I’m the first to complain when I think the-powers-that-be in Standardbred racing aren’t doing enough to market our sport and seek out our next generation of fans, so let me be amongst the first to acknowledge and thank them when they do.
The OLG and Ontario Racing have spearheaded an Ontario horse racing documentary series on Crave, a Canadian subscription-based streaming service owned by Bell Media, that has over 3 million users, called Ontario Racing Unfiltered.
Episode One, called Passion Unfiltered, was released a few weeks back, and it’s absolutely phenomenal - and I’m not just saying that because there’s a short 10 second cameo by yours truly, in a funny little scene at the very end with my pal Doug McNair.
The first episode is also available for free on both YouTube and the TSN website, I assume because Bell also owns TSN, and if you haven’t seen it yet please scan the QR Code at the end of this column and watch it. Then, share it on your social media, and with your friends, and ask them to share it with their friends as well.
The Director of this very professional and well done piece is Jeremy Grant, and the Executive Producer is Michael Smith. I’ve met both, and both seem like fantastic people to work with. Both also need to be applauded for the quality of work that they did with this first episode.
In Episode One, and as far as I’m aware, throughout the entire series, the harness racing side of the production follows drivers Doug McNair (The Prodigy), James MacDonald (King James), Tyler Jones (The Rookie) and trainer Chris Matthews (The Assistant Trainer).
James and Tyler are excellent in their roles. They’re both well-spoken, articulate and good looking representatives of our sport, and each does a great job explaining their role in racing, while providing insight to newcomers on some of the things that go on behind the scenes in our world.
Dougie is the rockstar of the first episode - make no mistake about it. His humour, his tenacity and energy, and his real-life language keeps the viewer entertained and laughing throughout. Personally, my favourite part with him is the look on his face and his reply, when the American cameraman(?) in his car asks for an ‘Americano’ in the Tim Hortons drive-thru line.
Even though our horses are the true stars of racing, they can only really talk to those of us who have learned how to listen to them, so our ‘five-percenters’ usually end up getting all the glory and publicity. In my opinion however, Chris Matthews - dearly known around the track as ‘Kiz’ - is the one that truly steals the show in Episode One.
Just watch the part where they’re interviewing ‘Kiz’ and he speaks of how in grade three, there was a big book of all the jobs in the world, but how the astonished 8 or 9-year-old Matthews couldn’t find anything about horses or being a horse trainer.
Listen - really listen - as he tells the story about how combining his asthma and his job actually put him in the ICU for a few days once, and what the doctor told him. Then feel the emotion as he explains why that didn’t matter to him in the end.
To me, and I may just be weird (haha), but listening to Kiz tell the world why he does what he does, gives me chills.
Chris Matthews has the passion that unites us all, and I’m thankful that he’s sharing it with others. It’s not an easy task, explaining our passion to others without them experiencing it, but Kiz should be applauded for the sincerity in which he spoke. I told him that in-person, and now I’m saying it again publicly - just so he knows I really meant it!
Kelly Spencer and Jeff Bratt also play small roles in Episode One, and do a great job explaining a few basics about our game, without drawing it out or making it boring. Bratt is quoted at one point saying that horse racing in Ontario is “a treasure that a lot of people have not discovered as of yet.”
That’s where we all come in. We need to continue helping people discover us.
This past Saturday night at Mohawk (June 17th) was an extraordinary example of how fun and vibrant the racetrack can be when there’s a big crowd on-hand. We have features in this very issue on people that travelled there, and were happy to have done so, from places as far away as Wales, Kentucky, Florida and California, just to mention a few. I actually met someone there on Saturday who grew up around horses in France, and has been in the GTA for nine years but had no idea that we even existed - and they had a fabulous time and are interested in a return visit.
Our industry leaders are spending the time and money to create a product that has the potential to introduce us to millions of people that have “not discovered us as of yet,” so let’s help share said product as far and wide as we can through word-of-mouth, social media and any other ways we can think of.
Is this five-part series the answer to all of what ails us? No. But it’s a heck of a start.
By the way, when it comes to my little cameo at the very end - chirping Dougie about becoming a movie star and moving off to L.A. - c’mon Dougie, don’t be so modest kid. We all know you’re pretty enough!
Dan Fisher - [email protected]
