Harness: Spreading the good word and fortune to Ohio's finest public servants
You can argue for the Hambletonian or North America Cup, or even for the Kentucky Futurity, but for me, America’s great harness race will always be the Little Brown Jug. A streak of attending 31 of 32 Jugs starting in 1976 with Keystone Ore was interrupted only when I co-hosted the United States Trotting Association’s online web chat for P-Forty Seven’s win in 2005. It figures I would miss the live race the first time a personal friend won.
One year, I don’t recall which, the race fell on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. I cut synagogue for the race, but G-d had the last laugh that year. I did not cash a single ticket. I have reported on the race for various sports radio networks and even coordinated national radio coverage for a few years; Heck, I was the assistant mutual manager one year and another I did reptile programs on Jugette day.
The last few years though, I have missed the race. Real-life responsibilities, first as a varsity high school soccer coach, now as the Executive Director of a non-profit reptile rescue and education organization, interfered. The only Jug I have been to since the streak ended was in 2016 when Betting Line won the race and I was in a tent on the backstretch, representing the Harness Horse Youth Foundation.
So when Susan Schroeder from the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association called and asked if I wanted to work “The Jug” this year, I was excited. She is my supervisor for the county fair Racing With the Stars outreach program the OHHA sponsors. But she had a different job in mind. In a tent just beyond the final turn and part way down the stretch, would be a tent full of Ohio politicians and their staffers, hosted by Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder. While Householder has been a solid supporter of harness racing in Ohio, many of his fellow representatives had little idea what the sport was about. My job? Handicap the races for them and teach them some of the ins and outs of reading past performance lines. It sounded like an intimidating job, but worst case I get to see the Jug and get paid.
As I exited Interstate 71 at Exit 131, my heartrate accelerated just a bit, just like it used to do when I was younger. I got in early to finalize my handicapping. Post time was 11 AM and people started dribbling in just after the first race on the first card. Try explaining to novices that there are two first races and why. I hit the first card double and a few of the early arrivals played along with me. When I had the winner on race one of card two, the early arrivals began singing my praises to later arrivals and I was soon being treated like the Pied Piper of Delaware, or something like that. And they began asking questions, mostly simple ones, but I answered each as best as I could.
As I began to meet some of the legislators (most of the early arrivals were Householder’s staff members), I was surprised at how little they knew about harness racing – not about handicapping or how to train a horse, but about the sport’s economic impact in the state. And while OHHA officials spent a great deal of time in the tent, socializing, err, lobbying, I was able to lay some valuable groundwork.
One state rep, whose district covers three counties, none of them hosting county fair racing, was surprised to find out there was funding available to help establish and fund a county fair racing program. He actually seemed excited to be able to take it back to some of his fair boards and fair managers. He was one of many who had no idea that over 60 fairs in Ohio hosted racing,
As the day progressed, Swedish meatballs and a cheese platter (and open bar) were not enough for the throng and I was forced to eat a prime rib buffet while continuing to give out a few winners. I began touting people on Southwind Ozzi early in the afternoon. A dead-chalk choice, yes, but I had been on him as my Jug choice for a couple months. He did not let me down. More importantly, I was able to explain some of the history and significance of the sport to these people and they seemed legitimately interested.
Speaker Householder made his first appearance after being paraded around the track in a grand horse-drawn carriage, and I found him to be a pretty down to earth guy. Smart and pragmatic, he could speak on a variety of topics, but he truly enjoys harness racing and shared stories of the Coshocton Fair. I was able to share one of my own, a Billings race in which there were five recalls, only one caused by your humble scribe. Then Governor Mike DeWine stopped in and shook my hand. We actually talked harness racing for a couple minutes. He knows at least a bit about the sport, which is a good thing, especially its importance as an agricultural product and as a contributor to the tax base. Next up, teach him the difference between pacing hopples and trotting hopples.
By the time the Jug Final rolled around, they were literally throwing money at me (being novices and having had a couple cocktails, most of them had forgotten how to use the betting machines). I kept betting as many four-horse tri boxes as I could, and those $12 bets cashed for $15 and change, so we sent everyone home on as winning note. A few attendees made a several-hundred-dollar profit and everyone seemed happy. I made just under $100 at the windows on a total wager of around $180 or so. I stuck around for a bit after the races as Householder held court before heading back to Cleveland. I have been invited back again next year and I look forward to it.
They say all politics is local. This is important. You may not be able to get the Governor’s ear or your Senator’s ear, but state representatives serve much smaller areas and tend to be far more responsive to their constituents than Congressmen and Senators. You can reach out when there is an issue affecting harness racing in your state and you will be heard. Don’t sit on your hands. Reach out. You may be surprised at how well your state rep will listen. Now go cash on the Breeders Crown. See you next month.