Jim Carr,
who most know as the owner of the very talented (now at stud) pacer Big Jim, is
not your ordinary, average, every day horse owner. The Hamilton businessman
does things in a way that is not like many others. His decisions, his loyalty,
his ‘being Big Jim’ is something refreshing and completely different.
Back when
Big Jim was being Big Jim – winning races and becoming a really nice horse –
the whispers about the choice of driver were everywhere. No matter if you were
on social media, at pre-Breeders Crown parties, in the grandstand, or on
shedrows, you’d hear “why is this guy using Phil Hudon with so many top drivers
available?”
It’s crazy
right? Sure if you look at statistics the top drivers are not separated by
much, but they are held to a high bar in racing, where everyone who has a good
horse wants to take every edge possible, whether it is real or perceived. It’s
just the way things are done. Using Phil
when John or Brian or Yannick are nearby? That’s horse racing sacrilege; or so
we’re told.
Not for Jim
Carr. One simple moment trumped that in a hurry. As told to Keith McCalmont in
a Trot magazine article, that one act
that carried so much weight with Carr was driver Phil Hudon shaking his hand
for the chance to drive his two year old, who had not even made a start.
- “I’m almost in tears talking about this because I like him [Phil] so much,” says Carr. “It meant a lot to me because that’s unheard of in this industry. I don’t think any other driver would do that and maybe even he doesn’t do that with every horse but he saw me around the paddock because I’m around there all the time. He came up and shook my hand and said, ‘Thank you.’ He hadn’t even driven him yet. He was just thankful for the opportunity.”
As time went
on, Big Jim (and the human Big Jim and Phil) won races, culminating in the
Breeders Crown. Even then there were
whispers.
“I had an
owner at the Breeders Crown party ask me, ‘Why Phil Hudon when you could have
anybody else to drive this horse?’ and I said to him, ‘What’s he done wrong?’”
recalls Carr. “He’s had one second, one third and only one bad race. He’s won
nearly everything with the horse, how much better can you get?”
As Big Jim’s
three year old season moved on, and the horse suffered a couple of losses
(probably due to physical issues) the pressure mounted to make a switch. But
that switch never happened. Big Jim danced with the one who brung him. Phil drove him in every start.
This loyalty
and love of the sport does not end there. Most may remember the story at the
Meadowlands where a young family of fans got a nice surprise.
“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.”
A week or so
later, Jim was back. Before the races, he visited with the family at their
home, brought hats for the kids and enjoyed lunch at a local eatery.
This is not
something you see every day. But it seems to be just the way it is; as the kids
might say, “this is how he rolls”.
I was
perusing the harness racing trade websites this week and I saw a Trot Insider piece on last year’s
speedball and Oliver Wendall Holmes winner, Panther Hanover. Big Jim Carr updated everyone on his (lack
of) a season so far.
“Friday
[trainer James 'Friday' Dean] had been in 1:57 with him this winter in Florida
and he was ready to qualify, but shortly after we sent him to New Jersey to
trainer Bruce Saunders he started to go off a little bit,” said Carr. “We had
an MRI done on his leg and found out what the problem was and shut him down and
let it cure. I just didn’t want to inject him, so I said to shut him down and
let’s try to get it fixed right.”
Hmmm. “Let’s
get it fixed right”. In a day and age of slot purses, vet work, supplements,
using anything legal to get an edge, and trying to get the most out of a horse
now, we’re talking about ‘fixing things right’. How many owners of a great horse do you know
with the patience to do that?
Maybe
thinking long-term is just in his nature.
I remember
when the Racing Development and Sustainability Plan (RDSP) was being talked
about in Ontario several years ago. The Plan, which would take 5% of slot money
from purses to be used for customer development, marketing, fairs, signal
distribution, digital media and more, was being heavily debated. Most horsemen
groups were balking and some racetracks were too. Jim Carr, a businessman who
believes you spend money to make money, was all for it and told anyone who
wanted to listen he was.
About half way
through the debate, he said in his usual matter of fact fashion that he’d get
the ball rolling by pledging 5% of his horse’s earnings right now. Forget about
tomorrow, the infighting, the debate, and all the rest. Let’s get it done.
