The desire to find answers for the unexplainable is somewhat of a basic human trait. When something unexpected occurs there must be a reason. More importantly, we must assign a reason so it makes sense in our minds. If you are standing outside at night and see a flash of light seemingly come out of nowhere, it must be a UFO. If a plague wipes out a region, perhaps it is divine intervention. If a rainbow appears on the horizon, that is potentially good luck. If you have an itchy palm, that means money is coming your way. Present an occurrence and there is likely some common public conception of what it means. This is no different in harness racing or any other sport. Those that have been reading my columns, articles and handicapping over the years may not realize the cosmic power I possess. Honestly, I'm not even sure how it happens or when this mystical ability was bestowed upon me. Apparently I can change the outcome of sporting events simply by writing or saying something. In some cases, just my presence alone can alter the results. Before getting to harness racing, just to prove that my superhuman abilities extend beyond the trotters and pacers, here is an example. My younger daughter plays soccer on a youth team. Over the last two years I have missed perhaps 15% of her 40 or so games due to the Lexington sale or Breeders Crown. During that period of time she has scored three goals -- all in games I missed! The trend has gotten so severe that the other parents have at times asked me to stay home. Apparently I'm a jinx and my presence alone is too big of an obstacle for my daughter to overcome. What is a dad to do? My powers are not limited to soccer. Whether I pick for or against a horse to win, that can have a serious effect on the outcome of a race -- or at least some people believe it does. Those powers are even stronger when it comes to writing a story. Just speaking to me in the days leading up to a race can change everything. Depending on who you are I can be the difference in your horse winning or losing. ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter For whatever reason, trainer Nancy Takter tends to do well when I interview her prior to a race. She's not the only one but for some reason that trend sticks out in my head. Once an owner screamed at me to "get the hell away from him [meaning the trainer]" as the horse was waiting in his stall before a race. Years later I honestly don't recall if the horse won, though I certainly wasn't rooting for him. I'd like to say these powers of persuasion over the outcome of races are exclusive to me, but alas there are a number of other people who perform feats of racing luck with their words. Jay Bergman has knack of speaking to people that end up winning stakes a few days later. Ken Weingartner can tell you stories about trainers that walk the other way when they see him coming to avoid the potential black cloud that comes with speaking to a journalist before a big race. We sometimes joke about it when one of us writes a story and the horse wins. We jest, of course, about luck, fate, and all of the invisible factors which seemingly play a role in the outcome of races. To be honest, I do it all the time. There is no logical reasoning behind it but whenever I watch a race and think my horse is definitely a winner, they lose. Could it be that my powers of thought are so great that I can alter the outcome of races? If only! The bottom line is that despite what I or anyone else may want to believe, I have absolutely no impact on the outcome of the races. If something went wrong during a race it would make much more sense to blame the driver, trainer, groom, horse, track maintenance personal, racing secretary, or even Mother Nature. Unfortunately I'm powerless when it comes to impacting sporting events. Though I guess it is possible that a driver could read my comments and handle the horse differently. Or maybe a trainer could read an article and change something because of what they read. Hmmm, maybe I do have some hidden abilities. Maybe that is what was meant when they said the pen is mightier than the sword. All hail, me, controller of racing! Guess you better be nice to me if you want to win.