At Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track, action and time stop for no one. It falls on the shoulders of Dave Norton, Brian Walls and the rest of NYRA’s clocking team to not fall behind.
The clockers are responsible for timing the morning workouts.
“I’m in my 32nd year, and it was at least two to three years before you got a really good hang of it,” Walls said.
What You Need To Know
- The clockers at Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track are responsible for timing the workouts of dozens of thoroughbreds each morning
- Between them, Brian Walls and Dave Norton have more than 45 years experience clocking race horses
- The times are sent to racing’s official database, after which the information is used by bettors worldwide
“There’s definitely a learning curve,” Norton said. “The first couple of years, it can be overwhelming.”
With dozens of horses hitting the track on any given morning, it is crucial they quickly figure out who’s who.
“We’re constantly communicating who’s getting ready to go, where they’re at, that sort of thing,” Norton said a moment after spotting a horse breezing down the home stretch.
“The one thing that helps us now is technology,” Walls said. “We video pretty much all the horses that come through. It gives us a better idea [so] in case we think we made a mistake, we’re able to correct it.”
The times are sent to Equibase, racing’s official database, after which they’re consumed by bettors all over the world.
“There’s a lot of money that is gambled in this game, and the handicappers that are gambling that money use a variety of things to determine who they’re going to bet on,” Norton said. “One of those things is workout times.”
From their tiny shed at Saratoga, Norton and Walls have a front row seat to the sport’s living legends.
“Saratoga is arguably the premier meet in the country,” Norton said. “It brings together the best trainers, the best jockeys, the best horses, the top owners from around the world.”
Between them, Norton and Walls have spent more than 45 years clocking thoroughbreds. It is the way each has chosen to pass and keep time within the sport they love.
“The people you get to meet, the people you get to interact with, I actually enjoy the mornings at least as much, maybe more, than I enjoy the races in the afternoon,” Norton said.
“There’s that saying that ‘once it’s in your blood, you’re hooked,’ and it is so true about horse racing,” Walls said. “It’s something I enjoy every day. You see something different every day, and there’s nothing else I’d rather do.”
