In 1968, Politely won the Delaware Handicap in the midst of an impressive, eight-win season that saw her just miss out on national Handicap Mare honors — and that helped secure her, earlier this year, a spot in the inaugural class of the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
Rich Glazier was not there.
But that’s one of just four Del ‘Caps he’s missed in the last 48 years. The other three came in the 1980s, when the track was shuttered and the race, run at Saratoga.
Glazier, a Delaware native, has worked as the track’s paddock announcer for 26 years. He’s known for his low-key delivery and quirky sense of humor, tools he’s employed in introducing simulcast and on-track players alike to some of the great fillies and mares of recent years: Blind Luck, Havre de Grace, and of course Royal Delta.
Why’d he miss the ’68 Handicap? Well, it turns out that Rich had a good reason for missing that race. It also turns out that, good as the reason was, he still managed to get a wager in, even in those days before simulcasting. He tells that (and other) stories in the video below, from Emmy-winning filmmaker Jeff Krulik.
