Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for Jan. 29, 2026

A good Thursday morning to you all! Hope everyone is staying warm as it seems that we here in Florida might be the only ones in the east who aren’t below the freezing level. And it’s in the 40s here and believe me, EVERYONE is complaining about it. But we got through our card at Tampa with no hiccups from the cold and am look forward to our first graded stakes of the season this weekend. 

This past Sunday I had the good fortune of walking the backstretch at Tampa with Rasi Harper and Bob Catalini. Rasi is the gentleman behind “The Real Players Inside the Backstretch” whose social media platform has jumped up to several hundred thousand followers. Many of you probably know the videos where Rasi will go around and interview people from the backstretch and sometimes even the frontside of the track at various tracks. It really took off a couple of summers ago when he was getting incredible interviews from grooms, assistant trainers, jockeys, gallop riders, literally any and everyone on the backstretch. 

Walking around with Rasi and Bob and watching how Rasi approaches his work was truly something to behold. Of course at this point, many folks from the backstretch know him and his videos. They would hear his voice and immediately smile and say “Real Players!” So the ice was already broken. But there were a few folks back there that he’d go up and talk to that didn’t have any clue who he was or who the Real Players were. But this is part of the genius of Rasi and his interview style. He just starts talking to them. He asks them why they love it back here and what makes it special for them. 

I’ve had the good fortune of interviewing thousands of people and one thing that has always been apparent is that people love sharing their story. Not everyone, but I’d say most people really do. So many of our backstretch workers haven’t been able to do that in a public way before. I saw several people’s eyes light up as they started talking to Rasi about why they loved racing and what it’s brought them. As the conversation got going, he’d slowly bring his camera up and just continue the conversation, only now, it was videotaped. He never asks long questions, it’s always simple questions like “how’d you get your start” or “why is this place special” and the answers just flow out of people. They smile as they talk about their past, their mentors, and why this means something to them. 

Rasi is making content that many people have connected to. In my opinion, he’s also creating a legacy project that will last for many years, including after many of the people he interviews are gone from this Earth. It’s really a time capsule of horse racing in the 2020s and well beyond. If you haven’t checked out his work, he posts on Facebook and Instagram and most social media sites. He’s interviewed everyone from top owners and trainers to grooms and assistants and folks who have dedicated their lives to the horses and the game, but have never been publicized or even talked to by any media outlet. 

It was a true pleasure to watch him walk the backside and engage in conversations with people he knew and with total strangers. His presence and passion is something our industry should be grateful for and should be encouraging (and hiring) him and his team.

Have a great weekend everyone!