Big Jim is Harness Racing

Courtesy USTA

If you are a fan of both thoroughbreds and standardbreds you know there are many differences in the two sports. The frequency of their starts, the cost of blue-blooded yearlings, to name but two. However, one thing that strikes most, who own and/train both breeds, is the difference in the people who tend to own the big horses. In harness racing, as year after year proves, you can be an every day dude and get lucky with a horse. In thoroughbred racing, that tends to be pretty tough, and much more rare.

Jim Carr, the owner of the multi-talented pacer, and 2-1 morning line favorite for this weekend's Meadowlands Pace, might be in a league by himself - in any breed.

Early on, this was pretty apparent with his choice of driver. Phil Hudon, a journeyman driver who often gets replaced as soon as a star is available for a hot mount, is Jim Carr's regular driver; from the beginning. After a couple of losses, the catcalls came, as is par for the course, but Jim has stuck with him. Seeing Phil has done nothing wrong, that was a fine choice. I would bet dollars to donuts that 99.9% of other owners would not be so loyal in this situation.

Today in the harness edge, we see another example of Jim Carr's nature and joy in having a racehorse like this. 

Several months ago Jim was interviewed and said "anyone who has kids and wants to come in the winners circle when we win, please do". That has happened, and more to the Nagle family.

"It's like kismet," Tim Nagle said. "We bet on Big Jim and Big Jim won and all of a sudden Mr. Carr came out and swept us into the winner's circle. It was really wonderful. We didn't know him from Adam when he invited us to go in the winner's circle. It was like, 'Wow.' No one does stuff like that. It's fantastic."

Not long after, there they were again.

The Nagles returned on July 9 to see Big Jim win his elimination race for Saturday's $1 million Meadowlands Pace. In addition to Kyle, they brought grandsons Jake and Aaron Goldberg, as well as more than a dozen other family members and friends. They wore T-shirts Tim Nagle and his son, Scott, made up to show their support for Big Jim, and they ended up back in the winner's circle for another photo.

Prior to the races, Carr visited with the family at the Nagles' home in Wayne, New Jersey, and brought hats for the kids. They also enjoyed lunch at a local diner.

"Jim Carr has been so good to us, and so kind; it's almost like we're family," Tim Nagle said.

There are a lot of folks cheering for Big Jim this weekend for the big prize. Count me as one of them.