Note: one intended purpose of this blog was to distribute the author’s private database (mentioned below) to interested collectors and researchers. However, Wordpress does not allow that type of file to be inserted for downloads. Thus, Plan B went into effect. Instead of the database, a text file has been made available for a download. When unzipped, it can be read in Notepad. It is not as professional and powerful as the Access database, but it is better than nothing until a way to distribute the database is found. Sorry for the inconvenience.
More. Despite its claims, W o r d p r e s s is a very difficult site on which to publish. It is too complex for the average customer. That is why this blog will end when the initial annual payment meets its closing date. In the meantime, the database will be updated at least once before termination. As of this writing, more 2024 races have been added and after the Breeders Cup happens, many more will be added also. A few corrections have been made and about two dozen betting ticket numbers have been added also. If any reader possesses some programs with betting numbers that do not appear, then please email me at toteticket @ yahoo.com. For those interested in obtaining the Microsoft Access database, please use the same email address. It will cost about 10 bucks to cover the costs of a thumb drive and postage.
This site is devoted to the collection of horse racing ephemera. “Ephemera” is a plural noun that refers to materials which were produced for short-term purposes and meant to be discarded when no longer needed. Generally they were fashioned as economically as possible, and were made of paper.
There is a wide variety of ephemera items. Many categories have had collector interest for more than a century. There are a host of mature, specific collectible markets: maps, stock certificates, postage stamps, greeting cards, political and movie posters, handbills, postcards, and on and on. Each field has been long established, and generally has spawned experts, clubs, newsletters and, recently, websites. Each field might have multiple websites in addition to specialized commercial establishments devoted to selling items. The epitome of the latter is sports card shop.
In the horse racing environment, many specimens also have been kept and stored. However, there is not much organization to the effort. Unlike the areas mentioned above, auction houses are unable to reliably assess valuations. Reliable price guides for racing ephemera do not exist in numbers.
The soul of this site is a database. The database is a Microsoft Access (2002 version) file and it requires the user to have MS Office installed on your system. Later versions handle the database successfully, too.
Below is a download button for a text file. It can be read in Notepad. It is a substitute for the Access database that was intended. It contains the same information as the database, but it is in a clumsier format. It also does not contain the large Access query library of individual horses.
IMPORTANT: one does not have to be a database expert or veteran to use this item. A few minutes of usage will overcome any lack of experience with databases.
Now that the database is loaded, here is another download featuring the track abbreviations used by it. For the Twentieth and Twenty-First centuries, traditional Daily Racing Form and Equibase are listed. For earlier ones, the author created them.
Its premise is based upon the proposition that the value of any horse racing ephemera item increases if it can be connected to a famous horse. The database is a chronological list of all North American races in which notable horses ran. Directly below is an excerpt which illustrates some of its power.
The list contains the dates on the left, followed by the racetrack abbreviation, and the horses (H1, H2, H3, H4) on the right. In the middle are the race numbers and the names of significant historical races. For example, On May 8, 1944 in the 5th race at Churchill Down, the notable horse Equifox competed and shows up in that program.
There are several other features. For instance, the letter “M” after a horse’s name indicates that it was its first race (or, in the case of foreign horses, their first North American appearances). See: May 13, 1944 at Churchill Downs for Fighting Step. Also, the letter “L” after a horse’s name indicates that it was the runner’s last lifetime start. See: May 13, 1944 at Belmont Park for Shut Out and Alsab. Why? Some collectors attached increased value for memorabilia of that type.
They are not all great horses, but are ones who had an impact on the sport. There are over a dozen criteria for membership in the list. This is all explained in the database’s instructions [Ed: another download that will be added soon also].
As the viewer can see, the races are ordered by date, top to bottom, with the earlier ones at the top. The date stretches from the late 18th Century to the present.
Thus the database acts as a speedy reference guide while considering an auction of a dated piece of memorabilia. Within seconds it filters valuable items from the nearly worthless ones. For example, if one is confronted with a horse racing program, then by reading its date and scrolling to the same date in the database, a match can be detected. The user can instantly know whether the races contained inside featured notable horses … and is worth more than a bland program.
On the other hand, if the piece in question is a pari-mutuel ticket, the database can also help in the same manner. By looking at the date, the racetrack, and the betting number on the ticket, a buyer can determine if it was wagered on a high-quality racer. Just compare it to the number listed after the horse’s name.
There are two types of betting numbers. Before the advent of automated totalizator machines, racetracks employed pre-printed mutuel tickets (also called “rack” or “box” tickets.) They usually featured 4-digit numbers, although early ones had only two or three digits. In a few instances, they were a combination of letters and digits. See: May 6, 1944 in the database excerpt above for the Kentucky Derby betting number of the winner Pensive. After that, the betting numbers on tote tickets invariably were the horses’ saddlecloth numbers.
Above is the 1927 Churchill Downs Program featuring the two year old filly Champion, Anita Peabody. Her betting number was “2330.” In that era, there was a maximum of ten wagering entries per race. Usually, the last digit of the expected favorite was “0”, the second favorite was “1,” etc. If more than 10 entries existed, then the worst horses were gathered into the field and assigned “9” as their last digit. (More explanation will follow in a blog post.)
As one can see in the database excerpt, not all betting numbers exist yet, and likely never will. Generally, for races before 1954, it requires having access to the programs in question. For many situations, those programs do not exist or are not available for scrutiny. Also, for many earlier dates pari-mutuel tickets were not sold. For example, before April 1940, the New York racetracks used the bookie system exclusively.
The database is an incredible, handy tool. It is unique. It began to be built in the year 2004 and was limited in size. But that changed over the years as the owner sought more research potential for goals other than memorabilia collection.
It is still being built as new important races are added. Also, the pari-mutuel ticket numbers are regularly added as that information appears on the internet.
At first the owner kept this tool private. He often obtained serious specimens at ridiculously low prices because neither the seller nor the other bidders realized their importance. Years passed and the owner shared it with a handful of fellow collectors who similarly gained a tremendous advantage in auction situations. Along with the owner, they were able to separate the wheat from the chaff in mere seconds.
Now, so can you.
If you have questions, please fill out the form below. If you can provide betting ticket information to be added to the database, please reply by enclosing within your email an image of the racing program page that contains it.
HORSE RACING EPHEMERA 