Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — From the beginning, Roadshow Vic was special. The trotter, born in 2007, was the first, and ultimately only, foal out of the mare Vic’s Lady as well as the final horse bred by Maine’s Neal Tranten. In fact, Tranten, then in his mid-70s, was ready to give up the breeding side of the sport before being convinced by longtime friend and racing partner Mike Cushing to give it another go because of Cushing’s fondness for Vic’s Lady.

“She was so tough and deserved a shot at being a mom,” said Cushing, who drove and trained the mare for owner Tranten. “Neal was up in years and wasn’t going to raise any more, but I talked him into one last horse. We raised Vic together and we owned him together until just before Neal passed away (in 2017). He’s been a really special horse.”

In his final start on Dec. 31 at First Tracks Cumberland, Roadshow Vic bested fellow 14-year-old rival Beer League in a match race with Mike Cushing in the sulky. Stephanie Gray photo.

Roadshow Vic, who entered retirement when he turned 15 on Jan. 1, concluded his career with 59 wins in 302 races and $323,323 in purses. A son of stallion Roadshow Hall, he hit the board a total of 169 times and was the Maine Standardbred Breeders Stakes champion at age 2 in 2009. In his final start on Dec. 31 at First Tracks Cumberland, he bested fellow 14-year-old rival Beer League in a match race with Cushing in the sulky.

Cushing, a winner of nearly 1,400 career races who drove only four times in the previous three years while focusing on the family’s training stable with wife Charlene, sat behind Roadshow Vic in three of his 28 starts in 2021.

“I thought I would drive him a couple times this year as a last-ride type of thing,” said Cushing, who was Roadshow Vic’s nearly exclusive driver for the trotter’s first seven years of racing. “As long as I’ve done this, if I’ve had one horse that’s stuck out that I would say is my pet, he is it.”

As happy as Cushing was to enjoy a few more races with Roadshow Vic, he was even more delighted to see Charlene, who trained the horse throughout his career, get a driving win with him at last October’s Fryeburg Fair.

“My wife doesn’t drive much anymore, and she only drove Vic a few times in his career, but she had never won with him,” Cushing said. “At Fryeburg, Vic got the job done for her. That was pretty cool. I’ve been all over the East Coast and there aren’t many places that you get a live attendance like you get at the Fryeburg Fair. That was great.”

Roadshow Vic and Mike Cushing after the horse’s final career start. Photo courtesy of Mike Cushing.

Roadshow Vic had his share of ailments and issues over the years, but always impressed Cushing with his toughness and desire.

“Despite his imperfections, he would go about his business in a race as a complete professional,” Cushing said. “From day one, he was easy to drive. He has a little bit of autopilot in him. If he needed to be steadied to get through a rough patch, he would slow himself down or gather himself up. It was like he could drive himself.

“He rose to the occasion for me I don’t know how many times. It just seemed that when it was time, he carried the load for me. Heading to the races without him at least two or three times a month is going to be strange.”

What also will be strange is the silence in the barn when Roadshow Vic is not there.

“From the beginning, he’s been a spoiled brat in the barn,” Cushing said with a laugh. “He demands food steady. He bangs his door, just hits it enough with his foot — bang, bang, bang — all day long. As soon as he is low on hay, bang. Just to let you know, hey, I’m getting a little short over here.

“People would say they couldn’t put up with that, but the few times when we turned him out, we would joke that it was too quiet in the barn. He’s something else.”

Roadshow Vic might be retired from racing, but Cushing said the gelding would not be found simply standing around in a field. His next adventure could come with one of Charlene’s co-workers, who will look to retrain the trotter for dressage competitions. Charlene, in addition to working with the horses, is a nurse.

“Vic is a personable horse and he’s very amenable to whatever you want to do,” Cushing said. “I can’t imagine he will fail at it, but if for any reason it doesn’t work out, he’s always got a place here with us. He’s a workmanlike horse. He wouldn’t be happy out in a paddock in retirement. He needs a job, or he will not be happy.

“Who knows, if he’s still here in April or May, he might be guiding around my 2-year-olds, coaching them a little bit. He would be thrilled to do that.

“He’s just a cool horse. He really is.”