by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA website is pleased to present freelance writer Bob Carson and his popular “Outside the Box” features. This monthly series is a menu of outlandish proposals presented with a wink — but the purpose behind them is serious. The views contained in this column are that of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or views of the United States Trotting Association.

“Don’t talk to me about aesthetics or tradition. Talk to me about what sells. And what the American people like is to think the underdog still has a chance.” — George Steinbrenner

Bob Carson

On September 1, 2010, Max St. Pierre received the call he had waited for all his life. After 14 long seasons and over 1,000 games in the hinterlands of Minor League Baseball, the Detroit Tigers called Max up to the Major Leagues. His manager took him out of a Toledo Mud Hens game and gave him the news. Max was so nervous about making his flight the next morning he couldn’t sleep.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” he smiled. “My cell phone is out of control; I’m just enjoying it. There has been so much support behind me.”

Every Minor League player is a story; most don’t last as long as Max St. Pierre or have this surprisingly happy ending. St. Pierre, from Quebec City, Quebec, struggled with alcohol, the language and changing positions; but he kept trying and kept dreaming, year after year.

We love stories like Max St. Pierre; they bring smiles to our faces and give us lumps in our throats. Maybe it was a stretch to call Max up to the Big Leagues for a cup of coffee and give him a Major League payday. Maybe Max did not quite belong — so what. Only the hardest of hearts would begrudge Max his day in the sun.

Autumn Ryan graphic

The deserving underdog having a day is a story that never grows old. We love it when the life-long lounge singer gets a cameo in a big-budget movie or the 70-year old volunteer who operates a homeless shelter gets invited to dinner at the White House.

Why don’t we do this in harness racing, not as a steady diet, but as an exotic snack?

I know a horse (Royal Tattler) and his owner, a nice guy named Rich. At this writing, Royal Tattler is 14 years old and has lined up behind the starting gate 307 times. The pacing gelding has averaged $144 per start. Much of Royal Tattler’s career was spent at the hands of a retiring trainer named Elbert Quesenberry. Royal Tattler, Elbert and Rich are harness racing’s equivalent to career Minor Leaguers. This does not mean they are losers; they simply play at a lower level. They have dreams. They have paid their dues. You probably know a few of these lifelong pluggers yourself.

Let’s say one afternoon, a track like Harrah’s Chester has a six horse field for the Preferred/Invitational. The purse is $60,000. A race secretary at a track flush with cash, with courage, and business acumen, might consider giving a couple of lifetime Minor Leaguers a day in the sun as participants in one of their feature races.

In harness racing, after a horse has 300 starts, their time and talent level are very predictable. Creating a race that includes a Royal Tattler and another similarly speed-challenged veteran war horse would not be difficult. This unlikely race could be possible, promotable and pretty darn fun.

Even the most rudimentary handicapper can calculate that in the typical invitational race, Royal Tattler would be outclassed by almost seven seconds. Seven seconds is what, 30-40 lengths? The challenge for both race secretary and handicapper is to find the necessary distance to spot a horse like Royal Tattler so that the legitimate invitational horses are still likely to win, but the illegitimate invitational horses have a fighting chance. The logistics would most likely require a second starting car positioned the appropriate distance in front of the rest of the field.

I am not suggesting a race like this for a steady diet, just maybe once or twice each season. Every race secretary at the lower tier tracks knows a few deserving horses like Royal Tattler, lifelong hard knockers that have never seen a decent payday. They know owners and trainers who have never raced for a large purse in their careers. To these guys, a single race with a $60,000 purse is science fiction.

A clever and promotion-minded race director could spark some interest in the often cold and routine treadmill of races by arranging a “Race of a Lifetime” for a couple of deserving connections. Send out invitations, promote the event, pay to ship the pair of “Career Minor Leaguers,” take care of the paperwork and licensing, and then give the horses, the trainers and the owners a week to remember.

This race could be a terrific, low cost, experiment and might bring some new faces to the track. A race like this would certainly be a new angle for newspaper, television and internet promotion. Announce the special race well in advance and give time for promotion and preparation. The story might have tentacles and legs. After all, I found the story of Max St. Pierre.

Passing out a big check to a small fish would be a chance to show harness racing has heart. As for the horsemen that normally race for the $60,000 purse, yeah, there is a chance they might lose out on a payday. One of the horses that should not really be in a race like this might grab a piece of the purse. If the Major Leaguers are so small as to begrudge the Minor Leaguers a single turn at bat — well, maybe that would be a good week to rest their star.

For our career Minor Leaguers, the mere fact that a few of these races might be set up and raced would be equivalent to a lottery ticket that you paid for with years and years of hard work. Your horse would step behind the gate with the dreams of every person at your track, family and friends would share the ride, and even the hard core handicappers might put a few bucks on the wannabes — hey, handicappers have hearts, too.

A race like this need not be a farce. Properly promoted, a “Unique Handicapped Race” like this could be very intriguing. It would offer the gambler new angles. One thing is for sure, if a race secretary ever had the courage to call up a pair of career Minor Leaguers to race a single race for a huge purse, they would be in for the race of their life.

And many of us would watch with smiles on our faces and lumps in our throats.