Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem Apr. 16, 2026

A good Thursday morning to you all! Hope everyone got through tax day mostly unscathed and ready to get to the races this weekend! We’re in the winding down stages of our year here at Tampa Bay Downs, but obviously many tracks are getting ready to start up including Woodbine this weekend! Always a favorite of mine. 

So this last week, some friends of mine online started up a new video project dissecting horse races and discussing parts of the races. I think a very cool part about horse racing, and really anything, is that nowadays, you can just start doing things like that. I had a yoga teacher who always used to say “you can just do things.” It resonated so much with me in part because I realized that most of the good things that have come in my life came because I just did things. 

I started a podcast because it sounded like fun in 2015. I watched some YouTube videos on how to start one, and I did it. Ten plus years later it’s become an incredibly fun part of my career. Calling races? Same thing basically. I didn’t know any announcers or even know how to become one. I always loved hearing race calls and when Vic Stauffer called Cesario in the American Oaks (G1), I went and bought binoculars the next day. I practiced in the grandstand and eventually just asked management at Portland Meadows if I could call on the roof. They let me. Twenty years later, what a fun career this has been. And it started with the idea of, hey, I want to go do this. 

My book, same story. I sat down and wrote a book. I didn’t know how to get a publisher or any of that. I just did it. YOU CAN JUST DO THINGS! I think you get the point of what I’m saying, but there’s just so many great examples in horse racing of people who just did things and it became so much more. Pat Cummings started his Dubai Race Night blog back when almost nobody was talking about Dubai racing other than the one big night a year. Fast forward a couple of years and he was doing work for them and eventually working for the Hong Kong tracks. Candice Hare started making videos about International races on Twitter, next thing you know she’s the International Host on a racing television channel. David Aragona started giving his thoughts and picks on a blog he created. Now he’s a wildly respected handicapper and morning line maker in New York.  

I’d venture a guess that when those folks started their little projects they didn’t think anything would come of them other than something fun to do. That’s how it was for me too. Racing needs passionate people who are constantly wanting to bring interesting and thought provoking content to our community. Way back in the day you had to be on TV or be in the Racing Form or work at a track to have any kind of voice in the game. Now you can amplify your voice in many different forms and put it out for the world to see. I can guarantee you when you start out the audiences will be small. And that’s ok. It’s an amazing thing if ten people get tuned into what you’re doing. But if it’s good, I promise you it will grow and become more than just an idea. You just have to go do it. You can just go do things!! 

It really is a great reminder not only in racing but in all things in life. All good things come outside our comfort zones and sometimes getting out of our comfort zone and doing new things is exactly what we need. Have a great weekend everyone!