When I sat down with my son to take in the 2020 Breeders Crown races from Hoosier Park in late October,
I didn’t figure I’d end the Saturday session thinking about old teammates of mine, but after watching one of the most impressive defeats I’ve ever seen - not victories, but defeats - that’s exactly where my mind went.
Most of us will remember Somebeachsomewhere’s only career loss - that magnificent showing of heart, talent and guts he displayed the night he was defeated by Art Official in the Meadowlands Pace. If it wasn’t the best effort of his career it had to be close.
On October 31, 2020, when I watched Tall Dark Stranger finish second in the Breeders Crown event for three-year-old pacing colts, I was reminded somewhat of The Beach’s Meadowlands Pace.
In regard to Tall Dark Stranger’s effort, the front end wasn’t necessarily a great place to be at Hoosier that night, especially in races that went legit fractions - and he got to the three-quarters in 1:20.3 (compared to the ‘leisurely’ 1:21.2 in which the Open pacers got there). Cattlewash was actually a neck by TDS with an eighth to go. He was being completely swarmed. 100 yards from the wire it looked like he might not even get a cheque, and nothing against the eventual winner, because he came home in :26.2, passed eight horses in the final quarter and won the race fair-and-square, but I know in my heart that if TDS had been able to see Sandbetweenmytoes, out there about eight lanes wide, he never would have let him go by.
I’ve watched as many North American Standardbred races as any other human being in the past 20-25 years, and Tall Dark Stranger has to be the toughest, biggest-hearted horse I’ve ever seen race.
So why did I end up thinking about old teammates that night?
As I watched TDS dig in, both live and again in the replay, as I watched him fight back and basically will his body to the wire, I thought, ‘I’d want a guy like that on my team,’ and it took me back to a handful of my former mates. My main sports were football, hockey and rugby, and I’m not sure how many of you have played the latter, but my experience is that there is no team game in the world like rugby where one relies on their teammates so much - all of their teammates. If just one single player of the 15 doesn’t pull their weight, it can prove disastrous for all.
I was privileged to play on some very good rugby teams, including an Ontario Provincial Championship team, and I was privileged to play with some people like TDS - people that you just knew, would rather die than give up. Hence the championship.
I’ve coached hockey for the past 20 years or so, coaching at the Midget level (16 & 17 year old young men) for the past eight or nine. I always try to teach them that they’re only as good as the players around them - that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link - that unless you know that the person beside you will go through a wall for you, then the entire unit will break down. And once they buy into that, success follows, usually regardless of the talent you put on the ice.
Business, and specifically the business of horse racing is the same. You’re only as good as the people around you. We can’t always pick our teammates in life, but in many cases we can, so whether you’re a trainer picking drivers or grooms, an owner picking partners or a trainer, a groom picking a boss to work for, or any combination of these things, pick wisely. A new year is upon us, and if you’re on a team now that isn’t working or doesn’t make you happy, look for a new team. Surround yourself with some better teammates. Look for a team that has a player with the heart of Tall Dark Stranger.
I recently brought an old friend into ownership for his first time - we bought in on part of a few Ontario-sired trotting colts. In fact, he’s one of those old rugby teammates of mine that I knew would always be there beside me and never quit - no matter what. We’ve got ourselves a pretty good trainer too, one who I know has faced adversity and won. I don’t know if our hearts are quite that of TDS, or if our competitive nature can possibly rub off on either of our new colts, but I think we’ve got the makings of a pretty good team. Wish us luck.
Good luck to you also, in all your endeavors on and off the track in 2021 and beyond. At the end of the day we’re all in this thing called life together, so here’s to good teammates!
Dan Fisher
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