Harness: Paying tribute to a behind the scenes hero

There are many stories told and heard on the racetrack. As the horses go ‘round, the stories do the same – tales of past and present, horses and horsemen, races and big wins. The headlines echo a similar tone with the heroes being the drivers, trainers and the superstar horses who put up the fastest miles going for the highest purses.

In the shadows of the track, away from the spotlight, out of the headlines and never mentioned in any stories, is the guardian of the racetrack – the outrider. Standing trackside at the ready, the outrider doesn’t chase glory, but they are always there when it matters most. Together the outrider and their horse make the difference when the moments count.

For what seemed like forever, Missy Rothfuss put her trust into Salem and so did every track that hired them to watch over the races.

Rothfuss started as a backup outrider in 1996 at The Meadows in Washington, Pennsylvania.

“Race secretary Tom Leasure asked my mom if I’d be interested,” Rothfuss said. “I’m third generation, but never really had any interest. I was more into my jumping horses but thought, hey I was getting paid to ride.

“I rode backup until 2000 when I took the job over full time. I had a big red Quarter Horse cross named Nehi. When that horse wasn’t trying to buck me off, he was teaching me how to do the job. In 2001, Loanne Prosser told me about a horse for sale. I went and looked and here was an ugly half-feral Quarter Horse/Standardbred. I jumped on him bareback, did some weird pace/canter across an open field, came back, paid the $1,500 and brought him home.”

That ugly mixed horse became the now well-known Salem.

“I named him Salem off Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s cat. He was like the cat – stubborn and a jerk,” said Rothfuss. “He was the toughest horse I ever trained. If he wasn’t trying to run away with you, he was planting them or running out draw gates. I gave him to my sister for a while and she ran barrels with him. She never taught the pattern, just went in and ran. He was fast and too smart.”

Still having Nehi as her main horse on the track, Rothfuss spent her time training Salem for the job as well, but that proved a difficult feat.

“He would be a complete lunatic out on the track. The first loose horse he had, he ran off the track with me. I cracked him on and made him do it again. We got the horse, but it wasn’t pretty,” said Rothfuss.

“Nehi got sick in 2004 and it was like a light switch went off. Salem started figuring it out. He showed up the day Dan Charlino had a broken line going to the half on top on a dead gallop. We pulled him right out of the race. Salem started figuring it out and he was the boss there. He had no fear. Horses rearing at him, trying to knock him down, he just shoved them back. You could never really move too much on him or he would bolt and go. He lived to chase. The guys would drive by sometimes and yell Missy and he would be gone. Sometimes I didn’t think I would ever get him pulled up.”

For years, Rothfuss and Salem teamed up, catching horses on the track and catching the attention of people all over.

“Salem foundered on me in May 2008,” said Rothfuss. “It was bad, so bad that Woodland Run and Canon Hill both told me to put him down. He wouldn’t even be a pasture puff. I couldn’t. He kept getting up to eat. Dr. Crum was the one who end up saving him.

“He was back on the track a year later. My blacksmith, Scott Foley, did an amazing job with his feet. They were ugly, but we got him to where he could hold shoes and never miss a beat. Some of his biggest catches were after he foundered. He caught multiple horses during Jug Week, rode two Breeders Crowns, and saved countless drivers and horses.

“To me, his most impressive catch is when Chris Shaw broke a line and we had to come in from behind. We caught the race and pulled Chris up. I honestly thought there was no way we were getting him, but Salem proved me wrong.”

On and off the track, Salem had a defining personality, one that Rothfuss described as larger than life.

“He was sweet and kind, but on the track he was the boss. He would go down on his own to let kids pet him, but he would watch the track. He would nudge you until you gave him a treat if you came over to talk to me in paddock. All of our racehorses loved him. He helped break bad babies. He would be a willing participant when Chris Gooden, Dawnelle Mock- Johnston, and I would dress for Halloween. He was one the smartest horses I ever met,” said Rothfuss. “He wasn’t an easy horse to ride or develop. Salem loved his job and was one tough SOB.”

Salem’s career as an outriding horse ended last November at the age of 30 with one final ride at Batavia.

“I didn’t use him much out there anymore. He was having issues with his one foot and I didn’t want to hurt him,” said Rothfuss. “Jeff Wilson did an amazing job fixing him up here. Our days last year, he was happy running around the farm free-range, sneaking in and stealing feed and doing what he wanted. We would ride around the farm with the dogs.”

At the start of October of this year, Rothfuss, friends, fans, and family said goodbye to Salem.

“We found him cast in the stall under the gate – which was something he has never done – on a Thursday morning. We aren’t sure if it was seizure or stroke. But I told Jim it was time,” recalled Rothfuss on the sad moment. “It was beautiful day and I didn’t want to go through it again. He gave me so much out there on the track and in life. He had fans from around the world. It was funny the guy that came to take him away, his sister knew him. I never met the guy before. It really hit home when we got back from the races and he wasn’t there to greet me.

“Not many can say they were able to have a 25-year career with the same horse. I have been blessed with a lot of good ones throughout my career, but I will never have one with the heart like Salem had. My husband, Jim, always said he just needs one racehorse like him.”

People talk about the champions – the fastest mile, the highest purse, the biggest win; headlines are written about race winners and milestones; the Hall of Fame is reserved for names found in the program. But beyond all of the glory and notoriety stand the unsung heroes that protect those on the track.

The truth is, though, those who knew Salem and watched him work will never forget him. He may not have his name in the program or on a trophy, but his legacy is etched into the dirt of the racetrack. He was known by many and loved by all who knew him. He may not have gotten the attention of the world, but what he did meant the world to those who he helped on the track.

Some heroes don’t win races, they save them.