Columnist: 20/20 Tour becoming a tradition

Tuesday, July 9, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

HE LOOKED A BIT worse for wear, but it wasn't from traversing North America for 10 straight days.

No, Roxy Roxborough was moving a little slow because he fell off a horse.

And given his penchant for never backing down from a dare or a challenge, Roxy, the head of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, along with partner David Scott, completed their 3rd annual "20/20 Tour" Monday in triumphant fashion at Caesars Palace.

The tour, which has the duo, known as the "Bet Shop Boys" raising money across the U.S. and parts of Canada for horse racing charities, is becoming an annual rite of passage. And it is a worthwhile venture, because while the general public sees the glamorous side of racing from the grandstand every day, it's a different story on the backstretch.

Grooms get sick. Exercise riders get stomped at 6 in the morning. Jockeys wind up in wheelchairs. And a lot of these folks are not rich. Which is why the Shoemaker Foundation was set up, to help those in need.

And that's where this year's tour, sponsored by Caesars and the Daily Racing Form, focused its efforts. Somewhere in the neighborhood of $75,000 was raised Monday at the tour-ending banquet and auction, including a $10,000 donation from Caesars. And the money will be put to good use.

Which is why Scott, who had retired from his post as the Form's Las Vegas correspondent, agreed to return to the tour trail. That, and the fact he'd only have to spend 10 days on the road instead of 20.

"The cumulative effect of 20 days is tough," Scott said. "By the 16th, 17th day, you don't know where you are. But there's a great awareness of the 20/20 Tour and it has become a tradition, I guess. So I knew I'd come out if they asked me."

Plus, there was added incentive this time because there would be a challenge from the East Coast. George Bernet, the editor of the Racing Form, had teamed up with Ed Fountaine, a Form columnist and an expert on bloodlines, or the ancestry of thoroughbreds. They were determined to outdo the Bet Shop Boys.

So, with equally staked $1,000 bankrolls, the tour was on. Bernet and Fountaine did 10 days on the East Coast and posted a 25 percent profit. Roxy and Scott responded by finishing with $1,420 on the strength of a 7-2 shot at Northlands Park in Edmonton and a $19.20 horse at Retama Park, located outside of San Antonio.

Those would be the only two tickets Roxy and Scott would cash. But it was enough to keep them out of the fountains in front of Caesars Monday. The losing team had to take a dip in the drink and Roxy was determined to stay dry, even though the thermometer had topped out at 106.

"It was very competitive," Scott said. "We didn't want to lose."

And so it was Bernet and Fountaine who took the plunge. And to add a little more humble to their pie, the duo appeared on stage at the auction decked out in togas and flowery headress.

"I'm glad I did it," Bernet said. "I enjoyed getting out and meeting the horseplayers. They're the heart of our sport and they were warm and generous.

"One guy at Woodbine gave us a live $200 exacta ticket. It didn't hit, but to do something special like that told me a lot about what this tour's all about."

Wherever the teams went, they were greeted enthusiastically. The Bet Shop Boys got to tour Emerald Downs, the spanking new $82 million track built south of Seattle and found lots of young, smiling faces, an encouraging sign for the sport. In Vancouver, Roxy's old stomping grounds, over 400 people came to their pre-race seminar at Hastings Park.

"There's such an awareness now of what we're doing," Roxy said. "I like to go to new places and meet people and that's what makes this so much fun for me. And we're doing it for a good cause every year."

Still, there was the matter of the competition with the East Coast duo. And naturally, Roxy did whatever he had to do to ensure victory. He went head-to-head with some guy in a poker game at Hollywood Park's casino. He came up second best in that showdown.

And then there was the matter of falling off the horse.

While at the Downs in Santa Fe, N.M., the Bet Shop Boys found themselves with yet another challenge. This time, it was a race where they would be the jockeys.

Despite the fact Roxy had never been on a horse, he enthusiastically accepted.

"When I got on, I had second thoughts," he said. "But it was too late to back out."

Turns out Roxy crossed the finish line first. That's the good news. The bad news was he forgot to stay in the saddle. About 15 yards past the finish line, Roxy decided to dismount, which is akin to jumping off a subway train that's pulling into the station.

For his efforts, Roxy had a slight concussion, a bruised shoulder and sternum, a stiff neck and a sprained finger. But he got to ride in an ambulance, so that counts for something. And fortunately, he's OK.

"I won by five lengths," said Roxy, "which proves jockeys aren't everything."

Only those who can't stay on their mounts. Which is why next year's tour will raise money for the Roxy Roxborough Jockey Training School.