by Bob Carson

Editor’s Note: The USTA Web site 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.

“The nice thing about doing a crossword puzzle is that you know there is a solution.” — Stephen Sondheim

“My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.” — Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Bob Carson

Humans love to solve puzzles. We always have.

The “aha” feeling after you finally figure things out is deeply gratifying. It may be solving a complex math problem, fixing a leaky sink, coaxing fire out of two sticks or shoeing a pacer to stop cross firing — anything that makes you lean back and smile in self satisfaction is pleasing. Large and small, unforeseen and maddening puzzles pop into our daily lives all the time (I have been trying to set up a macro on my computer since 2002). Some people go looking for puzzling trouble — every day.

We can’t help it. We are addicted. Fortunately, six days a week we can satisfy our craving in a few minutes with our local newspaper, but on Sunday, when the New York Times crossword puzzle arrives we are powerless. Most of us do not even know how we picked up the habit, but using a pencil (or pen — or cursor) and filling in those blank squares mesmerizes us. The thrill of solving that New York Times puzzle is exhilarating.

Autumn Ryan Graphic

I have a theory. I believe that many of the principles that drive crossword people to stomp a mile through a blizzard to get a copy of the Sunday New York Times containing the treasured puzzle are skills and strategies that are transferable to solving a horse race. I may be certifiable (I already have admitted to being a fan of both harness racing and crossword puzzles) but I will press on and then offer a solution (clever pun).

When a handicapper, a true handicapper, opens his or her program to the second race at Woodbine and attempts to figure out how the race will unfold, they are, at the core, attempting to solve a puzzle. These equine puzzle solvers combine the clues on the paper with the knowledge in their brain, and try to successfully complete the task. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes they fail, but the answers are always revealed.

Serious crossword puzzle aficionados meet these criteria:

• Good puzzle solvers improve with every puzzle because they accumulate knowledge and perfect strategies.
• Good puzzle solvers are often lousy in their early efforts — the odd terminology and the strange formulations can take years to grasp but determination and exercise of their mental muscles can turn lousy to good, good to great, great to amazing.
• Good puzzle solvers are willing to spend time. They sit down knowing that the answer will not jump off the page, they may need to spend hours riddling out clues.
• Good puzzle solvers are smart. They tend to be deep thinkers. They keep learning.
• Good puzzle solvers have grit. They keep at the task, day after day, learning from past experiences.
• Good puzzle solvers realize they will fail, but they are not afraid to fail.
• Good puzzler solvers understand that some of the puzzles are beyond their ability.
• Good puzzle solvers, when the answers are revealed, rarely moan. They are more concerned about the parts they got wrong so they will not repeat the mistakes the next time.
• Good puzzle solvers enjoy the solitude of their task.
• Good puzzle solvers always look forward to the next challenge.

Guess what? Serious harness race handicappers share every single one of these criteria.

The rush you get from knowing the final clue in the NYT Sunday monster, say… Tabula ____ (Answer: Rasa) is nothing compared to the rush you will get from successfully handicapping a horse race. And here’s the kicker (horse pun); the computer allows you to print out the clues. The computer allows you to watch as the answer to the equine puzzle is revealed (it’s quite exciting). You can play (solve) a daily race very easily. Later, you may wish to make a small wager. A horse race is a puzzler’s utopia.

Here is a plan for the puzzler who craves a new challenge:

1. Each day print out one harness horse race from a program (they are available on-line). It would be a great idea if a Web site posted a single page from a race program each morning (a national, daily, single race page would be a terrific idea, but that is another column). You might want to contact a friend already into harness racing to get you on the right track, they will be happy to help.

2. To begin with, allot 15–20 minutes to riddle out your answer to which horse will win the race. Write down your answer. Just try to figure out the winner. Pay no attention to odds or payoffs. Handicappers know this will often be the “favorite” but that’s fine. Like puzzles, some will be easy, some will be hard.

3. Later, watch the race unfold or look up the winner to see if you were correct. Spend a few minutes analyzing what went wrong or right. What did you miss?

4. Repeat the process each day, get in a habit. Like crossword puzzles you will slowly develop strategies. You will improve. You will find yourself understanding the game.

Most importantly, you will find an intellectual exercise that is equal to, if not better than, the challenge that the New York Times puzzle presents. The satisfaction of “getting it completely correct” is imminently transferable. Then, when you get very good, when you become smug and confident — you may wish to up the ante with a small wager.

these stories will touch on harness racing — however, they will not be written for you, our beloved harness racing aficionados. This series of articles will target people who are completely unaware of the joys and challenges of our sport.

Author’s Note: This is the latest artice in my “Pay It Forward” series.

Hopefully you will find the unusual articles mildly interesting, but they will be aimed at diverse groups such as unsuspecting business people, internet gamers, retirees, crossword puzzle solvers, Bolivians, casino players, etc. These articles will attempt to nudge these groups to take a look at harness racing — but they cannot nudge if they are not read.

When these unorthodox pieces appear on the USTA Web site, your task is to send them on their way to any possible person who does not know about our wonderful sport.