, replacing his own record of 1:50.3 set on July 19th that year when he won the Meadowlands Pace.  Needless to say it was also a new lifetime mark for this great horse. 

Bill O'Donnell became the first driver to ever win both a million dollar pace and trot.  He did it in the same year three weeks apart in the Meadowlands Pace with Nihilator and the Hambletonian with Prakas.  Two of his regular drives set single season's earnings records that year.  

On To The Little Brown Jug in 1985

Following this record setting day at the Big M, Nihilator’s regular driver  Bill O’Donnell, had the opportunity to win both the Little Brown Jug and the Hambletonian in the same season. Having already taken the Hambletonian with Prakas, O’Donnell could join the select company of Delvin Miller, John Simpson and the great Billy Haughton. Miller took both honours in 1950 with Dudley Hanover in the “Jug” and Lusty Song in the Hambo. Simpson did it with Torpid in the 1957 pacing classic and with Hickory Smoke in the Trot.  In the 1974 Hambletonian, Haughton paraded Christopher T. to the winner’s circle and captured the “Jug” with Armbro Omaha. 

This was an opportunity to join some pretty select company and as we found out soon after he did win the Jug.  To put it mildly, "Magic" had quite a year in 1985,  the year he turned 37.  He closed out the season with more than $10 million in earnings, the first driver to ever mark that milestone.  Not too bad for a young lad from Springhill, N.S. 

An old postcard depicting the racecourse at Springhill, N.S., birthplace of Bill O'Donnell 

Meadowlands Minus Pool 

The following item was reprinted from the Northeast Harness News publication explaining how a minus pool occurred at the 1985 Meadowlands Pace:

"Imagine a racetrack advertising that each fan who entered would receive a crisp, new five dollar bill. No strings attached, just cold, hard cash. It hasn’t happened — nor is it likely to — but that’s just about what it cost The Meadowlands in paying holders of winning show tickets on the night of the $1,018,000 Meadowlands Pace, July 19. Nihilator, who equalled the world record mile time of 1:50 3/5 in the race, was part of a five-horse betting entry in a field of 12. New Jersey law dictates that show betting must be conducted when there are at least seven separate betting interests. From the time the windows opened, punters recognized that the entry was as nearly a sure thing as death and taxes, and they bet. And they bet. And they bet. Of the $1,168,010 wagered on the race, $841,457 of that was in the show pool (Nihilator or any of his entry mates had only to finish third or better), and of that, $829,604 was wagered on the entry. Since racing law also dictates at least five cents must be paid on each winning dollar, and that the nickel cannot come out of the state’s or horsemen’s shares of the pool, the track footed the bill to the tune of $171,001.15 — or $5.59 per each of the 30,579 fans in attendance. All of the wagering figures are North American records, harness or thoroughbred, and to put them into perspective, there were 18 entire harness meets last year that didn’t even average $171,000 in nightly wagering."  

Quote For The Week: Again more of a short story with a quote attached.  Not long ago I  read a story about Bill O'Donnell when he celebrated a recent birthday.  Apparently he got stopped on a New Jersey Freeway for speeding (alleged)  and the cop asked him for ID.   The policeman saw his license and asked him if he was Billy O'Donnell, the harness driver. "I’ve bet on you at The Meadowlands. You’re one of the top drivers. Nice to meet you." Billy [said] "I got here as fast as I could."

Who Is It? 

Can you correctly identify this gentleman attired in his casual attire instead of his racing silks?

Who Else Is It? 

Can you tell us who this fellow is as he shows off a "Special" stable member?