22 Thoughts Entering The New Year

First I’d like to say that although I’ve never listened to it, I have heard of it, and this idea did come somewhat from the hockey podcast ‘32 Thoughts’.

Secondly, these are not all horse racing related, as you’ll find out soon enough. And they’re not relevant to the end of one year and the start of another either. They’re just random thoughts that pass through this mind of mine, and may or may not have enough to them to require an entire column.

Thirdly, they’re not all negative thoughts or all positive ones - I like to think of myself as a realist.

• Osvaldo Formia was the first Hambo-winning caretaker to also win it as a trainer - and as a trainer he then repeated the following year. Nancy Takter was the second to accomplish the feat. Will she immediately repeat like he did too - winning with Karl next year after doing so with Tactical Approach this year?

• If you pay close attention to races, and to the chart lines in our programs, you’ll find a lot of inaccuracies in the charts. How? Why? Why are there not better failsafes to avoid this, and does anyone even care?

• Pickleball championships featuring PGA Tour players and retired NBA stars are now televised live in the U.S. on ESPN 1… but we can barely even get our top events televised anywhere.

• If you apply your brakes while driving, and THEN signal your turn, it’s too late. You already screwed the person behind you, so you may as well not even bother indicating at that point. But please, look up the meaning of the word ‘indicate’.

• It’s spelled and pronounced ‘The North America Cup’ and NOT ‘The North American Cup’.

• In 2013, 17 different women drivers combined to win 170 races in Canada. This year, to date, 22 different women have combined to win 185 races. We might be trending upwards in this category, but not very quickly.

• Are drivers at fault for slow second quarters or are judges? Fines for this are rare. If an NHL ref didn’t call tripping penalties wouldn’t more players trip their opponents?

• Why do all toasters actually have a setting on them that would burn the toast to the point where it’s no longer edible?

• Everyone says “The four-year-old year is so tough,” but that wasn’t the case for Test Of Faith, Bulldog Hanover, Jiggy Jog S, Bythemissal and countless others. A good horse is a good horse.

• I’ve loved watching Equinox race, sometimes in front of deafening crowds of over 200,000 fans, but it’s almost depressing when comparing it to the crowds we get here. (Who is Equinox? Only an incredibly freakish Thoroughbred from Japan, with a record of 10-8-2-0 and over $20 million in earnings. There IS racing outside of North America).

• I see no negatives whatsoever to having an audio/video feed in the judges booth, and having the details for every inquiry and placing described in real-time to the fans.

• As of Nov. 20, Ron Burke had 1,083 wins THIS YEAR. As of the same day, Canadian HOF’er Jack Darling had 1,083 wins in his career. And it goes without saying that I’m not slighting Jack in the least! He’s an incredible horseman. Ron’s numbers are hard to fathom.

• I love seeing 3YOs race aged horses in the FanDuel, but like the Thoroughbreds, where the 3YOs carry less weight, maybe our 3YOs should get a slight advantage by drawing from only posts 2-6? It’s worth a discussion.

• If you’re driving in the left lane on a highway and no one is in front of you, or if people are passing you on your right, PLEASE get over because you’re in the wrong lane!

• If there are three elims of the Jug, why in the world does a 3rd place finisher get the trailing 9-hole in the final, behind an elim winner, while a 2nd place finisher gets the terrible 6-hole - with three elim winners lined up inside of him?

• 2023 Breeders Cup Classic winning trainer Richard Dutrow just came off of a 10 year suspension, and on the race telecast they actually discussed it. Why do many feel we have to whisper about these things or say nothing at all? Impose harsh penalties for those caught cheating, and when their time has been served move forward - we’re adults.

• How many people from outside of our business did you bring to the races this past year? If the answer is “none” may I ask why?

• Racing's funniest line of 2023 came from Doug McNair in episode one of Crave's 'Unfiltered' when the producer asked him for 'an Americano' in the Tim Hortons drive-thru. Doug's reply was, "Americano? The f#$k is that?" Then, like a good Canadian, Doug ordered him a medium double-double.

• As of Nov. 20, Ron Burke had $26.8 million in purses THIS YEAR. As of the same day, Canadian HOF’er Blair Burgess has $28.5 million in his career. And it goes without saying that I’m not slighting Blair in the least! He’s an incredible horseman. Ron’s numbers are hard to fathom.

• Secretariat is the greatest athlete - including humans - in the history of the modern world. Try and talk me out of it if you disagree, but after 50 years his three Triple Crown stakes records all still stand.

• By far, my #1 concern for our industry is our empty grandstands… where will tomorrow’s fans and participants come from?

• Even if you disagree with half of what I wrote here, I truly wish you all a happy holiday season, and a new year full of peace, love, laughter and happiness.

Dan Fisher [email protected]