Antagonist Sam LeFrak was a powerful and extremely wealthy New York real estate magnate, widely known as a controversial slumlord who built a vast empire of middle-income housing developments across New York City. In the late 1960s, LeFrak became entangled with Buddy Jacobson after accusing the Brooklyn horseman of misrepresenting the value and condition of a racehorse during a financial transaction. Claiming he had been misled, LeFrak filed a lawsuit against Jacobson, igniting a high-profile dispute that brought unwanted attention to Buddy’s racing and business dealings. The conflict underscored the tension between Manhattan wealth and Brooklyn street savvy, and marked one of the early legal challenges that foreshadowed the increasingly turbulent years ahead for Buddy Jacobson. Buddy wanted to add one more week to the racing year to finance benefits and a pension for the backstretch workers. Sam and the NYRA were against this!
