Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for July 31, 2025

Jason writes about calling races while getting older and the effects of age on announcing. 

A good Thursday morning to you all! Hope everyone’s July finishes up well as we move on to the next (and best month) of summer. I’m more of a fall person, so happy to see that getting closer, but August is one of the best racing months of the year, so let’s get it. 

Today’s topic is aging and work, and I realize it’s a broad topic, but for the first time this summer, I feel like I’ve had the effects of aging show up in a couple of spots, so I wanted to write about it. For reference I’m 45 years old, which is still young to some, and old to others. In a perfect world I hope I have another 20 years of calling races to go, but of course there’s a wide variety of reasons that might not happen. But I remain hopeful as there’s nothing else I really want to do for a career. 

I think that we’re all aware that time eventually comes for all of us. Throughout my life, I’ve seen the best athletes at their sports eventually age out of their greatness. I’ve seen race-calling colleagues retire because it was time or because someone else thought it was their time. 

I’ve always thought that the two main things you have to keep in order to call races are your vision and your mental acuity. As soon as one or both goes or even just starts to slip a reasonable amount, I just don’t know how you could do this job. It just requires you to be so fast-paced and alert. 

When I started at Colonial Downs in 2019, we ran only in the evenings. I remember those last couple of races each night would be under the lights, and I really had to focus in when they were on the far turn, because the silks and caps that I use to identify the horses just don’t pop as much under the lights as they do with natural lighting. But for the most part, I got through all those races fine. 

Fast forward six years and we’re running Friday nights at Colonial now and opening week, the last two races were conducted in low light and then darkness for the finale. The penultimate race I felt pretty good seeing them. The last race, as they ran on the turn, I was struggling. I guessed who was sitting in third (I was wrong) then I thought the leader at the eighth pole was someone else altogether. Luckily I caught who it was quickly, but that’s about as bad a feeling as there is as a race-caller, not being able to know who a horse is.  

Since then our Friday cards have mostly been finishing with a little light left and have gone fine for me. There was one night where we delayed an hour, and luckily for me, the race was pretty well strung out, and the winner was an easy winner and easy to spot. I remember after that race letting out a big sigh of relief that I got through it. 

It’s a little scary to admit that certain things might just keep getting more difficult as time goes on. I’m not really worried about this being an issue of any great stress, it’s just fascinating to see the little reminders of aging starting to creep in. When I was 25 and started calling races I called during the day and night and never had an issue with either. I remember I used to be able to see my program in my left hand right up close if I couldn’t remember a name. Now I have to hold it out another few inches away from my face when that comes up. 

It made me wonder what it feels like for many of our jockeys, many of whom retire before they’re at a real retirement age. Or any athlete for that matter who has to watch their skills just not be as sharp as time goes on. I think it’s taught me to try to have a little more grace towards people who might be doing a job that gets tougher as they age. Certainly has humbled me a bit as I’ve always felt very confident in my ability to call a race. Under the lights in those few races, I immediately felt like a scared neophyte race-caller back in 2006. Humbling for sure. 

But we keep on going, we adjust, and we try to keep growing and do our best. That’s what I’m going to try to do anyway.  

Have a great week, my friends!