Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem May 11, 2026

Jason discusses Mother's Day, his mom, and horse racing. 

A good Monday morning to you all, and happy Preakness Week! All the springtime tracks are getting underway, as we saw Monmouth join the party this weekend. I got to spend an opening day there in 2019, and even though it was a rainy day, it was a memorable one for sure. 

I’m still recovering from my surgery this past Tuesday, but starting to feel a little bit better, which is good. Typing this on Mother’s Day, I’ve always said that Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are my two favorite days of the year when it comes to social media.

I love seeing all the photos of people with their moms from today or from decades before. It’s just a beautiful use of our digital forums to spread the love. Years ago, I used to avoid social media on Father’s Day because of my dad passing away when I was younger, but now I really just love to see everyone celebrating or remembering their fathers. 

So many of our introductions to horse racing came from our parents. My dad took me out to the races since I was a tiny boy, and it was always a big bond of ours. We’d go to Longacres and later Emerald Downs usually once or twice a week, and it was our best bonding time. I still remember following him into Longacres and whipping my leg with the rolled up newspaper like I was a jockey as I tried to reel him in. 

My mom wasn’t into horse racing at all. She’ll watch the Kentucky Derby (G1), and she’ll watch if there’s a race I’m calling that’s on television, like the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) or the Arlington Million (G1) or something like that. But otherwise, she couldn’t tell you who Todd Pletcher was or what state Saratoga is in. Just never her thing. 

But she’s always known that it was my thing. Every once in a while, I’d convince her to come out to the races, and since I started calling races 20 years ago, she’s come to visit me at a few of the tracks I call at. 

I’ll never forget the first time she got to see me announce at River Downs. She came with me and my Aunt Brenda, and they sat behind me as I called a nice field of Ohio-based runners around the beautiful Cincinnati oval. I remember finishing the race and turning around and she was tearing up. I asked what was wrong, and she just said, “Your dad would have thought this was really cool.” 

I always thought that my picking racecalling was as much about seeking my dad’s approval, even after his death, as it was a passion for broadcasting or anything like that. To me, just being around the races made me think of him and remember him. I’ve always felt him with me when it comes to racing. 

What I realized years ago, though, was that I was always chasing my dad’s approval with my decisions in life, be it school, sports, career, anything. But I also realized that I had my mom’s approval about all those things all along. She’s never wavered in offering support to me at all times, and to me that’s my big memory of her. My sister and I were always her first priority, and it’s so humbling to have someone in your life who feels and acts that way to you. This week recovering from my surgery, I’ve certainly missed her because she always loved to “mother” us if we were sick or injured or whatever. 

But I’m going to go see her this fall for a couple months after Colonial Downs ends, and I’m very excited for that. She’s going to be 70 this year, and living on the opposite coast can be tough because I want to spend as much time with her as I possibly can. So I’m really excited to have that time coming up. Until then, I love that she can tune in on TwinSpires or on TV and hear me call a race if she wants to. She’ll send me a text every once in a while when she is, and it’s the best feeling. She’s the best. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, and have a great Preakness this week!