Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for Oct. 2, 2025

A good Thursday morning to you all! Good to have a week of shows back under my belt since coming back from vacation and I really enjoyed our conversations with Frank Mirahmadi and Jim Goodman. Check them out here on the TwinSpires Edge if you didn’t get a chance to listen. Keeneland is of course at the top of many people’s lists of favorite tracks and it’s certainly up there for me as well. I’ve had the good fortune to go probably seven or eight times, but all my visits were during the spring meet. 

It was one of those spring meet visits that featured probably my most embarrassing display at a racetrack. 

I remember it being a cold and cloudy day in Lexington, 2008 I believe. I had stayed up late handicapping at my little condo in Cincinnati and drove down first thing in the morning. I got there early and was ready to go in the first race, playing a spread trifecta with a couple horses on top. One of them won and I hit some prices underneath and was pumping my fist as hard as I could walking towards the winner’s circle and eventually to the ticket window. 

“Ladies and Gentleman, please hold all tickets,” Kurt Becker said.

My horse had been bumping with someone, but when you’re watching on the rail you can’t tell much of anything because of a lack of depth perception. But as most people with a live ticket would do, I assumed my horse was completely innocent of any malfeasance and should be left on top. The stewards disagreed with me and DQ’d him. My trifecta that was going to pay at least a few hundred, was no more. I did what any gambler worth their salt would do. I reloaded and came right back with an early Pick 4 ticket in race 2. 

I was 2-for-2 going to the third leg and two deep with the two logical horses in the race. A 20-1 shot got loose at the top of the lane, but luckily one of my horses got up to win. It wasn’t going to pay a bundle, but I was live to several horses in the last leg and had hit a 10-1 shot earlier in the sequence. Once again, cue Kurt Becker. 

“Ladies and Gentleman, please hold all tickets.” 

No. Not again. I paced as they showed the replay and again I was convinced that my horse and jockey were completely innocent against the claim of foul. I truly don’t remember if they were or not, but I sure believed they were in the moment. The stewards again disagreed with me and took down my horse. I don’t need to tell you that I had the horse who won the final leg of the sequence. You know how gambler karma works. 

But after that second DQ, I kind of snapped. I was hollering and cursing and letting everyone within earshot of me know how bad these stewards were. I believe the great Hall of Fame trainer John Veitch was one of the stewards in Kentucky at the time and for some reason, he became the centerpiece of my rant as I walked from the apron to the backyard and eventually out the back gates. I think I maybe even raised a finger towards the stewards room to tell them they were #1. 

I’ve never really had a bad temper in general, but I was so mad. And very shortly afterwards, very embarrassed. This was pre-social media and certainly nobody there knew who I was. But it was a pathetic performance I regret. It’s also part of why I try to always be very respectful when announcing a disqualification because I know that no matter how the decision goes, some people are going to be negatively impacted financially. 

Hope you guys don’t get DQ’d even once this weekend. Good luck!