Saratoga Super Fans: Chris & Zizi Howell

A View From the Grandstand
Zizi and Chris Howell – Super Fans at Saratoga
By Bob Hill, TSV staff writer —-

Here’s a little context for this article. Back in its infancy, Tracksideview had a staff of two people – founder Ron Correll and his know-nothing sidekick Bob Hill. As we began covering live racing we hatched the idea of a column that would put the spotlight on a vital constituency that often goes unnoticed – the everyday fans who support the sport with their attendance and wagers. In one of the earliest editions of “A View From the Grandstand”, the interviewees were a group of enthusiasts who had travelled from their homes in the New Orleans area to watch the 2008. Arlington Million. That interview and subsequent article opened the door to an enduring friendship with Debbie and Rick Francis that continues to this day. In fact, you should recognize Rick’s name, because he is now the publisher of Tracksideview. In recognition of the value of such shining of the spotlight on the sport’s most avid fans, this edition of “A View From the Grandstand” introduces you to California-based Super Fans Zizi and Chris Howell.

Before meeting Chris, Zizi Howell knew that horseracing existed, but she knew little more than that fans bet on the outcome. She had no idea if doing so was fun, if it was a test of skill or intuition, or how much participating would cost. On their first date, a trip to Santa Anita, Zizi took $20 to put in play. She laughs now in telling how quickly her stake disappeared that day. She adds that she was not a particularly good luck charm for Chris that day, as well. But, after a period of a few months they tried going to the track again on a trip to Hollywood Park. The results that day were quite different, and the fire was lit.

At the time that Chris Howell met his future wife Zizi, he was a skilled handicapping veteran. He was a regular Friday night attendee at Hollywood Park. There, over the course of years of honing his craft, Chris knew that handicapping is a test of skill, and one at which he was pretty accomplished. From his favorite at-home betting spot – his garage – Chris would laugh, cheer, and exclaim remorse, in a way that attracted Zizi to join in. She wanted to know the cause of all that fun he was having out in the garage in their Ventura County home. So she started joining him there. The two of them were particularly fond of watching Les Onaka and Dave Weaver on TVG as they hosted live racing from Los Alamitos. Les Onaka, of course, is the “expert” on TVG in covering quarter horse racing.

If you’ve ever watched the Quarters on TVG, you probably are familiar with Les Onaka’s almost deadpan explanation of his picks, of the action, and the results. He made Zizi and Chris laugh. They were so entertained by Les that they decided to invent a fictitious wife for him. They named this fake Ms. Onaka Rosemary. They took turns being the voice of Rosemary in carrying on conversations with Les. It was during this time frame that the real estate at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, CA became so valuable that it was sold to make ready for the construction of SoFi Stadium and a new Hollywood Casino. When that happened, the facilities at Los Alamitos were expanded and upgraded as it became the Los Angeles areas second thoroughbred racing venue, as well as continuing to be the epicenter of West Coast quarter horse events. Los Al became a place for Chris and Zizi to go. When they became regulars at Los Alamitos, Zizi and Chris got to know the real Les Onaka and, eventually, his real wife who both now know the story of the imaginary Rosemary. This friendship thread among horse racing enthusiasts is truly one of its most enduring qualities.

Stepping up their game, Chris and Zizi also became horse owners, first in a syndicate created by Andrew Lerner, and now in the Alydom Parnership. The non-exclusive focus of Alydom is claiming horses trained by either Jonathon Wong or George Papapadromou. The couple tells of a year when they had a different horse run four consecutive weekends at Del Mar, thus triggering a whole lot of driving up and down the California coast. When asked if syndicate ownership has worked for them, both enthusiastically endorsed the concept. Imagine the added excitement to a day at the races when one of “your” horses is running. Chris and Zizi are licensed California horse owners, and with that distinction comes privileges that put them backside wherever their horses are stabled. At Los Al, the backside dining hall is a meeting place for owners, trainers, and jockeys. Chris and Zizi speak with fond affection of their conversations with Art Sherman and John Cooper. Sherman, you recall trained the champion California Chrome, and Cooper was the trainer of Moonist, one of quarter horse racing’s biggest stars. Is it little wonder that when I asked about favorite horses of all time, both California Chrome and Moonist were atop the Howell’s list.

This writer met the Howell’s at Saratoga during Travers week this year. Except for the COVID interruption, their pilgrimage to the SPA has been an annual event for a decade. Before I had the chance to meet Chris and Zizi, I heard them tell a friend that they had driven over to Finger Lakes on the Saratoga dark days. If New York geography is not on your radar, that trip is about 380 miles round trip. I knew on the first day at the track this year that the folks sitting in front of me were way more than the typical fan at Saratoga there on a one-day outing. Chris’ racing form looked like the map for a tactical invasion of a small foreign country. Zizi was back and forth gathering info on here paper copies of the form and here Ipod. I avoid listening in one fellow handicapper’s picks (I consider that cheating) so I do not know if they were winning or not, but I am 100% certain they were having fun. I know they were not picking horses based on favorite colors and numbers or quirky names. I do know that they were cheering for Epicenter, as were we, when he proved his mettle in the Travers.

Every horse player I know is always looking for an edge, so I’ll close by passing this on from Chris Howell. His marked up DRF Racing Form was the byproduct of his use of the Dave Vaccaro Matrix. Chris told me that using the Matrix is part of his repertoire. When I returned home I ordered a copy of Vaccaro’s book, an action I had considered for a long time. I felt comfortable knowing that if the approach was a part of Chris Howell’s approach it would be worth knowing in greater detail. So take Chris’ advice, get a copy! When I next get to talk to Chris and Zizi my first question is how he uses the Matrix in his multi-race wagers. Zizi told me that Chris loves to play the late pick four.

I used to see quite a few live races in Southern California a decade ago even though I lived in the Midwest. My wife, a California transplant, and I long for the chance to go there soon. We’ll hope to look up Zizi and Chris Howell for sure. Who doesn’t like hanging out with Super Fans!